This past Sunday night I started out for the venue in a snow storm, again. The interstate highway was closed due to multiple car accidents evolving 50+ cars. So off to the side roads I went and made it safely to the Mission Ballroom for tonight’s concert. I reached the venue shortly after the doors opened and there were a line cars waiting to park and a line of people working their way through the doors. Ya see, in Colorado, neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night, stays these concert goers from getting to the show!
As the lights came down, Queensryche took to the stage moving right into their first song of the night, ‘Queen of the Reich‘ a single release from 1984. Their fans roared as the members moved about and Todd La Torre powerful vocals filled the venue. This was my third time see Todd fronting Queensryche and again I was very impressed with his vocals right from the start. He is the voice of the band. As the band moved through a set of mostly older classics which the crowd really seemed to enjoy, the energy level both on and off the stage was high. When the band started the song ‘Empire‘, from the 1990 album titled the same, the crowd joined in and the reaction from the band was easy to see as they smiled and moved about. Their fans again belted out the lyrics when the band started, ‘Operation Mindcrime‘ and I believe any fan of Queensryche would be doing the same. Finishing their set, again with a song that everyone was singing along with, ‘Eyes of a Stranger‘, and the band finished off a great set of music.
Queensryche are:
Todd La Torre – Vocals
Casey Grillo – Drums
Mike Stone – Guitar
Eddie Jackson – Bass guitar
Michael Wilton – Guitar
Set List:
1.) Queen of the Reich
2.) Warning
3.) En Force
4.) NM 156
5.) Empire
6.) Man the Machine
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
The lights dropped and the song, ‘War Pigs‘ from Black Sabbath’s second album, Paranoid begin and the crowd let out a deafening roar. Rising up from the stage was a large set of lights in the design of the Fire Power logo that Rob Halford wears on the back of his black leather, sequined jacket. With red lights lite up around the outer frame and white spot lights on the front, it rose high up above the stage. Then a tape of the ‘Battle Hymn‘ played as Judas Priest took to the stage and powered their way into the song, ‘One Shot at Glory‘ from the 1990 album, Painkiller and an evening with the legends of hard rock began. The back drop of the stage looked like and old brick building, maybe like a factory with windows that were on fire. Moving back and forth through time they band continued with, ‘Lightning Strike‘ from their 2018 album, Firepower. Has they moved through their set, Rob would move about the stage and when he would the high notes in song, the crowd roared like, wow, damn he can still hit those high notes. I for one am still amazed at 70 years old how well he hits the high notes.
When the band would play some of their great classics like, ‘ You’ve Got Another Thing Comin‘, ‘Turbo Lover‘ the crowd would sing a long. Rob would move up to the front of the stage and when the chorus line came, he would stick the microphone out to the crowd and urge the fans on to sing. When Richie Faulkner would step to the front of the stage and let his fingers work their magic, they crowd really showed their appreciation. As everyone knows, Richie had a heart issue last year and the crowd let him know that they were so happy to see him back on stage. Richie wore a black fest with a V shape opening and you could see the scar from his heart surgery. At times when a song finished, Rob would walk across the front of the stage clapping with the fans. Then it happened, Rob left the stage and came back on his motorcycle, I had ear plugs on and the roar was unreal.
Judas Priest finished their set but, there was more to come. A tape of, ‘The Hellion‘ started and the band returned with a four song encore that started with, ‘Electric Eye‘ from their their 1982 album, Screaming for Vengeance. The band had enjoyed singing with Rob through out the night but finishing the night with ‘Living After midnight‘ started, I think everyone in the venue was singing along with Rob. 50+ years and a 70 year old lead singer still tearing up the stages around the world, what pleasure for this 70 year old who gets to cover shows like this in front of the stage. Thank you Judas Priest for for an amazing night of music!
Judas Priest are:
Rob Halford – Vocals
Andy Sneap- Guitar
Ian Hill – Bass guitar
Scott Travis – Drums
Richie Faulkner – Guitar
Setlist:
1.) War Pigs @Tape
2.) Battle Hymn @Tape
3.) One Shot at Glory
4.) Lightning Strike
5.) You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
6.) Freewheel Burning
7.) You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
8.) Hell Patrol
9.) The Sentinel
10.) Turbo Lover
11.) A Touch of Evil
12.) Rocka Rolla
13.) Victim of Changes
14.) Desert Plains
15.) Blood Red Skies
16.) Invader
17.) Painkiller
18.) The Hellion @Tape
19.) Electric Eye
20.) Hell Bent for Leather
21.)Breaking the Law
22.) Living After Midnight
Follow Queensryche here:
Follow Judas Priest here:
I have been dabbling in photography since I was a kid. Box cameras, instamatics, then 35mm film cameras. In the late 70’s I went to a concert and took pictures, no one cared at first. That came to end in 1980. When the first digital cameras came out, I got more interested and serious about photography. For years I did nothing but landscape and even started selling my work with some success. In May of 2014, I walked into a small concert venue and asked about photographing a band that was going to play there. Little did I know then how my life was about to change. My 2 passions, music and photography turned into a wonderful journey. 7+ years later, I have meet artists from all over the world, photographed bands from over 20 different countries. I am living the dream of being a concert photographer. To this day, when I step in front of the stage to cover a show, I still get as excited as a 5 year old on Christmas morning!
