As Judas Priest prepare to kick off the North American leg of their Invincible shield tour, Rob Halford says he was left speechless by the adoration the Metal Gods were greeted with this year.
“The European leg we did, in Europe they were going crazy for Priest, for Invincible shield“, Halford says Classic Rock from his home in Arizona. “It’s global, isn’t it, this heavy metal renaissance, culturally, to the point where Gojira is in the Olympics. Everyone’s exploring all things metal. There’s this great vibe out there that everyone wants to check out all these different bands.”
And, Halford continues, this includes analyzing what he calls “the source.”
“They want to check out Priest,” he says. “They want to check out Saxon. They want to check out Maiden. They want to check out these guys who are part of the first wave of metal. I’ll tell you, when you walk on stage in Athens and it’s like 110 degrees at 10 o’clock at night and the place is packed and people are losing their minds over all the songs we’re playing. And a lot of them are in their 20s; some of them are in their early teens and they’re crammed up against the railings in the entrance and they’re going nuts. It just makes this old metal heart beat faster.”
Taking a step back to reflect on why, Halford says metal is simply a great escape from the difficult times the world is going through at the moment.
“It’s an antidote to a lot of the division and anger that people are going through, especially on the political spectrum. You’re constantly bombarded with stuff. It’s inevitable, especially as we go through this election cycle. I think metal now, and always has been, has served as a catalyst for people to go somewhere and scream at the top of their lungs and let go of all this stuff that’s been building up over the day or weeks before you see your favorite metal band.
“More than ever, I think metal, maybe all music, is about giving people the opportunity to let go. That’s the very important role that music has had, starting in the ’60s in the cultural revolution that happened there, wrapped around the Vietnam War, and that seems to have persisted. And right now in 2024, when you see all the horrible, terrible things that are happening in certain parts of the world, God, you have to grab some metal and embrace it and take it and let it do good things to your mind and your body and your spirit.”
Halford and company will do the same for North America, starting Friday, September 13 in Montreal, with dates running through October 26 in Irving, Texas. The quintet will head to Japan for a series of four dates in December, with additional tour dates planned for 2025. Full dates below.
The latest performance coincides with the digital release of a 50th anniversary edition of Priest’s debut album, remastered by Tom Allom, who Halford says “did a wonderful job. It still works; in 2024 I’m still getting the same vibes with those songs from all those years ago as I do when I go and play a track from Invincible shield. It’s the same band. It’s the same textures. It’s the same identity. It’s the roots of what Judas Priest is.”
The new edition does not include any previously unreleased material, however, which Halford said the band “had some debates about. I think there was a slightly different arrangement of the title track. I think we even had a live version of the title track somewhere. But it’s that thing where if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Rock Roll represents perfectly as it is.”
Rocka Rolla will be released on Friday, with physical copies expected to arrive on November 22.
Judas Priest: Invincible Shield 2024 tour
September 13: Montreal Bell Centre, QC
September 14: Niagara Falls Fallsview Casino Resort, ON
September 17: Sterling Heights Michigan Lottery Amphitheater in Freedom Hill, MI
September 19: Milwaukee Miller High Life Theatre, WI
September 21: Cedar Rapids Alliant Energy PowerHouse, IA
September 22: Sioux Falls Denny Sanford Premier Center, SD
September 24: Rochester Mayo Civic Center Arena, MN
September 25: Omaha Baxter Arena, NE
September 27: Rockford BMO Center, IL
September 29: Louisville Louder Than Life Festival, KY^
Oct 01: Independence, MO: Cable Dahmer Arena
Oct 03: Billings First Interstate Arena at MetraPark, MT
Oct 05: Idaho Falls Mountain America Center, ID
Oct 06: Spokane Spokane Arena, WA
Oct 09: Everett Angel of the Winds Arena, WA
October 10: Portland Alaska Airlines Cloud Theater, OR
October 12: Sacramento After Shock Festival, CA^
October 13: Reno Grand Sierra Resort and Casino, NV
October 15: Los Angeles YouTube Theater, CA
October 16: Las Vegas Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood, NV
October 18: Phoenix Arizona Financial Theatre, AZ
October 20: Loveland Blue Arena, CO
October 22: Houston Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land, TX
October 24: Austin Germania Insurance Amphitheater, TX
October 26: Irving The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, TX
Dec 05: Nagoya Aichi Prefectural Art Theater Large Hall, Japan
Dec 06: Amagasaki Amashin Archaic Hall, Japan
Dec 09: Okayama Performing Arts Theatre, Japan
December 12: Yokohama Pia Arena, Japan
^Festival date
Tickets are already on sale.
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