After two years of concert cancellations, Judas Priest finally rocked the rafters at the HEB Center in Cedar Park, Texas on March 20, 2022. Judas Priest is back out on the roads of North America celebrating the anniversary of the bands founding with their 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour. The tour supports the release of their 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music anniversary box set of 42 CDs including all studio recordings as well as rare and previously unreleased live performances.
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| Richie Faulkner and Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
One of the concerts chosen as part of the unreleased live performances was from the Ector County Coliseum in Odessa, Texas on June 6, 1981, when this long-time fan was in attendance.
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| Concert T and tickets from a few Judas Priest concerts attended by this fan |
Judas Priest is a British Heavy Metal band originally formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England by vocalist Al Atkins and bassist Brian Stapenhill. Over their incredible 50 years of rocking, the band has consisted of countless talented musicians.
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| Judas Priest |
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| Judas Priest |
Today, Judas Priest is lead by vocalist Rob Halford. Halford originally joined the band in 1973. After leaving the group in 1992, Rob rejoined the band in 2003 and continues to lead with his powerful vocals.
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
The one constant in the band is bassist Ian Hill. He joined shortly after the band's beginning in 1969 and is still rocking that bass and lending his voice to backing vocals.
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| Ian Hill of Judas Priest |
Drummer Scott Travis joined Judas Priest in 1989. After taking a break from 1992 until 1997, Travis is back keeping the guys rocking along on each song.
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| Scott Travis of Judas Priest |
Guitarist Richie Faulkner is back performing with Judas Priest after an incredibly scary and serious medical incident. Faulkner, who joined the band in 2011, suffered a normally fatal ruptured aortic aneurysm while performing on stage with Judas Priest at the Louder Than Life Festival in September 2021. He obviously had some excellent medical help that day because Richie doesn't seem to have any problems rocking his guitar with Judas Priest's other members today.
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| Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest |
Guitarist Glenn Tipton joined Judas Priest in 1974 and was an integral part of the band until Parkinson's Disease took its toll on his body. Tipton has had limited touring since 2018. Fortunately for our Central Texas audience, Tipton was able to perform during the bands final 3 encore performances including the quintessential "Breaking The Law." We weren't able to capture photos of Glenn during this performance, but have included this one from a past show in 2015.
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| Glenn Tipton of Judas Priest |
The newest member of Judas Priest is guitarist Andy Sneap who joined the band in 2018. He came onboard when Glenn Tipton was no longer able to participate in full tours.
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| Andy Sneap |
Even though the band has been rocking for 50 years, and many of the current members are considerably older than the average touring rock musician, Judas Priest hasn't lost a beat. They still rock just as hard as the first time I heard them in concert. And Rob Halford is still hitting his signature falsetto screams while wearing his leather and studs.
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
For me, the biggest difference in this year's concert was the stage setup for the night. The usual pyrotechnic display had been replaced by a big screen showing flames. The stage took on an industrial look with smoke stacks sending smoke billowing through the arena while lights flashed and the giant Judas Priest emblem lit up the crowd.
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
The legendary Metal gods got the crowd's adrenaline pumping right from the start with One Shot At Glory and kept them rocking with selections of fan favorites from their extensive collection. Rob Halford's vocals were on point and he kept the audience engaged for the entire show. Rob was clad in leather and had no problem commanding the stage with his presence. As expected, Rob rode his motorcycle out on the stage during the encore performance of Hell Bent For Leather. After that, the house went dark and Rob talked about the band's incredible 50 years before introducing Glenn Tipton. Despite battling Parkinson's , Glenn was able to lead the audience in three of the band's signature numbers, Metal Gods, Breaking The Law, and Living After Midnight.
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| Judas Priest |
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| Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest |
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| Richie Faulkner of Judas Priest |
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| Andy Sneap and Ian Hill of Judas Priest |
Setlist:
One Shot At Glory
Lightning Strikes
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Freewheel Burning
Turbo Lover
Hell Patrol
The Sentinel
A Touch of Evil
Rocka Rolla
Victim of Changes
Desert Plains
Blood Red Skies
Diamond and Rust (Joan Baez cover)
Painkiller
Encore:
The Hellion (Taped)
Electric Eye
Hell Bent For Leather (with Halford riding his motorcycle)
Metal Gods (with Glenn Tipton)
Breaking The Law (with Glenn Tipton)
Living After Midnight (with Glenn Tipton)
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
The 2 hour plus show was both nostalgic and electrifying for this long time fan of Judas Priest. The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour continues through April 14 in the US and Canada before heading to Europe in June.
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| Rob Halford of Judas Priest |
Queensryche
Opening for Judas Priest was Queensryche, an American Heavy Metal band whose members include vocalist Todd La Torre, guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson, guitarist Mike Stone, and drummer Casey Grillo.
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| Todd La Torre and Michael Wilton of Queensryche |
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| Todd La Torre of Queensryche |
The Washington based band kicked off the evening with explosive performances of fan favorites from their first five releases. Todd La Torre provided amazing vocals while Michael Wilton and Mike Stone added impressive guitar work. Eddie Jackson and Casey Grillo kept a tight rhythm section rocking for the entire set.
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| Michael Wilton of Queensryche |
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| Todd La Torre of Queensryche |
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| Casey Grillo of Queensryche |
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| Eddie Jackson of Queensryche |
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| Mike Stone of Queensryche |
Setlist:
Queen Of The Reich
Warning Enforce
NM 156
Empire
Walk In The Shadows
The Whisper
Operation: Mindcrime
The Needless Lies
Take Hold Of The Flame
Screaming In Digital
Eyes Of A Stranger
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| Todd La Torre and Michael Wilton of Queensryche |
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| Todd La Torre of Queensryche |
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| Michael Wilton of Queensryche |
