Judas Priest’s latest release Firepower has been one of their most successful of their long, loud and legendary career. Released earlier this year the album has already placed higher than any previous release on US charts. Topping such classics as British Steel andPainkilleris no small feat.
Judas Priest brought plenty of Firepower to Riverbend on Tuesday night. Cincinnati was fortunate enough to be the first stop on Priest’s co-headlining tour with old school rockers Deep Purple. The first night of a new tour is always special for both the band and the crowd. It’s a great chance to catch a band on the top of their game before road fatigue starts to set in and they are often eager to perform a new set with new surprises.
Rob Halford and crew are the definitive example of everything and anything that is Heavy Metal. From the leather and spikes, to the motorcycles and head banging anthems, Judas Priest on a memorable evening for a sea of hard rock fans.
The show was loud and proud from beginning to end. Halford still sounds as great as he ever has and still has a scream that can shatter glass. Riverbend was swarmed with fans garbed in leather and denim as they happily sang along to such hits as, “Hell Bent for Leather”, “Grinder,” and “Painkiller. Fans were full of energy, high fiving each other, and even dancing with security while Judas Priest nailed out one hell of a set list.
No Judas Priest show would be complete without Halford’s wardrobe changes as he had at least 3 during this gig, each more metal and epic than the last. The band was tight and on point throughout the night as the video monitor behind them showed images to accompany each song. Right before “Hell Bent for Leather”, the distinct sound of a motorcycle engine could be heard just off the stage. Halford rode the killer chopper on stage and the crowd exploded into a frenzy of fists and devil horns.
With a rumor of a 50th anniversary tour next year, Judas Priest shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.
And we wouldn’t let them.
