Dan Goes To Judas Priest Concerts

If there's one sure place to find yourself surrounded by long hair metal maniacs it's at a Judas Priest concert. The Judas Priest crowd is one of the most loyal crowds. They stand proud with fists in the air before their metal gods. Judas Priest is loyal to their fans and have continued to be through the decades being one of the hardest working heavy metal artists of all time. They stand strong with 17 studio albums and some of the best live recordings of any artist. If you've never sat down to a Judas Priest album you're sure to have otherwise been graced with hits like "You've Got Another Thing Coming" "Breaking The Law" "Turbo Lover" "Living After Midnight". If you've never seen them live I would highly recommend it.

When it comes to a live performance, Judas Priest is a high dose injection of heavy metal. They deliver with their career spanning catalog full of high caliber guitar and ear shattering screams,  big budget set pieces, and strapping leather. Take it from Judas Priest: "there's many who've tried to prove that their faster but they didn't last and they died as they tried... hell bent for leather." I can feel myself stepping back in time and enjoying the concert memories all over again.

Having seen them 5 times and being the band I've seen the most, I feel extremely connected to Judas Priest. The first time I saw them was for their Retribution tour which was supporting their new album after a period of hiatus. I went alongside my friends Erica and her boyfriend at the time, Travis. Along with my dad, it was really Erica and Travis who got me into Judas Priest. This was one of 3 times I saw Judas Priest with Erica and Travis. Erica has been my friend since elementary school. We go way back and I owe it to her to having seen Priest so many times. I believe she even paid for one of my tickets in whole! She's a rad person.

The first time I saw Judas Priest was was during their Retribution tour at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, Irvine.  I missed openers Queensrÿch, however,  that wasn't much of a concern, because I was there to enjoy Judas Priest. This tour was in support of their then recent album Angel Of Retribution. This was one of two times I got to see Priest back in 2005. This was my first metal concert and my 4th concert ever. Something that stands out in my memory banks is I remember thinking "there are so many Iron Maiden shirts" aha... I think I myself rocked an Ozzy Osbourne shirt. Gotta rock the Ozz man; it's a must.

The second time seeing the "Defenders Of The Faith" brought me to a show titled "Priest Feast." This show I got so close it was unreal. Down in the pit at Long Beach arena. Openers for that show were Anthrax and Rob Zombie. It was a very tasty show, Rob Zombie had all sorts of film footage playing throughout his set. It would make sense given his work in film as a director. Anthrax of course was fun to see live as well, however I remember enjoying Rob Zombies set more.

Two down the hatch, and I'm just getting started. I can't say I couldn't of dreamed up a better lineup if I tried but the Metal Masters tour August 30, 2008 I was faced with the challenge of keeping my face from melting off as Testament, Motorhead, Heave And Hell, and Judas Priest roared through the night. I am hesitant to admit that I missed Testament entirely and walked into the venue while Motorhead was wrapping up with Ace Of Spades. This was not my decision, I was with people who weren't interested in seeing the first two bands. That was that. I had seen Heaven and Hell once before which can be read about in my Dan Goes To Black Sabbath Concerts post. I've managed to see Sabbath 4 times. Twice as Heaven and Hell with Dio, Twice as Black Sabbath with Ozzy Osbourne. God it was so cool seeing Heaven And Hell open for Judas Priest. It was virtually unreal.

Then as if the Metal Masters tour could be topped in my Priest concert going experiences. It totally was topped with their 30th anniversary British Steel tour. The entire British Steel album from start to finish capped off by 7 other phenomenal Priest jams. Now if only I can see them do Sad Wings Of Destiny from start to finish. Hey!! I'm not complaining, I'm just saying. This show was actually comped by my friend Tyler Beck. He is another Judas Priest fan, I'm glad to call my friend. August 5th 2009 Costa Mesa, CA. Oh yeah! Whitesnake opened, David Coverdale is such a ham... Stroking his mic stand, he thinks he's so sexy.
Yes I have seen quite a few priest shows, and my last Priest show was slated as being the last. Found out pretty quickly that wasn't the case. However K.K. Downing retired before the Epitaph tour, and this was a big bummer for myself and all of the metal maniacs. It was still a fantastic performance, but it did feel empty without K.K. at the helm of his metal axe. This tour marched on with Thin Lizzy and Black Label Society. It was fantastic hearing 'The Boys Are Back In Town.' I actually got teary eyed because it was such a nostalgic song that reminded me of sitting in the back seat listening to the radio of my mom's car. I've never been much of a BLS fan. I love Zakk, don't get me wrong, I love what he did with the Ozz man. But Black Label Society just never sat well with me. It was still a great performance and it was still a fantastic night. I was with my girlfriend Alex who was seeing Judas Priest for the first time. I was great-full to share the Judas Priest experience with her. We were also with one of my best friends John Anderson.

I missed the most recent pass that Judas Priest made and it truly killed me to have to miss it. But I won't let that happen again, as long as Judas Priest is willing to march forward I will continue to see them. They are easily my favorite band to see live, I should know... I got to concerts after-all.