If you’re a fan of going to live shows I can’t imagine it matters where you live in the world, going to an awesome venue just enhances the experience. That’s what I was treated to last night for the Judas Priest show. It’s at a brand-new revamped venue, the Armory in downtown Minneapolis. This place is absolutely incredible and brings back those feelings of old rock ‘n roll shows. General admission on the floor, lots of visible seating on the sides but updated with the latest lighting and technology along with more bars than you could stumble up to.
This had to be the most anticipated concert so far this year. I heard so many different people talking about going to see the show. I had no idea there were so many Judas Priest fans. This seemed like the perfect triple bill and it certainly didn’t disappoint. My social media was on fire all night with photos and comments.
The first band up was the Black Star Riders. This is somewhat of a remake or rejuvenation of Thin Lizzy. They worked their way through a 40 minute set and played some of the classic songs like “Jailbreak”. They were a wonderful first opening act with lots of energy and incredible vocals. They have recorded and released several albums of late and harken back to that classic metal sound. The one original remaining member is Scott Gorham on guitar. Their latest LP is 2017’s “The Killer Instinct”.
The second band to play was Britain’s own Saxon who was one of the many bands in that initial wave of the new British heavy metal in the early 80’s. They have been together since 1976. They still have several of their original members including the lead singer Biff Byford and Paul Quinn. They are touring to support their latest record “Thunderbolt” released this year. They played several songs off of that record that seem to go over just as well as some of their classics like “Denim and Leather”. I had not seen Saxon since 1983 and they look just as fresh now as a did back then. Perhaps better. All I know is the audience really loved them.
Judas Priest has one of the most anticipated new metal albums that I can think of in the recent past. The latest LP is titled “Firepower”. When I was headed down to the venue, I was thinking about the last time that I had seen them play live. It had to have been in the 80’s. I thought to myself I wonder how many songs are they going to play that all actually know? By the end of the night I was thinking about all the songs that I knew by them that they never did play.
They did a real mix of songs from early in their career all the way up to several off of the new record. I thought they were very dynamic and sounded amazing. Some fans I know are complaining because one of the founding members Glenn Tipton is not on tour with them. Unfortunately Glenn is ill and cannot tour with them but was on the record. I never understood this when fans have a problem. You’ve got a guy that really wants to be there playing and just can’t. Are you all of a sudden just going to stop supporting the band because he can’t tour with them? That’s got to be one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Either you’re a fan of the band or you’re not.
Musically they were dead on and as tight as you could be. The songs all sounded incredible. Their lighting show was fantastic and I really liked their stage set up. The only thing I guess I was disappointed about is they didn’t actually use any Pyro. That kind of surprised me considering that they are a big metal band. It didn’t take away from the show because everything else made up for it. It was a trip down memory lane for me and so many of the people there.
The two younger guitar players including Richie Faulkner were fun to watch and ran all over the stage. For me, I want to see energy that matches the music.
At the end of the day, all that matters are the fans. Everybody that I saw, was leaving with a smile on their face. This was a perfect example of getting the opportunity to relive your youth even if it’s only for a few hours. If you like Judas Priest, go and see them you won’t be disappointed. Rob Halford has not lost a step. His vocals are absolutely amazing and bassist Ian Hill is still very much a part of this. Trust me if you don’t go you will be kicking yourself that you missed it.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Tommy Sommers Photography
