Judas Priest + Steel Panther @ The Bell Centre, Montreal
Heralded as one of the most influential heavy bands of all time, Judas Priest have been delivering their classic riffs for four decades now and have described this year’s album as a move back to classic Priest, and it’s impressive that, even after all these years, they’re playing an arena in Montreal to a crowd of enthusiastic metalheads.
The crowd even welcome support band, Steel Panther, with a huge roar as they kick off their high energy set with Pussywhipped from this year’s All You Can Eat album. “You ready to fuckin rock tonight?” screams frontman Michael Starr. The band are mostly known for their profane and humorous lyrics, as well as their exaggerated on-stage personae that parody the stereotypical view of the glam rock in the 80s. Guitarist Satchel describes himself and his frontman as being “like Eddie van Helen and David Lee Roth. Like Jimmy Page and Robert Palmer” (sic).
Asian Hooker and Tiger Woods continue the theme of dumbed-down comedic lyrics but there’s no denying the four guys on stage are talented musicians, with Starr having an impressive range to his voice. There’s plenty of jokes and comedic banter between songs but they know where to draw the line and get back to music. “I can tell just by the size of her tits she’s a Gold digging whore” says star, pointing to a girl in the front row and introducing the song of the same name.
Community Property sees the band pull a series of girls from the crowd who headbang and girate on stage before one daring girl flashes her breasts to a huge cheer from the male-dominated crowd. Glory Hole takes them towards the end of a set which lasts a full hour and they’ve certainly won over some new fans tonight and put smiles on everyone’s faces, even if they are still using some of the same jokes as the last time I saw them play!
Whilst the chords to the Black Sabbath classic War Pigs fill the room, the Birmingham metal vibes are everywhere as the lights dim and the curtain drops to reveal duelling Judas Priest guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner before the formidable figure of Rob Halford appears in trademark leathers and shades.
Dragonaut, from this year’s Redeemer Of Souls album, sets the pace nicely before Metal Gods makes sure the old school fans are instantly engaged in proceedings. Indeed the average age of the audience is probably around 40 years old but it’s encouraging to see some very young kids throwing their arms in the air as the riffs keep coming. “The Priest is back” says Halford.
The show is fill of heavy metal cliches from the leather – Flying V guitars, wall of amps and exaggerated , synchronised guitar poses but, as Judas Priest helped write the rule book, it’s hard to hold it against them. Predictably the newer, more experimental songs don’t go over quite so well with tonight’s crowd but they do show a band that continues to explore the possibilities of the genre they helped define. Halls Of Valhalla is perhaps one of the best examples of their recent material and gives Faulkner a chance to shine on guitar before Love Bites takes us back to 1984’s Defenders Of the Faith album. At age 63, Halford’s piercing scream remains as incredible as it was 30 years ago and it’s clear to see why he’s regarded as one of the greatest metal vocalists of all time.
Giant screens show a varied mix of video clips and the light show is subtle but effective but otherwise it’s a classic stage set, with Scott Travis’s drum riser filling centre stage. Each band member rarely strays from their designated position apart from Halford who prowls the stage in his long black jacket, decorated with studs, finally removing his shades 45 minutes into the gig. The black jacket is switched for a silver one and the singer reminds us that “this is our official 40th anniversary of making heavy metal music” before proving they can still do what they do better than most with the title track from their latest album. “We love doing that song but we never forget that Judas Priest is a classic heavy metal band” as they slow things down for Beyond the Realms of Death where it’s long-standing guitarist Glenn Tipton’s turn in the spotlight.
Another jacket change for Halford (still studded leather obviously) before the stone cold classic that is Breaking The Law brings out the inner Beavis & Butthead in every member of the crowd who collectively take over on vocal duties. Halford knows the fans know every word so barely sings for the duration of the song which is actually causes the song to lose its impact. The fans paid to hear Halford sing those classic Priest songs, not the audience!
Thankfully he’s back in vocal duties for Hell Bent For Leather, sat atop a motorcycle wearing yet another jacket (ironically not leather). A cheesy call and response with the crowd segways into yet another in a line of metal gems, You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.
An encore of Living After Midnight mixes their classic metal sound with big pop hooks perfectly and brings the night to a climax before Defenders Of The Faith finishes proceedings off, sounding like a call to arms for the metal faithful.
Judas Priest remain an important part of heavy metal’s heritage and show no sign of going through the motions when they perform live. Tonight’s 90 minute set may be a nostalgic trip for many but it’s also a reminder to everyone why they remain one of the greatest metal bands of our time.
Review – Steve Gerrard
Photo Credit – Stewart F. House