Hard Vision |
Judas Priest"Judas Priest Live" (part of "Metalogy") Ah, the glory days of Judas Priest! The days when the Metal Gods were, well, just that, the kings of the metal scene, when the ruled the radio and MTV, every headbanger had Priest posters all over their walls, and everyone would get pumped to the max when the Priest beast rolled into town! What an event a Priest concert was back in the day! If you've never been to a Judas Priest concert (tsk, tsk!), watch this video, and you'll see why seeing Judas Priest in concert in the 80s was such a special thing! This particular show was filmed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1982, when Priest were touring for their "Screaming For Vengeance" album. It was originally released on VHS (many excerpts from it were used for MTV back in the day), but has been out of print for a long time, until now. It is to be included as a bonus DVD in "Metalogy", the new Judas Priest box set. It's good to have this video back in the light of day, because it shows Priest in their prime, on tour for one of their best albums, in all their leather clad glory, taking Memphis by storm, all guitars blazing! Their performance is top notch (which of course goes without saying! Priest could blow you away on their worst day!), Rob stretching his pipes to the limit, wailing like a banshee for all he's worth, while Glen and KK do their trademark dual axe attack (often imitated, never duplicated!), and bassist Ian Hill and then-drummer Dave Holland (who has been MIA since his departure from Priest in the late 80s. Where for art thou, Dave?) backing things up, strong as (British) steel! Then there's the stage show-lasers, lights, and smoke bombs galore! Everything a metal show was and should have been in the 80s, and still should be now! People wonder why we miss things like this? As for the set list, they play many Priest classics/concert staples, some of which were new at the time, including "Electric Eye", "Heading Out To The Highway", "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law", "Screaming For Vengeance", "The Ripper", "You've Got Another Thing Coming", "Living After Midnight", "Victim Of Changes", "The Green Manalishi...", and "Hell Bent For Leather", the closing tune, in which Rob does the Harley thing. They also play a number of Priest gems they don't play much in concert anymore, like "Riding On The Wind", "Bloodstone", "Sinner", "Desert Plains", "Devil's Child", and "Diamonds And Rust". Priest delivers the goods, as always. Would you expect anything but the best from a Priest concert? Take it from an old metal warrior, there's nothing like it! (My very first concert was Judas Priest on their next tour, for "Defenders Of The Faith" in 1984, just two years later, so I'm speaking from experience!) Seeing it on video or DVD isn't quite the same as actually being there, I know, but it gives you a taste of what it was like and shows Priest at their very best! If you want to see it, though, you'll have to buy "Metalogy", as it is not being sold separately, to my knowledge (Figures! The one time you WANT something to be "sold separately" and it isn't!), but if you're a big enough Priest fan, it should be worth it. An interesting bit of trivia-Priest toured with Iron Maiden on this tour! This concert is like a moment of metal history captured on video. 1982...I was but twelve and just getting into metal...there was "Fast Time At Ridgemont High"..."Knight Rider"..."Square Pegs"..."ET"..."The Road Warrior"..."Solid Gold"...Rubik's Cubes...designer jeans...Men At Work..."Joanie Loves Chachi"...and JUDAS PRIEST!!!! Hell of a year, huh? |