Judas Priest Crushes Charlotte With the Force of 50 Heavy Metal Years

In today’s disposable age, it’s hard to imagine things lasting more than a few years, let alone fifty. But as is usually the case, great things that are done well tend to endure. For heavy metal fans around the world, the staying power of Judas Priest is a symbol of the band’s importance to music and their dedication to their craft. Priest has become symbolic of the very essence of heavy metal music and who better to represent the legions of metalheads than the band that made us “Hell Bent for Leather” and taught us that “Living After Midnight” was indeed the way to do it. Of course, if we were busy “Breaking the Law” then all bets were off. Utilizing a twin guitar attack and the vocals of The Metal God himself, Rob Halford, Judas Priest would have us banging our heads for many, many years. To celebrate their five decades ruling the heavy metal kingdom, Judas Priest is out on the road bringing 50 Heavy Metal Years live and loud to a city near you. The tour was originally on the books for last year but due to the Covid pandemic was delayed until 2021. They recently paid a visit to the Queen City with the metal show of the summer at PNC Music Pavilion and brought the Swedish War Machine of Sabaton along for the ride.

This show was one of the first that I attended to require either proof of Covid vaccination or a negative Covid test in order to enter the venue. They had assigned staff members checking this and stamping hands prior to guests going through the metal detectors and the process seemed to run smoothly. Once inside, it was time to prepare for the mighty Sabaton to take the stage. The Swedish metal band always puts on a high-energy performance with a stage set that matches their lyrical content of historical wars and acts of valor and heroism. My expectations were fairly high going in, but we were all about to be blown away by what we were about to see. The microphone stands were decorated with their typical machine gun and military helmet props with a huge Sabaton backdrop and other paraphernalia scattered about the stage. What else you may ask? Oh yeah, there was a tank. Yes, indeed there was a huge tank on the right side of the stage atop which sat the massive drum kit of Hannes Van Dahl.

As the band members made their way out, fists raised in the air, they quickly kicked things off with “Ghost Divison” from their album The Art of War. Guitarists Chris Rohrland and Tommy Johansson were on fire with bass guitarist Par Sundstrom laying down some sick bass lines and Van Dahl thundering away behind the drumkit. Vocalist Joakim Broden is not only a killer metal vocalist with a terrific range that is perfect for all their huge choruses, but he is also an outstanding showman. He was posing, working his microphone stand, pumping his fist, and leading the crowd through the set. For the second song, “The Attack of the Dead Men,” the band came out in full gas mask gear with Broden keeping his mask and giant blowgun on for the entire song. I kept expecting some sort of significant pyro to come shooting out of the gun as he aimed it at the audience but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, probably due to some safety ordinance which I completely understand. If you’ve never seen Sabaton live, you really should do yourself a favor and take in one of their shows. Not only will you get to hear some epic metal but you’ll also see a show quite like any other. Even the hardcore Judas Priest fans were won over by Sabaton’s set which was nothing short of amazing. The band has a new album coming soon, The War To End All Wars, and it is bound to be a keeper. Check out all things Sabaton at, https://www.sabaton.net/.

Wow, so far we were off to a stellar start and the main event was still to come. After the requisite intermission for the stage change over and a bathroom break and beer run for the fans, the time to see the mighty Priest was almost upon us. As the venue lights dimmed, the loudspeakers began to play “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath as the audience sang along in anticipation. When “Battle Hymn” began, everyone knew it was about to go down. The lights revealed a giant Judas Priest cross lit up in red at the front of the stage. The cross would ascend higher into the rafters as Judas Priest came out revealing a stage set up like never before. The entire stage was made to resemble the Steelworks plant that was located near where Rob grew up. Drummer Scott Travis has his kit set up on a riser in the middle with guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap on each side of the stage. Bass guitarist and founding member Ian Hill was to the rear of the stage slightly behind Sneap and near one of the smokestacks that would glow and blow smoke later in the evening. Of course, the grand entrance was reserved for Rob Halford who appeared in his signature fringed leather jacket, fist in the air, and ready to rock!

The band got started with “One Shot at Glory” from the Painkiller record and “Lightning Strike” off their newest record Firepower, which was in my opinion, one of their best albums yet. The band was on fire and though Halford’s beard may be a little greyer than before, his voice is still outstanding and when he wants to turn it up, you bet your ass he still can, proving it several times during the band’s performance. Faulkner has proven his self over the years as well, not only for his technical wizardry on the guitar but for his charisma on the stage and his interplay with both the fans and Rob was genuine and a ton of fun. The crowd absolutely erupted for “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” one of the band’s biggest singles. From that point on, it was a heavy metal journey through the legacy that is Judas Priest as they touched on different time periods of their iconic history. We went straight up 80s style with “Turbo Lover” and all the way back to the beginning of the band with “Rocka Rolla.” With such a huge discography to pull from, I think the band did a fantastic job of giving every Judas Priest fan a little something this evening. They closed out their regular set with “Painkiller” to much screaming and applause.

Now, the band still hadn’t played most of their giant hits, so we knew there was much, much more Priest to come. So as “The Hellion” began to play, everyone geared up for the band to return to the stage, and return they did, absolutely tearing that stage up with “Electric Eye.” As many fans can attest to, a Judas Priest show just isn’t a Judas Priest show unless Rob Halford makes his way onto the stage riding a Harley Davidson for “Hell Bent for Leather” and when the sound of the engine firing up could be heard, the crowd erupted in delight. Fists were pumping, people were jumping, and Rob rode out in all his leather and glory, whip in hand. If that wasn’t enough to get your juices flowing, the sirens would soon go off signaling another huge song on the horizon and soon we were all “Breaking the Law” with Judas Priest. What a night! And yet, there was still one more to go as the band exited the stage, a giant bull was inflated on the stage and the instantly recognizable opening riff of “Living After Midnight” could be heard resonating from Faulkner’s guitar. A wild and crazy extended version of the song ensued complete with the audience singing along and Faulkner even “humping” the giant bull at one point. I looked around at the smiling faces and I was suddenly thirteen years old again, rocking out with my friends at my first, but definitely not my last, Judas Priest concert. I think they could have played the song all night long and we would have all stayed, “rockin’ to the dawn,” with our heavy metal heroes, Judas Priest. Even the band seemed like they didn’t want the moment to end, most especially Rob Halford as he ran from one side of the stage pumping his fist a few final times and urging the crowd on as the chants of “Priest!, Priest!” could be heard across the venue, ringing out to The Metal God and all the metal gods that came before.

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