Pic Playback: Judas Priest’s “50 Heavy Metal Years” Tour Rocks The MGM National Harbor
To say that you’ve been around in the music entertainment industry for 50 years pretty much automatically puts you at #Legend status.
Kings of heavy metal, Judas Priest are currently out on their “50 Heavy Metal Years” Tour and they came locked and loaded for a show at the MGM National Harbor on Thursday, March 31. The show was technically stalled for two years, as they had to take a hiatus due to COVID-19, but you can tell that not one ounce of the fire ever left the band while waiting.
Being that this outing is to commemorate their legacy, it’s noteworthy that the chosen openers of the concert was Queensrÿche, who have sited Judas Priest as one of their main inspirations. Following in the footsteps of their idols, they have paved their own way in the metal genre and garnered a strong following of fans all on their own. To warm up up the eager crowd, they rocked out to a few of their classic tunes, such as “Eyes of a Stranger“, “Operation: Mindcrime”, “Warning”, and “Queen of the Reich”.
Commanded by the lord of hardcore metal himself Rob Halford, the legendary band effortlessly ran through the night’s setlist, packed with fans favorites that intermixed several eras of their 12 studio album catalog. The tour, which “technically” is in support of their latest chart topping album “Firepower“, was more notably an anniversary celebration for the books!
For a show of massive proportions like this, long time fans who ranged from all ages, could probably sit and listen for hours, but the band had to find the best way to consolidate everything within a 2 hour time slot, but they didn’t skimp on anything and gave you everything that you would expect from one of their concerts. The show opened up with an extended version of “One Shot at Glory” before masterfully charging on to “Victim of Changes”, “The Sentinel”, and “You Got Another Thing Coming”. What I’m not sure most people in attendance knew, was that Halford has just finished overcoming a myriad of serious health issues, but NONE OF THAT affected his ability to perform on stage or scream the vocals out as only he could. Staying true to the metal theme, all touring members of Priest were decked out in leather biker gear, and even at one point Halford rode his Harley-Davidson across the stage.
Towards the end of the concert, the band put together the biggest grand finale of a Judas Priest set. They closed out with “Painkiller,” which sent the building into a complete frenzy. While the crowd roared for more, “The Hellion” intro bled through the speakers. Priest returned for a TKO of an encore that included “Electric Eye”, “Hell Bent for Leather”, “Breaking The Law” and “Living After Midnight.”
After causing complete, but warranted chaos, Judas Priest took their final bow, thanked the audience and exited the stage.
