Okay, I’ll just say this… Judas Priest and Queensryche together is my show-of-the-year! Two of my all-time favorite bands and I had a camera in my hands, and I get to share it with all of you! It doesn’t get much better than that. As I drove to the Nashville Municipal Auditorium I found myself thinking of all the great songs I was about to experience and that’s a good thing to reflect on while sitting in traffic! But, seriously, Judas Priest was my very first heavy metal band that I truly fell in love with and they were my very first “real” concert in 1984 on the Defenders of the Faith tour. Glenn Tipton was my first big guitar influence and I wanted to be him!
Before I get into all of the heavy metal awesomeness which is The Priest, I need to tell you all about my other incredible highlight of the night… Queensryche! Since the time Queen of the Ryche came out and then follow up by The Warning, Rage for Order and then Operation: Mindcrime, Queensryche’s music simply never gets old and tired for me. The music is as relevant today as it was when I was a teenager. Although the band has had some lineup changes the core of Queensryche is alive and strong and this current lineup is as strong as it has ever been. Although they have come out with some really strong albums recently with Todd LaTorre, the set list below reflects on the talents of this group and that they really want to make their longtime fans happy. I wouldn’t really consider Queensryche to be an “opener” on this tour but more of a mini-headliner to a certain degree. This band is so solid and the set list has some of the most aggressive Queensryche material ever to play. The fact that Todd LaTorre can do these songs note-perfect each night and not take the easy “octave down” option for them is incredible. Such a talented musician and so perfect for this band. To experience “Queen of the Reich” the way it was recorded, and, as the first song of the set is mind-blowing! I’m also so happy that they played my all time favorite Queensryche song, “NM 156”! Thank you! As a major Queensryche fan, I would have substituted one song on this set list… can you guess which one? (But, it is still a great song!) The addition of Mike Stone back in the band is really cool and Casey Grillo on drums is so good! Eddie Jackson has always locked in that bass to the drums and he and Casey do it perfectly. That leaves Michael Wilton with his iconic playing, look and sound. Such an original guitarist in his playing style, the sound he crafted, the sound of the band and the great songs I got to hear this evening! And, I give Eddie Jackson a lot of credit for delivering the great backing vocals that round out the whole show.
Band:
Set List:
1. Queen of the Reich
2. Warning
3. En Force
4. NM 156
5. Empire
6. Walk in the Shadows
7. The Whisper
8. Operation: Mindcrime
9. The Needle Lies
10. Take Hold of the Flame
11. Screaming in Digital
12. Eyes of a Stranger
Now, for… The Priest! As I recently heard Scott Ian from Anthrax say that Judas Priest was the original Heavy Metal band, I would have to agree with him. I know that is a controversial statement but I think that Judas Priest really is the original heavy metal band. Over the past 50 years this band has delivered the goods! 🙂 They are the original Metal Gods and this night certainly proved that point. Rob Halford IS the Metal God and Richie Faulkner has the playing ability and look to complement Rob at the front of the stage! I want to give a shout out to Scott Travis for making this band even heavier than ever back when “Painkiller” first came out. Scott Travis was amazing in Racer X and his longevity in Judas Priest has really shaped the sound of the band in the last twenty plus years! Ian Hill is the unsung hero of the band and, after meeting him once, is just the nicest and funniest of guys! I could still see him having a great time through my camera lens! Then there is Andy Sneap. Andy has to be one of the hardest working people in the music industry! He is an amazing producer/engineer and now a touring guitarist for this incredibly busy band! If you listen to Judas Priest’s Firepower album and anything by Accept that has come out since 2010 you may hear similarities in the high production level. That is Andy Sneap’s signature on those two groups for sure! Finally, there is Glenn Tipton. We all know of Glenn’s dealings with Parkinson’s disease but his constant influence with this band and his appearances for the adoring fans during some of the show encores is a joy to see. I got to meet Glenn once and thank him for his influence on my guitar playing and he was such a nice guy and very appreciative! I’m happy to see his on-going efforts with Judas Priest.
Band:
Set List:
1. One Shot at Glory
2. Lightning Strike
3. You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
4. Freewheel Burning
5. Turbo Lover
6. Hell Patrol
7. The Sentinel
8. A Touch of Evil
9. Rocka Rolla
10. Victim of Changes
11. Desert Plains
12. Blood Red Skies
13. Diamonds and Rust
14. Painkiller
Encore:
15. The Hellion/Electric Eye
16. Hell Bent for Leather
17. Metal Gods w/ Glenn Tipton
18. Breaking the Law w/ Glenn Tipton
19. Living After Midnight w/ Glenn Tipton
I hope you all get to go to this show… If you can not, then I hope my images and words helped you enjoy it through my lens and experience! Cheers! Scott
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Scott Diussa is a photographer, guitarist, bassist, videographer and audio engineer based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Scott has been photographing concerts since 1994 and has a degree in commercial photography. You can follow Scott on Instagram at @sdiussa. www.scottdiussa.com
