Two British hard rock/metal legends are hitting the road together this fall. Judas Priest and Deep Purple have teamed up for a tour of rocking together starting in late August. First Priest has to finish their first leg of the ‘Firepower’ tour. ‘Firepower’ being the bands most successful album since ‘Painkiller’. Not to mention Deep Purple’s latest release ‘Infinite’ which has been their most successful album since 1984’s ‘Perfect Strangers’.
Now, you’d think that this would be the tour to end them all. But I have a few issues with this one to be honest. Generally this seems like a simple ploy to get more fans into venues that either band can’t fill right now solo. While both bands have had successful studio releases, the tours have had mixed results. In the Deep Purple camp there’s the issue of no Richie Blackmore. Now, with Ian Paice on drums and Ian Gillan on vocals that wouldn’t be a detrimental absence. But Gillan has been having some vocal issues. And there’s been many complaints that the recent Deep Purple shows have been inconsistent. Even bad at times.
In the Priest camp there’s other issues. The band sounds great. Rob Halford’s voice is in it’s best shape since he rejoined the band. But they’ve set out on the road without either of their original guitar players: K.K. Downing or Glenn Tipton. That’s a huge issue for a band like Priest. Because they’re credited with being the true innovators of the duel lead guitar trend in heavy metal. So going out on the road without either of them is a tough sell. Not to mention how the band has handled the whole Glenn Tipton situation. Many are questioning his involvement on the ‘Firepower’ album. He was without a doubt involved in the making of the album. But the amount of his contributions may have been greatly exaggerated. And fans are starting to question his true contributions.
The result? Both tours have most likely suffered a little. So what do you do? Team up with one of your buddies to get more people into bigger venues to make more money. KISS has been doing it since Tommy Thayer joined in 2003 with the exception of one tour. KISS knows they can’t sell out arenas and stadiums in the states by themselves so they team up with: Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Def Leppard and others. And that’s what it seems like Priest and Purple are doing. Everyone’s initial reaction, including myself, was ‘holy shit, I can’t believe this tour is happening!!’ But then you think about it. And it becomes clear that this tour is a way to get more money. You’ve got one band without it’s founding guitar player. Which would be fine because most of that group is original or classic line up. But the singer is having serious vocal issues. And the other group is a boarder line tribute act. I think even with the two camps teaming up, it’s a hard sell. Tour dates are listed below though if you’re interested.
8/21 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Riverbend Music Center
8/22 — Chicago, Ill. — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
8/24 — Detroit, Mich. — Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre at Freedom Hill
8/25 — Mt. Pleasant, Mich. — Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort*
8/27 — Hamilton, Ontario — FirstOntario Centre
8/29 — Montreal, Quebec — Bell Centre
8/30 — Quebec City, Quebec — Centre Videotron
9/01 — Wantagh, N.Y. — Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
9/02 — Bethel Woods, N.Y. — Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
9/05 — Darien Center, N.Y. — Darien Lake Amphitheater
9/06 — Holmdel, N.J. — PNC Bank Arts Center
9/08 — Virginia Beach, Va. — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
9/09 — Camden, N.J. — BB&T Pavilion
9/11 — Charlotte, N.C. — PNC Music Pavilion
9/12 — Jacksonville, Fla. — Daily’s Place
9/14 — Atlanta, Ga. — Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park
9/16 — Biloxi, Miss. — Mississippi Coast Coliseum
9/18 — Kansas City, Mo. — Starlight Theatre
9/20 — Welch, Minn. — Treasure Island Casino*
9/21 — Council Bluffs, Iowa — Harrah’s Council Bluffs*
9/23 — Denver, Colo. — Pepsi Center
9/26 — San Diego, Calif. — Mattress Firm Amphitheatre
9/27 — Irvine, Calif. — FivePoint Amphitheatre
9/29 — Mountain View, Calif. — Shoreline Amphitheatre
9/30 — Wheatland, Calif. — Toyota Amphitheatre
Some vocal issues. Stage looks cool though.
Priest sounding great. But without either K.K. or Glenn it’s just not the same.
