My first exposure to Judas Priest may sound like a fever dream… but bear with me!
It was the early to mid-nineties and the edgy pre-teen writer before you was into The Sunday Show – an early morning BBC2 show that was cut from the same cloth as The Word. One segment (and here is where I could be wrong, but I’m sure I’m not) was called Denis Pennis Breaking The Law where the infamous Paul Kaye (to the younger readers – he was a comedian before he was in Game Of Thrones and he was actually pretty good) character found obscure laws to break. This was where I saw the obscenely ginger personality impersonate a Chelsea Pensioner to ‘Breaking The Law’. As much as I loved irreverent humour, I really loved that chorus and guitar riff. I was never raised in a metal household, so it was a while before I was exposed to them outwith a TV show. When that did happen, I was in a town where you only had Maiden or Priest to choose from. I couldn’t relate to being a 17th century rifleman or whatever Maiden were singing about at the time, but I could relate to being an absolute badass and that’s what Judas Priest are all about.
There’s undeniable electricity in the air at The Hydro tonight. Not only are we about to see some Grammy award winning legends in the flesh, but there’s VIP packages that have been on offer where you can check out all of their gear backstage and iconic bike that Halford comes on stage with for ‘Hell Bent For Leather’. No mention of actually meeting the band with the hefty price ticket, but it’s still a pretty sweet deal. Tonight being the first night of the tour is also something sweet as we get to see this before anyone else.
Opening tonight is Uriah Heep, a band who have been on the go for 55 years and who’s members are in their 70s. I’m in my thirties and complain about having to pick something up off the ground… to be playing arena shows at twice my age is beyond admirable. The music is classic rock with a taste of metal and a bit of prog too. Think the music of Deep Purple with the vocals of Iron Maiden. It’s a great throwback that reminds us what kind of show we’re at. The keyboard player is absolutely outstanding – not to take away from the rest of the guys – but those are a real stand out. I saw Iron Maiden headline Leeds festival back in the day and I can say hand on heart that Bernie Shaw is more consistent in delivery tonight than Bruce was that night. Sole original member Mick Box can really shred too. Uriah Heep are the time machine that’s taken this space to where it needs to be.
Saxon are the main support on this tour. Legends in their own right – cited by bands like Metallica and Motley Crue as influences – they could be doing their own headline show. But they’re not and we’re reaping the rewards of that – especially with a headline length set. If Uriah Heep took us back to the time we needed to be, Saxon are bringing the attitude. They’re thrashy and there’s plenty of face melting guitar solos.
Bassist Nibs Carter carried the band in terms of stage presence by flying across the stage and throwing his bass around like it was nothing. Some great live debuts from the new album ‘Hell, Fire, and Damnation’ including the title track, ‘There’s Something In Roswell’, and ‘Madam Guillotine’. We get the classics too like ‘Wheels of Steel’ and the crowd even got to choose between ‘Dallas 1 PM’ and ‘Crusader’ (the former won). As I said, this could have been a headline slot and Saxon treated this as such.
When the stage is set for Judas Priest, there’s a huge banner hanging down the middle of the stage. ‘War Pigs’ by Black Sabbath plays while the lights help build the excitement. In an impressive work of set design, the banner falls and is then sucked up into some magical contraption at the top of the stage, revealing the band posing on stairs leading to the drum riser. There’s a lot of sparkle as the leather is covered in – I want to say spikes and studs, but if it is they’ve been polished to the point of looking like sequins. We get the live debut of ‘Panic Attack’ straight away, along with classic songs ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’, ‘Breaking The Law’, ‘Painkiller’ and even a Fleetwood Mac cover, ‘The Green Manalishi’.
The encore starts with ‘Hell Bent For Leather’ and the most awaited moment of the night where Rob Halford rides the Harley motorbike on the stage. It was worth the wait. At 72 years old, he still has it. Rob Halford is every bit the metal God that he was since long before I knew he existed and his presence on stage proves it. There’s plenty of theatrics and guitarist Richie Faulkner is a delight to watch live. If you’re not a hardcore metalhead, and you’re not sure which of the monsters of rock are king of the hill, I think tonight has just shown it.
Photos by Catching Light Photography