It was last Monday night at Freeman Coliseum, and the Priest came back!
This time, the metal gods Judas Priest were celebrating their 50th anniversary of making molten metal for the masses with a mostly career-spanning setlist and Queensryche in tow as the opening act. Performing for an hour and 52 minutes, vocalist Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, drummer Scott Travis and guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap reminded roughly 5,000-6,000 fans at the Coliseum why they’ll always be considered one of metal’s all-time influential artists (see 109-photo slideshow below; no professional video was allowed).
Not that San Antonians needed a reminder. After all, this is the city in which the late disc jockey Joe “The Godfather” Anthony gave Judas Priest and so many other artists their first taste of American radio airplay. That fact has never been lost on Priest, as Halford indicated by referencing Anthony prior to introducing arguably the night’s best stretch of music: a rare performance of the title track to Priest’s 1974 debut Rocka Rolla, which led into one writer’s favorite Priest jam “Victim of Changes,” into 1981 rocker “Desert Plains” and the ebbs and flows of 1988’s “Blood Red Skies.”
Each time Judas Priest visits, you have to wonder if it will be the group’s final San Antonio appearance. The same thing occurred May 1, 2018, the band’s previous stop at Freeman Coliseum with Saxon and Black Star Riders (coverage here). That night, much like this gig, guitarist and producer Andy Sneap filled in for original guitarist Glenn Tipton after the latter was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Tipton made an appearance for three British Steel encores four years ago, and San Antonians could count their lucky stars he was well enough to appear again in 2022 for “Metal Gods,” “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight” for a couple of reasons.
Not only has Tipton’s health held up enough in those four years, but he’s not appearing in every city on this tour. Four nights earlier in Portland, Oregon, Tipton did not come out on stage. At that show, however, Priest played “Invader” from 1978’s Stained Class in lieu of “Metal Gods.” Although it would’ve been nice to hear any track from Stained Class, let alone a song that had never been played live prior to this tour, San Antonio won that trade-off.
The special occasion of Priest’s golden anniversary brought out the stars of the Alamo City as well. Mayor Ron Nirenberg was on hand, posing for pictures with several residents. John Araya, the brother of Slayer vocalist Tom Araya, rocked out in the front row. And of course, San Antonio musicians in Riot bassist Don Van Stavern as well as Bobby Jarzombek, the drummer for all of Halford’s solo-band studio and live albums, weren’t about to miss this show either.
Opening with a track that is making its debut on this trek, “One Shot At Glory” from 1990’s Painkiller, Judas Priest delivered the goods in music and elaborate stage setup that included a monstrous replica of the Painkiller symbol that virtually covered the width of the stage as it lay parallel to the ground prior to the band’s arrival.
The 70-year-old Halford, sporting a thick gray beard and four to five different black leather metal jackets throughout the evening, dripped with sweat as he belted out his signature vocals as live as could be. There were occasional echoes for effect, but otherwise, Halford demonstrated once again why he’s the metal god, particularly on “Freewheel Burning,” Diamonds and Rust,” and the aforementioned “Victim of Changes” (setlist below)
Initial reaction to some of the tracks was that Judas Priest should give “Turbo Lover” a rest in favor of something else from that album such as “Locked In,” “Rock You All Around the World” or “Reckless.” As enjoyable as it is to hear and see the musicianship on the seven-minute plus “Blood Red Skies,” that track along with “A Touch of Evil” and “Hell Patrol” has been heard before, so it would’ve been more special to hear other offerings from those respective albums.
Nevertheless, considering Halford was parading around the stage with the aid of a cane eight years ago, and taking into account the adversity within the band Judas Priest has faced prior to this tour, let’s just stress that any form of Judas Priest material emanating from the band live and in the flesh in 2022 is more than a sight to behold and music to these ears.
And what about those atypical situations?
First was the mere appearance of Faulkner.
Despite being the youngest member of the band who was credited with injecting energy into Judas Priest when he joined in 2011, Faulkner suffered a shocking ruptured aorta at the Louder Than Life festival last September in Louisville, Kentucky. While Faulkner was undergoing a 10-hour open heart surgery, many fans across social media clamored for the return of K.K. Downing.
For heaven’s sake, people, THE MAN NEARLY DIED!
So the fact Faulkner recovered fully and resumed playing guitar saved Judas Priest’s existence in another fashion and made last week’s show, which had already been rescheduled twice due to Covid-19 and Faulkner’s harrowing experience, possible in the first place.
Then there was the pre-tour controversy regarding Sneap’s appearance. Or not.
Judas Priest announced they would be undertaking this tour as a quartet with Faulkner as the lone full-time guitarist — an unimaginable scenario for a band that has prided itself on the twin-dual guitar attack over its five decades. Luckily, this was one instance in which fan backlash was put to good use, and the members of Judas Priest listened and invited Sneap to rejoin the group. Sneap, mostly known for his album production work with various artists, fortunately agreed — another turn of events that may not have made this show possible had he not said yes.
Imagine JP playing “The Sentinel” without Halford having two guitarists to turn his attention to during the alternating eight-sided solo. Why, that would make as much sense as the overabundance of backing tracks.
While Halford belted out his signature vocals for nearly two full hours at an age most people spend in retirement, Queensryche’s Todd La Torre frequently used the help of his pre-recorded voice.
It’s hard to believe La Torre is in his 10th year as the replacment for the original voice of Queensryche, Geoff Tate. La Torre, 48, is a talented singer, more than capable and good enough on his own vocally without needing assistance unless he’s under the weather.
But as Queensryche dedicated its set to classics from 1983-90, including the first four tracks of “Queen of the Reich,” “Warning,” “En Force” and “NM 156” (setlist below), La Torre could often be seen pulling the microphone away from his mouth and, in a couple of other instances, walking to the other side of the stage with his mic down while his voice reverberated throughout the venue.
More bands these days are utilizing backing tracks, but that doesn’t make it any more enjoyable by any stretch for fans who paid to hear their favorite vocalists do what they’re supposed to do best. It also detracts from the performance because for those observant enough to notice such a calamity, the show begins to become secondary in favor of watching to see how often — and how blatant — the act occurs.
As one could enjoy the variety of other classics Queensryche performed such as “The Needle Lies,” “Operation: Mindcrime” and “The Whisper,” the tunes became a sideshow of looking out for just how much of those songs La Torre was singing completely.
Along with original guitarist Michael Wilton, original bassist Eddie Jackson, guitarist Mike Stone and Kamelot drummer Casey Grillo, La Torre and Queensryche realized their place as an opening act on this tour by foregoing any material from the three albums La Torre has made with them. For the diehards, it would’ve been nice to hear one or two of those tracks. Still, one could respect Queensryche for knowing how their bread is buttered while serving as a warmup act to an iconic band. If anything, Queensryche should be applauded not only for leaving “SIlent Lucidity” at home and, somewhat surprisingly, “Jet City Woman,” but also for delivering their own goods for 39 years — even if it still sucks that there’s two versions of an incredible rock band.
But the alternative, of course, would be to have zero versions of Judas Priest or Queensryche, either due to a global pandemic that has lasted for 2 1/2 years or issues or health complications within the groups. And that again made Tipton’s appearance all the more satisfying.
Coming out with some assistance from Halford, the guitarist acknowledged the cheers from the Freeman faithful and added his stamp to three of British Steel’s staples. It left this writer in a satisfied and grateful state of mind, albeit with a suddenly sore throat that was more than worth it, and with the feeling that this indeed would mark Judas Priest’s final visit.
Until, of course, Priest unveiled their patented “The Priest Will Be Back” banner on the big screen as the guys handed out picks, tossed out drum sticks and waved goodbye — at least for now.
And just like that, another Judas Priest night had been etched into San Antonio lore. Maybe, just maybe, the Alamo City will have another Priest sighting comin’.
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, Diamonds and Rust, Painkiller. Encores: Hellion/Electric Eye, Hell Bent For Leather; (Glenn Tipton joins band): Metal Gods, Breaking the Law, Living After Midnight
QUEENSRYCHE setlist: Queen of the Reich, Warning, En Force, NM 156, Empire, Walk In the Shadows, The Whisper, Operation: Mindcrime, The Needle Lies, Take Hold of the Flame, Screaming In Digital, Eyes of a Stranger
