Date: Saturday, 12.12.2015
Location: Brno / Hala Rondo / Czech Republic
Metal giants Judas Priest are enjoying a new renaissance bloom after, believe it or not, 45 years in the game. After announcing a farewell tour some years back, bringing in new guitarist Richie Faulkner gave them fresh momentum and a new creative drive. So last year the new studio album “Redeemer of Souls” was born, and Judas Priest hit the road with it. This year they already played across the old continent as part of the summer European festivals. Before the year was out they also confirmed a late-autumn and winter tour, likewise devoted to promoting the still-current “Redeemer of Souls”. The band is also already announcing a new studio album, yet more proof that a fresh wind of youthful bloom is blowing around the elder statesmen of metal.
To make the tour even more attractive, Judas Priest invited a band with an even slightly longer track record than their own. Britain’s UFO. The rock greats released their 21st studio album “A Conspiracy Of Stars” this year, and the current lineup is made up of these gents: Phil Mogg (vocals), Andy Parker (drums), Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar), Vinnie Moore (guitar)! Since 2008 bassist Rob De Luca has been helping out (on stage only), filling in for the retired Pete Way. UFO got a full hour to cut loose in the Rondo hockey arena in Brno, the second-largest city in the Czech Republic. The hall seats 7,200. The stands behind the stage were of course closed off, but a floor section was added instead. Jam-packed hall. Seats included. By estimate somewhere between 11,000 and 12,000 people! By midday the hotels around Brno were completely full. So demand for the show was exceptional.
Back to the UFO set. Dressed in his Sunday best, vocalist Phil Mogg took the stage as expected. Once again accompanied by alcoholic derivatives. The swaying old uncle didn’t forget the lyrics this time, but he took more time between songs to chat up the crowd. He especially kept an eye out for the girls in the front rows. So you could hear comments like: “Nice cleavage, keep on touching!”, and later, when fans were already urging him to just start singing, he stopped them by addressing some girl: “Wait a minute. I am tryin’ to make a business commitment”. He also complimented some guy with a scarf wrapped around his head, saying he looks like Spike, the vocalist of Quireboys. In short, Mogg was by no means bored at this show. Moore and the rest of the gang exchanged glances a few times while waiting for Mogg. Still, the band delivered exactly what we came for. A hell of a performance. They hold the riff and grab hold. They remain evergreen. The sound was excellent. In ten songs the band served up 4 newer ones too, but the classics still stole the spotlight, led by opener Mother Mary, plus the other cult tunes Lights Out, Rock Bottom, Let it Roll, Only you Can Rock Me and the unforgettable Doctor, Doctor, with which UFO wrapped up a seriously energetic and vivid show. Vinnie Moore again shone with his wizardly guitar acrobatics, and the band delivered remarkable stage tightness. Even the “swaying” Uncle Phil, at moments clumsy under the full weight of the booze, pulled off the show at the required level. In short: UFO still got it. A great performance. An attraction! The giants of the rock bible stay more than bristling and jagged even in their golden years. An experience worth sinning for!
Truth be told, the confirmation of UFO as Judas Priest’s support act gave the mini RockLine crew an extra push to make the trip to see both bands all the way in Czech Brno. And it was a Saturday, too. Couldn’t be sweeter.
Judas Priest started their set a little after 9:30 PM. After a shortened taped version of War Pigs (Black Sabbath) and a taped intro (Battle Cry), the band (just like this summer at See Rock festival in Graz) hit with the new Dragonaut. All the guys at their posts. Right from the start Faulkner got more room than Glenn Tipton, and the same went on throughout. He also got a few special minutes for a solo spot. The seasoned old tomcat Tipton is handing more and more important duties over to young Faulkner. Especially when it comes to soloing. Halford being Halford. A constant. It’s lovely to see him in great vocal form again. For his age, of course. The man does get some support from the mixing desk here and there, but the key screams he still wails out with remarkable heart and piercing power. The band extended the setlist by one song compared to the summer festival gigs. Devil’s Child was replaced by the excellent Desert Plains (“Point of Entry”, 1981), and Jawbreaker by the superb Screaming For Vengenace (“Screaming For Vengeance”, 1982). One extra track compared to the summer setlist showed up in the repertoire: The Rage. That was one of the sweetest surprises of the show, actually an overlooked but excellent tune from one of Judas Priest’s most successful records, “British Steel” (1980).
Judas Priest don’t let themselves get rattled. They’re far too experienced. They play with remarkable confidence and ease. The sound in the hall was dreamy. The crowd in the jam-packed arena was loud and fired up. Funniest of all was the guy who could barely stand through the whole show. Thanks, of course, to a surplus of alcohol molecules in his blood. It looked like he was doing everything during the concert except listening to it. Somewhere in the middle of the show the old fella vanished from the front rows. But after some 15 minutes he came back. With two hot dogs, which the jolly fellow held out toward the stage, offering them to Faulkner and Halford. The things you run into and see at concerts! Anyway, the crowd deserves a big fat ten for carrying the band high on its wings all night. You could also spot a lot of young heavy metalheads in the crowd, which is very, very good. Decked out in their favorite Judas Priest shirts, of course, and other metal kitsch.
Halford, in the style of a great high priest and biblical sage, changed outfits a few times during the show, swapped some preacherly words with the crowd, rode a motorcycle onto the stage before Hell Bent For Leather (and sang the whole song right from the bike’s saddle), and before You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ theatrically warmed up the audience with vocal arias that the crowd had to repeat after him.
The obligatory encore started with drummer Scott Travis, who first asked the crowd whether they wanted to hear one more song. Given that Travis was all alone on stage, it was clear which song was coming. The band jumped into Painkiller, the crowd lost it one last time, and to close, Judas Priest played the fourth track of the evening from the “British Steel” album, meaningfully titled Livin’ After Midnight.
Seeing Judas Priest remains a one-of-a-kind spectacle, and nothing else comes even close. The experience with this band stays unique on stage, live. The form is still there, and so is the agility. A new album on the horizon extends the lifespan of the metal legends the natural way. It’s clear we’ll see them again. Let’s hope very soon.
author: Aleš Podbrežnik
photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
JUDAS PRIEST:
1. War Pigs (taped intro)
2. Battle Cry (taped intro)
3. Dragonaut
4. Metal Gods
5. Desert Plains
6. Victim of Changes
7. Halls of Valhalla
8. The Rage
9. Turbo Lover
10. Redeemer of Souls
11. Beyond the Realms of Death
12. Screaming for Vengeance
13. Breaking the Law
14. Hell Bent for Leather
15. The Hellion
16. Electric Eye
17. You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
—encore—
18. Painkiller
19. Living After Midnight
20. Beginning of the End (taped outro)
UFO:
1. Mother Mary
2. Run Boy Run
3. Lights Out
4. Venus
5. Burn Your House Down
6. Only You Can Rock Me
7. Let It Roll
8. Messiah of Love
9. Rock Bottom
10. Doctor Doctor
