Judas Priest w/Queensryche

There are few heavy metal bands that have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their nearly 50-year career. Their presence and influence remains at an all¬-time high as evidenced by 2018’s ‘Firepower’ being the highest ¬charting album of their career, a 2010 Grammy Award win for ‘Best Metal Performance’, plus being a 2006 VH1 Rock Honors recipient and a 2017 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination.

It could be said that Priest simply owned the ’80s as they were second to none as far as pure metal goes, releasing such all-¬time classic albums as 1980’s ‘British Steel’, 1981’s ‘Point of Entry’, 1982’s ‘Screaming for Vengeance’, and 1984’s ‘Defenders of the Faith’. Once more, these titles spawned countless enduring metal anthems including ‘Breaking the Law’, ‘Living After Midnight’, ‘Heading Out to the Highway’, and ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Coming’. The ’80s were also a decade where Priest became a global arena headliner, offering show¬-stopping sets at some of the world’s biggest festivals, including the first¬-ever Monsters of Rock Festival at Donington Park (1980) in the United Kingdom, the US Festival (1983) in the United States and Live Aid (1985) in the United States.

In 2017, Priest received a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the following year, issuing their latest studio album, ‘Firepower.’ Co-produced by Tom Allom and Andy Sneap, the 14-track album has become one of the most successful of the band’s entire career – landing in the top-5 of 17 countries (including their highest chart placement ever in the U.S., at #5), and scoring their highest charting commercial rock radio single in decades with “Lightning Strike.”

Priest’s 50th Anniversary US Tour started in the UK at a one off show – Bloodstock Festival in August 2021 – then in September 2021 they started the first US leg, but had to be postponed due to serious health issues with Richie (which resulted in major emergency heart surgery). They rescheduled the 50th Anniversary tour in the US in March/April 2022 and then continuing throughout the world with shows in Europe in May, June, July and August 2022, the second US run is scheduled for October/November this year before going to Mexico and South America.

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.

No doubt, Priest will continue to storm their way across the globe spreading their special brand of heavy metal throughout!

Queensryche have never been a band to rest on their laurels. In a career set against the new-millennium’s backdrop of cultural chaos, they’ve remained a constant; musically innovative and lyrically thought-provoking. Queensrÿche first burst onto the music scene in 1982 with the release of their self-titled 4 song EP “Queensrÿche”. They very quickly gained international recognition and performed to sold out audiences around the world. With the follow up first full length album “The Warning” in 1984, and the ground breaking 1986 release of “Rage For Order”, Queensrÿche continued to prove their worldwide dominance as one of the most respected and creative bands of the 80’s.

In 1988 the band turned out yet another monumental album “Operation: Mindcrime”, which would go on to become one of the TOP 10 best selling concepts records of all time, and set the stage for continued sold out performances around the world. With the release of the critically acclaimed and commercially successful “Empire” in 1991, the band earned multiple Grammy Award nominations and won the MTV “viewers choice” award for the #1 chart topping hit “Silent Lucidity”.

During the next ten years, the band continued to release albums and tour the world to sold out audiences. Queensrÿche has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and have continued to break new ground and push their creative process.

Queensryche’s impact on other bands and musicians is undeniable. While they dominated rock radio in the 90’s with a string of hits including “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity”, their influence on rock and progressive bands including the likes Dream Theater or the late, lamented Nevermore has been undeniable.