New North American tour treks this fall

One of heavy metal’s all-time greats, Judas Priest, will get the opportunity to celebrate their 50th anniversary again this year with the launch of a new North American fall tour. The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour will also feature Queensryche as openers and is being fueled by the highest charting album of Priest’s career, “Firepower,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.

Additionally in 2022, Priest band members Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, Ian Hill and Scott Travis will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Judas Priest originally formed in 1970 in Birmingham, England, an area that many feel birthed heavy metal. The original nucleus of musicians would go on to change the face of heavy metal. Throughout the 70’s Priest were responsible for helping trail blaze metal with such classic offerings as Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) Sin After Sin (1977) and Hell Bent for Leather (1978) as well as one of the genre’s top live recordings Unleashed in the East (1979) among others.

It was during the 80’s that Priest conquered the world, becoming a global arena headliner on the strength of such all-time classics as British Steel (1980) and Screaming for Vengeance (1982), as well as being one of the first metal bands to be embraced by the then-burgeoning MTV, plus performing at some of the decades biggest concerts and being the first to exclusively wear leather and studs – a look that began during this era and would eventually be embraced by metal heads throughout the world. Priest’s success continued throughout the 90’s and beyond with the addition of drummer Scott Travis, as evidenced by such additional stellar offerings as Painkiller (1990) Angel of Retribution (2005) and A Touch of Evil: Live (2009) the latter of which saw Priest win a Grammy Award for a killer rendition of the classic Dissident Aggressor.

In 2011 new guitarist Richie Faulkner came in to replace the previous guitarist who had left in 2010 – the move seemed to have reinvigorated the band, as evidenced by a show-stealing performance on the American Idol TV program that also served as Faulkner’s debut performance with the band, also in 2011 was the release of a new compilation The Chosen Few which included Priest classics selected by some of metal’s biggest names, and the Epitaph concert DVD in 2013.

Priest’s next studio effort would arrive in 2014 Redeemer of Souls which was supported by another strong tour. In 2018, Priest unleashed their latest studio album Firepower, produced by Andy Sneap and Tom Allom, which received global success and critical acclaim. In 2020, a fully official and authorized photographic book, Judas Priest: 50 Heavy Metal Years, was issued, followed in 2021 by the 42 CD box set, Judas Priest: 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music.

Judas Priest Fall 2022 US Tour Dates:

Oct 13 – Wallingford, CT @ Toyota Oakdale
Oct 15 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena
Oct 16 – Boston, MA @ MGM Music Hall Fenway
Oct 18 – Uniondale, NY at Nassau Veterans
Oct 19 – Wilkes-Barre, PA @ Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
Oct 21 – Kalamazoo, MI at Wings Event Center
Oct 22 – Detroit, MI at Masonic Temple Theatre
Oct 24 – Cincinnati, OH @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center
Oct 25 – Waukegan, IL @ Genesee Theatre
Oct 27 – Green Bay, WI @ Resch Center Theater
Oct 29 – Moline, IL @ TaxSlayer Center Moline
Oct 30 – Mankato, MN @ Mayo Clinic Event Center
Nov 1 – Sioux City, IA @ Tyson Events Center
Nov 2 – Rapid City, SD @ The Monument
Nov 7 – Ontario, CA @ Toyota Center
Nov 8 – Tucson, AZ @ TCC Arena
Nov 10 – Loveland, CO @ Budweiser Events Center
Nov 12 – Park City (Wichita), KS @Hartman Arena
Nov 13 – St. Charles, MO @ The Family Arena
Nov 15 – Corbin, KY @ The Corbin Arena
Nov 17 – Southaven, MS @ Landers Center
Nov 18 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Raising Canes River Center
Nov 20 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Paycom Center
Nov 22- 23 – San Antonio, TX @ Tech Port Center & Arena
Nov 25 – Dallas, TX @ The Factory in Deep Ellum
Nov 26 – Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street
Nov 28 – Edinburg, TX @ Burt Ogden Arena
Nov 29 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall