Judas Priest

It also might be anxiety considering it's Judas Priest plus he isn't really a profficient lead guitarist. And it's also possible he just isn't an entertainer on stage. Not everyone can be Janick Gers.
 
Travis The Dragon said:
That's too bad that Sneap stays in the background so much. Maybe being a producer and not having been in bands, he's just not used to being on stage. That is really strange to hear that Rob doesn't do any crowd interaction though. As far as me seeing them again, I think I'll keep my memories of their amazing 2004 show and getting all material up to Painkiller. Also, a lot of people are saying that Deep Purple has no energy left in them and are quite boring to watch so don't expect too much out of their performance.
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Deep purple had plenty of life in them when I saw them with Europe last November in London. Band sounded great, Gillans voice was pretty darn good and his crowd chat was a lot of fun.
 
They are currently touring with Sneap in the band. Not sure what else you would expect them to say.
 
Mosh said:
Concert was interesting. I had the same reaction as LC to a lot of things. Frankly the entire experience made me even more impressed at what Maiden has been doing lately.

Staging did look cheap. It wasn’t bad and the video screens helped (although some of the videos used didn’t fit the music at all) but it seemed pretty low effort overall.

Rob sounded OK but he looked awful. He looked exhausted, moved even slower than usual, and spent a lot of time backstage. He didn’t talk to the audience much and it looked like basic stage moves were taking a toll on him. I admire his willingness to continue performing at his age but I left the concert with genuine concern for his health. I hope he can make it through the whole tour.

It’s obvious that Richie is carrying the band at this point. Last time I saw them was the Epitaph tour and he had great stage presence then too but never got in the way of Rob and Glenn. This time around he was in some ways the frontman. Now he’s taking the majority of the solos and roaming the entire stage. He had some awesome moments and was really the MVP of the night. I don’t have anything bad to say about him.

Sneap, on the other hand, was clearly a producer filling in on guitar. He stayed out of the spotlight, didn’t really interact with the audience or the rest of the band, and was clearly just there to fill a visual void on stage left. I don’t really fault him, but I missed Glenn more than anything.

To that end, I wondered if it would still feel like Judas Priest with both guitarists absent and the answer is..... kinda? There were times when it felt like Halford and a backing band. There were times when it felt like a Priest tribute band (especially during
Saints in Hell and Running Wild, the more obscure stuff
. I recognize that Ian Hill and even Scott Travis are just as integral to the band, but they aren’t at the forefront on stage or even musically most of the time.

The setlist was awesome though. It gave me the final push to buy tickets and I don’t regret going for that.
Perfect amount of deep cuts and more than enough variation from the last time I saw them live. Some songs, especially Sinner, were songs I wanted to hear back on the Epitaph tour. It definitely checked off most of my Priest bucket list.

With all that being said, it was a fun night and I went with the caveat that this would be the last time I see Priest whether this is the last tour or not. I think they’ve definitely missed the chance to quit while they were ahead and in some ways KK was right. Epitaph tour with KK would’ve been an idea end imo. I’ll echo a sentiment posted earlier in the thread: I really hope Maiden call it quits before they are in this condition.

On the other side of things, Saxon were so awesome. Setlist was perfect blend of old and new and they had a great on stage energy. I thought Biff had a ton of energy and was having a great time on stage. His voice was also in really good shape. For those who enjoy Firepower and are craving that classic Metal sound, I can’t reccomend Thunderbolt enough. It’s better than Firepower.
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Did you get a look at the merch booth? Curious if they had a program?
 
I don’t remember seeing one. They had shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, pins, flags, etc.
 
Saw the mighty Priest demolish Sugarland (near Houston TX)! It was my son's first time to see Priest and he enjoyed them and Saxon very much (Black Star Riders, not so much. See the Saxon thread for my review of them). Black Star Riders did try hard to get the crowd going, but it just didn't happen until Saxon hit the stage!

I pretty much disagree with a lot of what has been said about Priest on this tour. The visuals DID match the songs well. This was my ninth Priest show and it was the first time I remember them using a video screen like this and it was very well used and enhanced an already very visual show. Loved the stage and the movements of the members. Rob was walking back and forth all night and did not stay in one spot as described earlier in the tour.

During the first half of the show he sounded AMAZING, but then by the 2nd half he was showing his age. Andy I think fit it very well and played Glenn's solo on
Electric Eye
note for note! I was honestly not expecting much from this show since KK and Glenn were not there (for the entire show at least) and due to Rob's age and the so so reviews, but I was BLOWN AWAY. The visuals, performance, song selection, and crowd interaction all made one of the most enjoyable metal shows I have ever been to. Again, the deep tracks they chose left my jaw on the ground.

The one thing I do agree with that was said earlier in the thread is that, as far as lead breaks go, Richie did rule the night. Although, I was thrilled that Glenn did show up for the encore!

This show reminded me of a couple of things: 1. Priest was the soundtrack of my youth! I knew every word of every song (yes the new material sounded KILLER) even though some of these tunes I have not heard in years.
2. Even though I have seen Maiden live more times than any other band, I might have actually enjoyed this show more than TBOS (which I saw and loved twice). The main reason is the ENERGY produced by the band and crowd combined with the fact that even though Maiden is more melodic and writes more complicated material, Priest is just HEAVIER. Before this show, I was not planning on seeing Priest again (if they tour again), but now, I WILL be there.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/juda...tre-at-sugar-land-sugar-land-tx-23ec0097.html

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/blac...tre-at-sugar-land-sugar-land-tx-23ec0083.html
 
Without saying which song(s), would someone answer this:
Does Priest vary with their set? Do they have songs that are not played at every gig during this tour?
 
Forostar said:
That's interesting. Cheers!
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One song has changed since the start of the tour (twice, probably as a result of Andy Sneap needing time to settle in), but if you meant if they rotate the setlist, then the answer is no. It is pretty rigid, like with Iron Maiden, and I would not expect to see any further changes if they play a full set.
 
There are 3 different songs that have only been played at select dates

Green Manalishi, Freewheel Burning, & Angel
 
terrell39 said:
There are 3 different songs that have only been played at select dates

Green Manalishi, Freewheel Burning, & Angel
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True, but that is merely dropping one song and replacing it with a different one. The setlist has remained fixed since the last change whenever they have played a full show.

They started the tour playing Angel at every gig, replaced it with Green Manalishi, and subsequently with Freewheel Burning.
 
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