Judas Priest 50 Heavy Metal Years Comes to Everett

One of music’s most iconic bands, Judas Priest, brought its 50 Heavy Metal Years tour to the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, WA on March 9, 2022.

The show was originally supposed to take place on Oct 2, 2021 – a little more about that in a bit.

Judas Priest, which is made up of Rob Halford (vocals), Ian Hill (bass), Scott Travis (drums), Rickie Faulkner (lead guitar) and Andy Sneap (guitar), had been in the midst of their tour across North America in 2021 when guitarist Faulkner experienced a major and medical incident in September 2021 that required immediate medical attention. Now that Faulkner has been medically cleared, the band picked up the tour on March 4^th and is running full steam ahead until the summer.

The band’s latest release is Firepower, which was released on March 9, 2018 and is the band’s highest charting album of the their storied career, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard 200. Judas Priest’s set list focused on playing many a fan favorite and deep cuts from their massive catalog of music.

The stage design production was impressive – made to look like an old steel mill, iron factory or an industrial factory setting – the lighting, the huge Judas Priest symbol that hung from the lighting rig that illuminated, and the large video screens which played visuals that complimented the music, made for a great visual effects!

The band did not waste any time and they were on point this evening. The band got their set started with the hard hitting “One Shot at Glory” off of the Painkiller album before launching into “Lightning Strike” off of Firepower and then into “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” from Screaming For Vengeance.

There was not a person sitting as the band played over ninety minutes, playing many head banging favorites such as “Freewheel Burning”, “The Sentinel”, “A Touch of Evil”, “Blood Red Skies” as well as some deep cuts such as “Rocka Rolla”, “Invader”, and “Victim of Changes”.

Halford knows how to work the crowd. At 70 years young, he was still hitting those notes he is famously known for, particularly on the song “Painkiller”. Faulkner was exceptional in his playing, hitting every solo note for note. Hill and Scott made for a solid rhythm section, and Sneap was excellent with his guitar playing.

Fans who have attended previous Judas Priest concerts know that the band loves presenting visuals, and the video screen showed clips of guitarist Glenn Tipton who, though still a member of the band, has not been able to play due to suffering from Parkinson’s disease.

Additionally, Halford made his way to the stage on his motorcycle during “Hell Bent for Leather”.

To finish off the evening, a large inflatable bull was brought onto the stage during “Living After Midnight,” which was a nod to the “Bullring” in the band’s home town of Birmingham.

As “We Are The Champions” from Queen played over the sound system, the band made their final bow for the evening and the large screen showed “THE PRIEST WILL BE BACK!”

Judas Priest Setlist
Battle Hymn
One Shot at Glory
Lighting Strike
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Freewheel Burning
Turbo Lover
Hell Patrol
The Sentinel
A Touch of Evil
Rocka Rolla
Victim of Changes
Desert Plains
Blood Red Skies
Invader
Painkiller

Encore
The Hellion
Electric Eye
Hell Bent For Leather
Breaking The Law
Living After Midnight