Judas Priest Celebrates 50 Years of Metal at 713 Music Hall
Written by Morgan Rosenbaum on December 2, 2022
On November 29th metal legends Judas Priest closed out the US leg of their 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour at 713 Music Hall. With an 18-song set, the band from Birmingham played through a handful of hits intermixed with tracks from their newer albums, drawing the attention of the crowd with elaborate stage elements and outfits.
Opening up the show was Queensryche. Hailing from Bellevue, WA, the band kicked off their 12-song set with “Queen of the Reich,” off of the original Queensryche EP. With a stained-glass-esque backdrop flanking the drum riser, the band continued with songs from six different albums while singer Todd La Torre walked the stage belting out high-pitched vocals.
Queensryche closed out their set with “Anarchy-X,” pausing just before to thank their road crew and staff for their work throughout the tour. By the time the band left the stage, the floor at 713 was packed with metal fans of all ages.
Just before 9:30, the lights dimmed and the unmistakable riff from “The Hellion” crept out of the speakers. As the intro track faded into the black, the stage erupted with lights as the guitarists launched into “Electric Eye.” Singer Rob Halford appeared on stage in the first of his many elaborate jackets of the evening, belting out the words to the classic song.
As the band played through their extensive set, Halford stalked the stage while hitting all the high notes that Judas Priest is known for. With stage décor reflecting the industrial side of the band’s hometown, Birmingham, Halford led the band through songs off of 10 different albums. The set was lacking in some hits though, with the band skipping over classic songs such as “Painkiller,” “Turbo Lover,” Night Crawler,” and “Lightning Strike,” instead playing deeper or more recent cuts from the band’s discography.
Priest closed out with four of their classics; “Screaming for Vengeance,” “Hell Bent for Leather,” “Breaking the Law,” and “Living After Midnight,” with Halford kicking off the encore by riding onto the stage on a motorcycle.
Despite some interesting sound mixing and a somewhat un-energetic crowd, the metal legends put on a great, career-spanning, performance that showed fans why they’re still going after 50 years.
