Growing up with Metal fully flowing through the veins, there were always three bands who I considered to be the Holy Trinity when it came to all things Heavy. They were Dio-era Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest! These were the bands that throughout the early 80’s I would’ve given anything to see live. The closest we ever got was seeing Maiden in 82 & 85 and Dio with his solo band in 86.
The Priest were not seen on these shores till the 90’s but by then, they had become nothing but a parody of themselves. Instead of the mighty Rob Halford fronting the band, we got a soundalike in Ripper Owens. It just wasn’t Judas Priest anymore.
And here we are so many years later and the boy who used to pound along to the drums on ‘British Steel’ on his mother’s couch was now a man at Hisense Arena with iPhone in tow to check on the footy scores throughout the course of the gig!
First things first, where the hell were Cavalera Conspiracy? I bought a ticket specifically to see them AND Judas Priest yet the no-show was never even mentioned at the gig. If I have failed to see a notice from the promoter then so be it, but seriously, I am feeling slightly ripped off.
Cavalera Conspiracy disappointment aside, Judas Priest finally hit the stage and blasted through a scintillating version of probably the only decent track on the latest album, ‘Prophecy’. Tho, Halford’s cries of ‘I Am Nostradamus’ whilst decked out in a gold sequined robe that Liberace would kill for - was certainly bordering on the Spinal Tap side! I think I actually giggled a couple of times! Ponsy stage attire aside, the band sounded fucking unbelievable and the dual guitars of KK and Tipton sounded like an orchestrated chainsaw at the most maximum of volumes!
Thankfully, the band waded through a greatest hits repetoire instead of the rumoured playing of the entire ‘Nostradamus’ album. There would have been no chance in hell I’d have gone to see them if that was the case.
The old classics sounded magnificent, ‘Metal Gods’, ‘Dissident Aggressor’ and the magnificent ‘Sinner’ were superb but I can’t help but feel that Halford’s stage pressence has diminished somewhat from the glory days of the ’80’s. Sure the dude is older now but he waddled across the stage in a slow slumber rather than the maniacal energy that Bruce Dickinson delivered several months ago at the Maiden gig. Also, whilst he is still an amazing crooner, the high notes he would wail like a banshee on back in the day are long, long gone.
Still the band did sound amazing and delivered a truly gonzo set of their finest moments in their highly decorated career.
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