Artist: Judas Priest
Venue: London, Wembley Arena
Date: 21st March 2024
"The biggest cheer of the night was saved for Glenn Tipton. After a heartfelt introduction from Halford, the legend made his way onto the stage. It was an incredibly moving moment."
Tonight I travelled to the Wembley Arena to review a band whose music I’ve been listening to for forty-six years. Watching Judas Priest perform ‘Taking On The World’ on Top Of The Pops in 1978 was a life-changing moment. They were my introduction to Heavy Metal and to this day I still regard them as the band that defines the genre. Over a fifty-year career they’ve released nineteen studio albums that contain some of the greatest songs ever written. For five decades they’ve been both visionaries and ambassadors of Heavy Metal, selling over fifty million albums in the process. It hasn’t all been plain sailing and there have been many well-documented ups and downs, but despite this, they are still creating cutting-edge music and selling out concerts all over the world.
The first thing I notice when I get to the venue is that Metal is still very much alive and kicking. The arena is packed and the air of excitement is electrifying. The drama only increases when ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath reverberates around the auditorium. A thunderous roar is unleashed by the crowd as the intro of ‘Panic Attack’, the opening track on their latest album ‘Invincible Shield’, blasts through the PA. In the blink of an eye the curtain drops to reveal the five band members strategically positioned around the drum riser. And so begins an experience that overwhelms the senses. The sound is pristine, the light show is spectacular and the performance is exhilarating.
I have watched Judas Priest perform many times over the decades, but in 2024, they are heavier now than at any time in their career. The musicianship on display is of a breathtaking standard. The precision of Ritchie Faulkner & Andy Sneap’s guitar playing is as good as anything you will hear in the world of Metal. The machine-like rhythm section of Scott Travis & Ian Hill are linked in perfect synchronicity, and at 72 years of age Rob Halford defyingly shows everyone that he is still the one true Metal God. Now for possibly the most controversial statement within this whole review; in my humble opinion Ritchie Faulkner is the greatest lead guitarist that Judas Priest have ever had. His solo within the opening song is a spectacular display of virtuosity. Lean, mean, dressed in black, and armed with his signature Flying V, he epitomises the title “Guitar Hero”.
The opening song is closely followed by the classic ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’, taken from their 1982 masterpiece ‘Screaming For Vengeance’. Twelve thousand Metal maniacs were singing along with every word. It was only the second song but it was as climatic as an encore. How do you follow that? I wondered. ‘Breaking The Law’ was the resounding answer. Next up was a devastating rendition of ‘Rapid Fire’, the opening track from the groundbreaking album ‘British Steel’. Within the space of twenty minutes they had proved that even after 50 years, Judas Priest are still very much at the vanguard of Heavy Metal. The songs ‘Sword Of Damocles’ from ‘Redeemer Of Souls’, ’Love Bites’ from ‘Defenders Of The Faith’ and ‘Saints In Hell’ from ‘Stained Class’ showed that a concerted effort had been made to include at least one track from nearly every album. 'Crown Of Horns’ from ‘Invincible Shield’ sees a return to the more commercial side of their songwriting. A song that is more in line with the classics that made them global superstars throughout the eighties. Speaking of which, ‘Turbo’ which was initially met with mixed opinions when it was first released, has grown into an unquestionable classic. A song full of drama and dynamics which had the whole arena singing along with the chorus.
‘Sinner’ made a very welcome return to the set. This is undoubtedly one of the songs that their legacy has been built upon. The inclusion of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Green Manalishi’ was the only moment within the set that I was confused by. With so many classic songs of their own I didn’t understand why it was chosen above ‘Exciter’, ‘Freewheel Burning’, ‘Riding On The Wind’, ‘Screaming For Vengeance’, ‘United’, ‘Take On The World’, ‘Delivering The Goods’ or anything from their previous album ‘Firepower’. But when you have a catalogue of over 200 songs, pleasing everyone must be an impossible task. They finished the main set with a ferocious version of ‘Painkiller’. Wembley Arena had been transformed into Heavy Metal heaven but the show was very far from over.
The signal for the second coming was ‘The Hellion’. The level of excitement had now reached fever pitch. A huge red cross hung ominously above the stage, projecting beams of white light over the audience. Faulkner and Sneap stood centre stage each with a foot on the monitor ready to unleash one of the greatest riffs ever written. The only word I would use to describe tonight’s performance of ‘Electric Eye’ is monumental. At this moment they were untouchable. The roar of the motorbike can only mean one thing, ‘Hell Bent For Leather’. In a piece of pure Rock and Roll theatre, Halford rode onto the stage and delivered the classic song from ‘Killing Machine’. Sneap was giving the honour of delivering the iconic guitar solo which he perfectly executed note for note.
The biggest cheer of the night was saved for Glenn Tipton. After a heartfelt introduction from Halford, the legend made his way onto the stage. It was an incredibly moving moment. The huge outpouring of love from the fans was a true testament to how much he means to the Judas Priest faithful. Respectfully, Sneap moved to the back of the stage allowing Tipton to take up his rightful position. Together they played two tracks taken from arguably their finest album ‘British Steel’. First up was the mighty ‘Metal Gods’. closely followed by the timeless ‘Living After Midnight’. Like all the great performers they had saved their best for last.
In 2024 Judas Priest left the stage still the undisputed heavyweight champions of the world.
Review & Photos: Myke Gray
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