Queensrÿche & Judas Priest
Oh man. I went to see Queensrÿche and Judas Priest last Wednesday at the White River Amiptheatre.
I’m not a big Queensrÿche fan, but they put on a good show. They were, however, blown away by Priest. These guys are ancient - they’re all in their mid-50s. They’re wrinkled and gray, decrepit, and they rocked harder than nearly any other band I’ve seen. They were utterly amazing. All these years, and they are still out there kicking ass and making metal. Amazing.
These guys put on a hell of a stage show. They started with Electric Eye, which had a massive Eye backdrop, with Halford in the iris. Midway through the song, he vanished and popped up from a trapdoor on the stage. For Revolution, Halford rode halfway up the height of the stage in a throne with a (fake) burning pyre in front of it. Victim of Changes was perhaps the best song, with a very extended solo in the middle.
The highlight was Breakin’ the Law. During the intro, the guys lined up (left-to-right)- Halford, Downing, Tipton, and Hill. The guy on the left reached over to play the instrument of the person next to them, while fingering for their part on theirs. I.e. Hill fingers the bass, but doesn’t play; Tipton fingers his guitar, and plays Hill’s bass; Downing fingers his guitar and plays Tipton’s guitar, and Halford plays Downing’s. Absolutely amazing.
I have my friend Led to thank for the ticket to the show. Thanks, Led!
If they’re playing near you, go now!