Judas Priest Announces U.S. Dates For 50th Anniversary Tour

The U.S. excursion kicks off on the East Coast with a Sept. 9 gig at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. Dates are booked through mid-October, concluding with an Oct. 17 gig in Las Vegas at Zappos theatre at Planet Hollywood. 

Along with the big 5-0, the British heavy metal heroes are continuing to celebrate their latest studio album, Firepower. The 2018 release marks the 18th LP for Judas Priest – and the highest charting album of the band’s career (peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200). 

Fans can expect the setlist to feature tunes from Firepower along with a variety of gems from throughout the band’s career.

“Unlike many other veteran rock and metal bands that are still on the road, Priest are one of the few that make it a point to change up their setlist each time they go out on a new tour leg, by dusting off some rarely performed — sometimes never performed — tunes from way back when,” Greg Prato wrote in a review for Consequence of Sound of Judas Priest’s May 2019 performance at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, N.Y.

Prato also praised the musicians as sounding as “potent as ever,” and noted that the addition of guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap seems to have been “reinvigorating.” 

He added, “It must be stated that out of all the singers of the veteran rock/metal acts still out there on the touring circuit, I would confidently declare Mr. Halford as numero uno — his voice remains in top form. And he passed the vocal quality test once more via another one of the night’s highlights, “Victim of Changes,” which contains some of the highest and mightiest screams towards the song’s conclusion, which he nailed.”

A fan presale starts Tuesday, Feb. 25, followed by a Live Nation presale Feb. 26. General onsales begin Feb. 28. 

Judas Priest also has previously announced European headline and festival dates booked, as well as European gigs supporting Ozzy Osbourne.  

Recent reports submitted to Pollstar’s Boxoffice department include a sold-out June 2019 show at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., that sold 5,347 tickets and grossed $313,850.

“Judas Priest are primed and ready to deliver the goods with our 50 Heavy Metal Years anniversary celebration stage show spectacular! Performing a blistering cross section of songs from our lives in metal – we can’t wait to raise horns with you again at this once in a metal lifetime event!” Judas Priest said in a joint statement.