Judas
Priest – Retribution Tour, with special guests Queensryche
Live at the Nissan Pavilion in Stone Ridge, Virginia – June 19, 2005
Review by: The Metal Master Special Agent to The MotherMetal Team
The Judas Priest reunion has hit full stride. After announcing in 2003 that legendary frontman Rob Halford was back in the fold, the band released a career spanning retrospective entitled “Metalogy”, and supported the boxed set with a triumphant return to the stage on the 2004 OzzFest tour.
As fans rejoiced in the band’s past, Judas Priest moved forward by recording “Angel of Retribution.” The CD is a modern interpretation of the classic Priest sound, combining Rob Halford’s operatic vocals with the patented twin ax attack of Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing. Ian Hill’s burley bass lines and Scott Travis’ thunderous drumming provide the heat that forges the band’s signature sound from molten metal into British steel, which has been the blueprint for hard rock bands for over 30 years.
Opening for Priest on the American leg of their world tour are progressive metal pioneers Queensryche. In January of 2006, Queensryche will release a sequel to their revolutionary CD, “Operation: Mindcrime.” The band’s classic lineup is intact, save for Mike Stone, who has picked up the guitar chores in Chris DeGarmo’s absence.
With two of the greatest voices in metal performing, I knew I could not miss this show. After making the 4-½ hour drive to the Nissan Pavilion, I hurried my way across the parking lot in hopes of finding a bathroom. My search was derailed by an invitation to indulge in a few brews with some fellow metal heads. As beers were a whopping $7.95 inside the venue, my bathroom break could wait so that I could indulge in some free libations.
After slamming down healthy portions of liquid gold, I resumed my trek to the venue. Upon my arrival, I heard the strains of a band playing at full throttle. I was a bit shocked, as it was only 7:15 PM. My ticket said that the show started at 7:30 PM. I was hoping it was an unannounced opening band, but that was not the case. Queensryche had already taken the stage, so I hurriedly entered into the amphitheater to witness the band’s set.
Queensryche
This was the third time that I have seen Queensryche, and as was the case with the other two performances, the band was tight and professional. Drummer Scott Rockenfield’s slippery syncopations percolated with bombast and bravado, providing the sonic heartbeat to songs like “Screaming in Digital”, “The Needle Lies”, and “Empire.” Vocalist Geoff Tate’s vocals are still impressive, as he belted out high note after high note on “Queen of the Reich”, “Surgical Strike”, and “Take Hold of the Flame”, which closed out their set. I was stoked when I heard the band break into “Night Rider”, which is my favorite song off of their legendary EP. However, I was disappointed that Tate did not yell out his blood-curdling scream that kicks off the song. Otherwise, Tate was clearly on top of his game. He spun a yarn about motorcycles and the desert before leading the band into “Desert Dance”, and he was interactive with the crowd throughout the evening. The audience was clearly into the band, giving rousing ovations after each song, including “I’m American”, which is from the forthcoming “Operation: Mindcrime II” CD. The crowd even shouted along as Tate sang the lyric “I’m American”, and responded with an enthusiastic “yes” when Tate asked, “Are you proud to be an American?”
Michael Wilton and Mike Stone did a yeoman’s job on guitar, as they replicated the twin guitar lines of the classic material with panache and precision. Only Stone’s mile high Mohawk and numerous tattoos reminded the assembled masses that founding member Chris DeGarmo was absent. Eddie Jackson’s robust bass lines and backing vocals rounded out the band’s trademark sound. Overall, Queensryche proved that they are still a vibrant musical force, and their show left me with high expectations for “Operation: Mindcrime II.”
Judas Priest
After a brief intermission (at which time I took the opportunity to score some Judas Priest merchandise), I heard the majestic opening strains of “The Hellion.” The massive set was revealed as the curtain parted, and the band was in position on the stage. Conspicuous by his absence was frontman Rob Halford, until he was elevated into the center of the electric eye high above the stage in time for the opening lyrics of “Electric Eye.” The band sounded a bit off-kilter as they plowed through the tune, but did recover by the end of the song. Halford was stoic, focusing every bit of his energy into delivering his vocals.
Next up was the militaristic feel of the classic anthem “Metal Gods.” The band was warmed up and in fine form, methodically performing the song like an advancing army. The bald headed Halford looked very much like Nosferatu in his long black leather coat and black goatee, as he trudged slowly across the stage. K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton executed the sturm und drang of the guitar parts in perfect lock step with the unfaltering rhythm section of drummer Scott Travis and bassist Ian Hill.
Fans
were treated to a bevy of songs from “Angel of Retribution.” “Judas
Rising” was particularly impressive, with Halford kicking the song off
with
his patented lung-busting scream. Travis was at his best, providing ferocious
double bass riffs to the song that accentuated the crushing guitar lines perfectly.
“Revolution”, the first single released off of “Angel of
Retribution” also went over well. Hill started it off with some thick
fuzz
bass, Halford added another wailing scream, and the band sped off into the
sleazy groove of the song. Rounding out the new material was “Deal With
the Devil,” a straight-ahead number that was mined from the vein of
classic Priest, and “Hellrider”, a thrashing tune that hearkens
back to the “Painkiller” era.
Having four new songs in the set meant that some of my favorites were going to be left out. I was disappointed that “Screaming For Vengeance”, “Ram It Down” and “Metal Meltdown” were omitted. However, the band did pump out plenty of classics. “Breaking the Law” featured Halford’s usual call and response pre-song rap with the crowd, who also helped Halford out on numerous choruses of the song. Tipton and Downing played acoustic guitars for the first part of “Diamonds and Rust,” providing an atmospheric respite from the band’s crunching sound. “Turbo Lover” missed a few gears and burned out a clutch, as the band sounded out of synch in spots, but “Painkiller” was a revelation. Travis’ tempestuous drumming launched “Painkiller” into the raging whirlwind of Tipton and Downing’s punishing riffs, with Halford’s ear-piercing vocals adding even more strength to the sonic maelstrom. Halford spend the entire song bent over a stage monitor, seemingly pouring out his entire essence into the microphone. This was Judas Priest at its heaviest.
The band briefly exited the stage to prepare for the encore. Halford fired up his Harley Davidson, rode it to the middle of the stage, and performed “Hell Bent For Leather” in its entirety while astride the bike. Fan favorites “Living After Midnight” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” closed out the encores. The band bade an extended farewell to the fans, and the throngs in attendance left the amphitheater well satisfied.
This
was a classic Judas Priest concert that delivered the goods. The stage was
huge, featuring six monolithic chrome Judas Priest symbols that
supported long catwalks above the stage. The banners changed frequently, from
the electric eye to the classic Judas Priest script logo. Hill played his
bass like an old Viking warrior, Travis looked effortless as he pounded the
skins, and Downing and Tipton’s high octave fretboard antics still set
the standard for two guitar bands. The duo played with flash, fire, and fury,
while keeping within the framework of the song (save for Tipton’s indulgent
guitar solo.)
What made this show different from Priest gigs of yore was Halford’s stage presence. The blond locks are gone, and he changed his leather jacket half a dozen times during the set. One jacket was a brilliant platinum, which when the yellow stage lights reflected off of it, made Halford look like a cross between King Midas and Ming the Merciless. His movements were languid and wooden throughout the concert, as he appeared to save his energy for performing the demanding vocals that Judas Priest songs require. It was clear that Halford was focused on his art, and even after over 30 years of singing metal, he is still on top.
It was a privilege to witness the reunited Judas Priest in concert. I savored the moment, recognizing that this was truly an historic moment in my personal history of going to metal concerts. One never knows what the future holds, and for this moment in time, the Metal God and his band were back on earth, performing for us mere mortals.