LIVE: JUDAS PRIEST – September 19, 2021
Venue: Fox Theater
City: Detroit, MI
Date: September 19, 2021
Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)
Heavy metal LEGENDS Judas Priest are out on the road celebrating 50 years of metal mayhem. With a rescheduled date in Detroit and Swedish rockers Sabaton tow, Priest landed at Fox Theatre on a Sunday night, but that did little to dissuade fans from showing up. With little stage to work with, Sabaton took their places and kicked the evening off with a cool swirl of tunes from their catalog, including the most recent release The Great War. The bands typical camo stage wear and front man Joakim Brodé’s mirrored vest demonstrated the bands consistency visually while their music did the talking for them sonically. It took a few songs to get to the new material, but the old and new tracks worked together in the set. The bands playful attitude carried over, as there was banter with the crowd (when asking about Swedish people in the crowd) or when the guitarists and bassiat all stuck picks to the singers head at one point during the first couple songs of the night. They ran through their allotted time and properly warmed the crowd up – not that it was really needed – for Judas Priest.
Like clockwork, the stage went black and the music started up as the headliners took the stage, ripping into material and starting with “One Shot at Glory” from Painkiller, which contributed four tracks to tonight’s setlist. Frontman Rob Halford’s vocals were as crisp on the opening track as they were on the final song of the evening. Firepower‘s “Lightning Strike” bridged the gap before one of the first classics graced the set and hit the crowd with bombast. A personal favorite “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” sounded as good as I have ever heard it and got the blood flowing and fists pumping. The band dug into the catalog and grabbed songs from throughout their long career and delivered fan favorites, classic rocks, and even some deep tracks that you may or may not know if you are just a casual fan. Guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap held down the melody and solos with precision as they treated the riffs and fretwork with respect. The one-two punch of “Freewheel Burning” and “Turbo Lover” showed how tight the rhythm section of bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis were locked in together. About midway through the set, the oldest song in the set hit wehn the title track from 1974’s Rocka Rolla rattled through the speakers and monitors showing where the band came from and other songs in the set reflected how they grew and developed into the metal legends they are. The real fun for me started when they rolled into “Painkiller” and then unleashed classic after classic with “The Hellion” and “Electric Eye” setting the musical table for three killer songs to close the show with . “Hell Bent for Leather” was pounding and delivered on every level as the band showed everyone in the venue they were definitely firing on all cylinders. After a great set full of the songs already played, the band couldn’t help but close out with “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” and sending us all home satisfied with the show we had just seen and heard. Sonically, this is one of the tighter shows I have heard of Priest’s in the last few years. The tour is young and not to be missed. Get your leather on, your friends together, and grab tickets for a show near you.
Judas Priest Setlist: One Shot at Glory – Lightning Strike – 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 – Invader – Painkiller – The Hellion – Electric Eye – Hell Bent for Leather – Breaking the Law – Living After Midnight
Sabaton Setlist: Ghost Division – The Last Stand – Swedish Pagans – The Red Baron – Bismarck – Defence of Moscow – Carolus Rex – Fields of Verdun – The Attack of the Dead Men – Primo Victoria – Steel Commanders – To Hell and Back
FULL SET OF JUDAS PRIEST SHOW PHOTOS HERE
JUDAS PRIEST LINKS:
FULL SET OF SABATON SHOW PHOTOS HERE
SABATON LINKS:
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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries
About the Author (Author Profile)
ToddStar - that's me... just a rocking accountant who had dreams of being a rock star. I get to do the next best thing to rocking the globe - I get to take pictures of the lucky ones that do. I love to shoot all genres of music and different types of performers. If it is related to music, I love to photograph it. I get to shoot and hang with not only some of my friends and idols, but some of the coolest people around today.Subscribe
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