One of heavy
metal’s all-time greats, Judas Priest, will finally get the opportunity to celebrate
their 50th anniversary
this year with the launch of a North American tour this fall. The 50
Heavy Metal Years Tour will also feature Sabaton as openers and is being fueled by the highest charting
album of Priest’s career, ‘Firepower,’ which peaked at #5 on the Billboard
200.
Produced by
Live Nation, the North American tour – which will run throughout September
(kicking off on September 8th in Reading, PA) and November
(concluding on November 5th in Hamilton, Ontario), will feature a
variety of special effects, which will undoubtedly enhance the might of Priest’s
metal.
Tickets for
the newly announced dates will go on sale beginning this Friday, June 11th
at 10am local time at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets for the previously announced tour dates are available now.
“Defending the
heavy metal faith for fifty years, the Priest is back!” – Rob Halford
“Time
to don the leather and studs and roll out the Priest Machine – celebrating our
50 Heavy Metal Years!!” – Glenn Tipton
“After the
horrific year of restrictions we’ve all had to endure, what better place to
break free, than the land of the free – the USA!” – Ian Hill
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
(1980’s Monsters of Rock, 1983’s US Festival, and 1985’s Live Aid) 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 2017
(and again in 2019) Judas Priest received a
nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and got ready to unleash 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.
Few rock or
metal acts remain as much of a must-see live attraction as Judas Priest. Having
been forced off the road for over a year, Priest will soon make a most-welcomed
return to metalheads coast to coast, with the 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour.
CONFIRMED TOUR
DATES:
9/8/2021
Reading PA Santander
Arena*
9/9/2021 Virginia Beach VA Veterans
United Home Loans Amphitheater*+
9/11/2021 Orlando FL Central
Florida Fairgrounds^#
9/13/2021 Charlotte NC PNC
Music Pavilion
9/14/2021 Raleigh NC Red
Hat Amphitheater*
9/16/2021 Grand Rapids MI Van
Andel Arena*
9/17/2021 Youngstown OH Covelli
Centre^
9/19/2021 Detroit MI Fox
Theatre*
9/20/2021 Rosemont IL Rosemont
Theatre*
9/22/2021 Milwaukee WI Miller
High Life Theatre^
9/23/2021 Minneapolis MN The
Armory*
9/25/2021 Maryland Heights MO Saint
Louis Music Park
9/26/2021 Louisville KY Louder
Than Life Festival^#
9/29/2021 Denver CO The
Mission Ballroom^
9/30/2021 West Valley City UT Maverik
Center*
10/2/2021 Everett WA Angel
Of The Winds Arena*
10/3/2021 Portland OR Moda
Center*
10/5/2021 Oakland CA Fox
Theater^
10/6/2021 Los Angeles CA Microsoft
Theater^
10/8/2021 Las Vegas NV Zappos
Theater at Planet Hollywood
10/9/2021 Phoenix AZ Arizona
Federal Theatre
10/12/2021 San Antonio TX Freeman
Coliseum^
10/13/2021 Cedar Park TX HEB
Center Cedar Park^
10/15/2021 Irving TX The
Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/16/2021 Oklahoma City OK The
Zoo Amphitheatre^
10/19/2021 Independence MO Cable
Dahmer Arena*
10/21/2021 Nashville TN Nashville
Municipal Auditorium*
10/22/2021 Alpharetta GA Ameris
Bank Amphitheatre*
10/24/2021 Charleston WV Charleston
Civic Center Coliseum*
10/25/2021 Philadelphia PA The
Met*
10/27/2021 Newark NJ Prudential
Center*
10/28/2021 Oxon Hill MD The
Theater at MGM National Harbor
10/30/2021 Mashantucket CT Foxwoods
Resort Casino – Grand Theater^
10/31/2021 Lowell MA Tsongas
Center At UMass Lowell*
11/2/2021 Halifax NS Scotiabank
Centre*
11/4/2021 Laval QC Place Bell*
11/5/2021 Hamilton ON FirstOntario Centre*
* new show
^
not a Live Nation event
#
festival date
+
Sabaton not support on this date; support is TBD
About
Live Nation Entertainment
Live
Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV) is the world’s leading live entertainment
company comprised of global market leaders: Ticketmaster, Live Nation Concerts,
and Live Nation Sponsorship. For additional information, visit
www.livenationentertainment.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Judas Priest
Chip Ruggieri
Chipster P.R & Consulting Inc.
chip@chipsterpr.com
Live Nation
Concerts
Monique
Sowinski
moniquesowinski@livenation.com
The post Judas Priest Announce Rescheduled 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour appeared first on Live Nation Entertainment.