Judas Priest - Birmingham Review

Considering how important Judas Priest have been to the development of heavy metal over the years, and how much I like them, it is strange to think that, until yesterday, I had not seen the band live at one of their own shows before. I had seen the band live twice previously, but both of those appearances were at festivals - in 2011 and 2018. They were great both times, but I had wanted to see the band on their own terms for a long time. For whatever reason, though, Judas Priest have never focused much on touring in their own country. They were always much bigger in America, with many of their 1980s 'world tours' essentially just consisting of a few laps around America, and their UK-based fans have often been made to wait years between proper tours - with the odd festival appearance used as the occasional thrown bone. There was no UK tour supporting 2018's Firepower (which I reviewed here), which irked their UK-based fans, and their persistence in sticking with the long-doomed Ozzy Osbourne tour which never happened further left a bad taste in the mouth. As such, a UK tour was very much overdue by the time one was announced last year - so the dates came as something of a sigh of relief at first, but over the months leading up to the shows excitement levels started to build. This was especially the case following the announcement of the band's nineteenth studio album Invincible Shield towards the end of last year - and it became apparent that the UK tour would essentially launch the wider touring cycle for the new release. Finally it seemed like Judas Priest were paying some proper homage and attention to their home country - and the stacked undercard certainly got most fans of traditional heavy metal rather excited. Given that the band were targeting arenas, which they have generally not been big enough for in the UK for a while, it was wise for them to bring both Saxon and Uriah Heep along for the ride. Saxon are probably the most in-form of the NWOBHM-era British metal bands still going - with the Yorkshire-based five-piece showing no signs of age. Saxon also have released a strong album this year, Hell, Fire and Damnation (which I reviewed here), but this is nothing new for them. They have been putting out excellent albums essentially non-stop since starting back in the 1970s, with this latest album just the latest in a long line of excellent efforts. Uriah Heep are also in a real purple patch currently, and are possibly in the form of their lives both in terms of songwriting and live health. I have seen both Saxon and Uriah Heep live many times over the years, but they still made the three-band bill an exciting prospect despite this. Judas Priest were certainly the main draw for the reasons outlined, but I am never going to turn down opportunities to see Saxon and Uriah Heep - so I picked up a ticket for the Birmingham date of the tour, at the Resorts World Arena. It had been a couple of years since I last visited the venue, and around a year since my last 'proper' visit to the city. I always enjoy visiting Birmingham, so it was good to get back there after something of a break. It is never ideal having to get the train out to and back from the Resorts World Arena from the city centre, but I will make the effort when worth it - and I think that it is fair to say that Judas Priest would be.

The main arena opened at 6pm, with Uriah Heep kicking things off at 6:40pm. They only had 35 minutes to play with, which is not a lot for a band of their stature, but they were clearly the 'smallest' of the three bands on the bill so had to take the hit. Whilst not a metal band, Uriah Heep certainly influenced a lot of metal to follow - and they have toughened up themselves in recent years. Fitting their whole career into a seven-song, 35 minute set was always going to be a challenging - but I think that the band gave a good account of themselves, showcasing some new cuts and some old favourites. This run of shows also marks the debut of some of the material from last year's excellent Chaos & Colour live. I am not sure why it took the band over a year to play some of the songs, given that they have usually been very forward-looking setlist-wise over the years, but I am glad that they finally did - and the set opened with the rollocking Save Me Tonight. The sound for all three bands was generally pretty good, but Uriah Heep lacked their backing vocal heft. Frontman Bernie Shaw sounded as good as ever, though, and Phil Lanzon (keyboards/vocals) generally roared through the mix with his Hammond organ. The place was still filling up whilst the band played, but they generally received a strong reception. Another newer cut in Grazed by Heaven kept the pace up, before the only slower track played, Rainbow Demon, turned the clock back to the 1970s. Given the metal which was to follow, it was wise for the band to go for a heavier set. The hard-hitting Hurricane, also from the latest album, went down well - but it was the final trio of classics which saw the biggest cheers. Shaw introduced founding member Mick Box (guitar/vocals) for the proto-metal of Free 'n' Easy, which filled the venue with its fast pace and energy, whilst the spiky and organ-drenched Gypsy proved to be a winner as always. Time was running out by this point, but the band's signature anthem Easy Livin' was of course wheeled out at the end. The last time I saw Uriah Heep, which was also in Birmingham, they played a lengthy set as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations - but they put their all into their 35 minutes last night, and I am sure that they will be back with their own UK tour in due course. The setlist was:

Save Me Tonight

Grazed by Heaven

Rainbow Demon

Hurricane

Free 'n' Easy

Gypsy

Easy Livin'

20 minutes later and the stage was ready for Saxon, who had just over an hour to play with and much more of the stage to make use of. Some of my favourite live concert memories have been with Saxon, so it was great seeing the band again - and they smashed through a 13-song set was ease. The set was largely made up of classics, but with three new cuts and another song from their more recent work featured the band managed to showcase what they are about now as well as some hits from the 1980s. The set opened with the title track from the new album, and the song worked really well as an opener. The stomping, mid-paced anthem is made for the stage, and frontman Biff Byford easily cut through the mix as he sang the epic chorus. This was my first time seeing the band since Brian Tatler (guitar) came on board, and he really impressed. The setlist seemed to particularly favour him, although Doug Scarratt also had plenty of soloing opportunities, and I felt that he fit the band perfectly - despite his bluesier approach overall. Byford was easily the chattiest of the three frontmen of the evening, but generally the band just let their music do the talking giving the time constraints. Motorcycle Man and Sacrifice came thick and fast early on, but an early highlight for me was the new There's Something in Roswell - which came across live very well. It is the sort of muscular mid-paced metal which Saxon excel at these days, but there was plenty of time for faster cuts too - with the double bass-led Power and the Glory wowing the crowd later. All three bands received strong receptions from the crowd, but I felt that perhaps the crowd were the loudest at times during Saxon's set. Saxon are one of those bands that just always deliver live, though, and I imagine that many of those in attendance were big Saxon fans as well as big Judas Priest fans. This is likely why Saxon felt able to play some newer songs, too, and when Nibbs Carter (bass guitar/vocals) started up Madame Guillotine there was a decent-sized cheer. There was a louder cheer, though, for the classic Heavy Metal Thunder - which was wheeled out at this show due to Tatler's links to the area and heavy metal in general. It kick-started a run of genuine classics which saw the set through to its close - with each track exciting the crowd more. Dallas 1pm was chosen by the crowd from a handful which Byford presented - with 747 (Strangers in the Night) and the more hard rock-feeling Denim and Leather following. The former featured lots of lead work from Tatler and he nailed all of his parts. I still find it amusing that he is in Saxon now, but he deserves the spotlight having toiled away with Diamond Head for decades, and no doubt the band will carry on for years to come with his help. There was only time for a couple more by this point, but the riffy Wheels of Steel got everyone in the crowd going - and prompted a bit of a sing-a-long in the middle led by Byford. The thrashier Princess of the Night then brought Saxon's part of the night to a close and the cheers from the crowd certainly signalled that a job had been well done. Given the new album, I imagine that an announcement pertaining to a Saxon headline tour is not too far away - and I will be in attendance whenever that is. The setlist was:

The Prophecy

Hell, Fire and Damnation

Motorcycle Man

Sacrifice

There's Something in Roswell

And the Bands Played On

Power and the Glory

Madame Guillotine

Heavy Metal Thunder

Dallas 1pm

747 (Strangers in the Night)

Denim and Leather

Wheels of Steel

Princess of the Night

With two excellent sets in the can, it was now time for the evening's headliners to step up. Judas Priest really delivered in a big way, but their set got off to a strange start. After an intro of Black Sabbath's War Pigs stopped, the stage was lit up with a large banner containing to lyrics to the new album's title track hanging in front of the drum kit. For the next couple of minutes, though, nothing happened. I assume that some sort of atmospheric music and light show was supposed to be happening - but the arena just sat there in silence for a moment. It all felt a bit awkward, and likely not how the show was supposed to start, but clearly someone decided to cut any further losses and triggered the opening synth melody of Panic Attack to play - meaning that the band soon kicked in and the show got started. Everything from that point appeared to go as planned, though, and for the next 90 or so minutes the crowd were treated to some excellent metal from one of the genre's best. Panic Attack was one of three new songs played, with a good chunk of the set made up of classic material - as well as a handful of deeper cuts. Panic Attack is one of the best songs from the new album in my opinion, and it worked really well as a set-opener. Frontman Rob Halford sounded great throughout, hitting the high notes in the chorus with relative ease, whilst the duelling guitars of Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap filled the room. When I saw the band back in 2018 I felt that Halford seemed hindered physically and not in particularly great voice, but this time he looked and sounded great for the vast majority of the set. He particularly shone when a grittier approach was necessary - with You've Got Another Thing Comin' shining early on. It was strange hearing that and Breaking the Law so early in the set, but it felt as if the band wanted to get them out of the way somewhat and get onto more interesting material. I do not blame them, but the hits certainly got the casuals into the show early on - before a few lesser-known tracks impressed the die-hards. Rapid Fire, which had not been played for a few years before this tour, then showcased the band's slightly thrashier side; but the big early highlight for me was the epic Sword of Damocles. From 2014's Redeemer of Souls, the power metal-esque track has been debuted on this tour - and it came across live really well. Scott Travis' (drums) double bass groove kept it ticking, whilst the twin guitar leads from Faulkner and Sneap conjured up Blind Guardian-esque images. The chorus really hit home, too, and it was great hearing one of my favourite newer cuts from the band live.

Turning the clock back, the band then pulled out a couple more relative deep cuts - with the staccato stomp of Love Bites showcasing a different side of Judas Priest. Nothing else that the band have written really sounds like Love Bites, but Travis once again led everything from behind his drums - and the song allowed Halford a chance to really deliver some creepy vocals. Saints in Hell, from the band's 1970s output, then upped the heaviness and created a more oppressive atmosphere in the room. The song is not a particular favourite of mine, but I like how heavy the current band make it live. It took on a new life compared to its studio counterpart, then, and it acted as a moment of toughness and riffing before a couple of slower numbers. Such a change came in the form of Crown of Horns from the new album - a song which certainly harks back to the band's 1970s albums. More hard rock than metal, the organic guitar leads and sing-a-long chorus came across well live - and it seemed that there were plenty in the crowd who were familiar with the piece despite the album being only a couple of weeks old at this point. Despite this, though, I did not think that the crowd were as audible as they had been during parts of Saxon's set. I think Judas Priest's sound was more all-enveloping, and hearing crowds in arena shows can sometimes be hard, but I did think that, at times, the crowd could have been a bit more vocal. Turbo Lover was one track, though, where there was a bit more singing - with the synth-heavy chorus benefitting from the crowd's singing. Halford took the chance to address the crowd a bit more following Turbo Lover, which was nice. He did not speak to the crowd that much during the set - but he took a more extended break here to do so and ended up introducing the new album's title track, which was another winner live. All three of the new songs played sounded great and, in truth, I would have rather heard a couple more from Invincible Shield in place of a couple of regulars. It is a strong album and it deserves to be pushed, but I was glad to get the three - and it is hard to argue with the setlist really when The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) later rocked up the crowd with its bluesy riffing and classic rock strut. The main set was almost at an end by this point, but there was time for Painkiller - which ended up being the sole real disappointment of the night. Despite sounding pretty great throughout the set, it was clear that Painkiller is beyond Halford these days. He really struggled with it, and I do think it might be time for the track to be retired. It is a challenge for anyone to sing, let alone someone who is 72, but thankfully he still sounded great during the four-song encore which followed. The band's time off stage was brief, and they came back whilst The Hellion was playing over the PA to launch into Electric Eye - before Halford rode his bike out onto the stage for the customary romp through Hell Bent for Leather. It was following this that Halford welcomed Glenn Tipton (guitar) to the stage for his first appearance of the tour. Given that the show was a hometown appearance, Tipton's cameo felt inevitable - but rousing a performance of Metal Gods and a fists-in-the-air rendition of Living After Midnight, complete with a Birmingham bull on the stage, brought the night to a memorable end. The setlist was:

Panic Attack

You've Got Another Thing Comin'

Breaking the Law

Rapid Fire

Sword of Damocles

Love Bites

Saints in Hell

Crown of Horns

Turbo Lover

Invincible Shield

Victim of Changes

The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown) [Fleetwood Mac cover]

Painkiller

-

The Hellion

Electric Eye

Hell Bent for Leather

Metal Gods [w/ Glenn Tipton]

Living After Midnight [w/ Glenn Tipton]

It is hard to argue against an evening such as this. All three bands brought their all, and the crowd certainly got value for their ticket outlay. It would have been nice to have heard a bit of a longer set from Judas Priest, but 90 or so minutes is about what should be expected really - and with a good-length set from Saxon and a cameo from Uriah Heep the night felt jam-packed with excellent music. It was good to see the arena looking pretty full, too, and this tour in generally seems to have been a success so far.