When I was a young lad, I remember getting together with my music friends and celebrating the 10th anniversary of Black Sabbath.  We all thought that it was such a long time to be together as a band, but fast forward to the present day and we are celebrating five decades of Judas Priest.  It is unbelievable to me that I myself have been a fan for over four decades. 

Time seemed to fly by since I first came home with Killing Machine (Hell Bent For Leather in the US) and cranked up the stereo to listen to this new brand of rock.  Since then, Judas Priest has been a staple in my life and their records have been the soundtrack.  The fact that they are still touring and, quite frankly, still delivering the goods (pun intended) is a testament to their music and musicianship. 

Before this latest leg of the 50th anniversary tour started, Richie Faulkner alluded to the fact that the set list was going to be heavy on their Screaming For Vengeance record, which made me even more excited to catch this leg of the tour.  That album was so pivotal in my high school years that I swear I wore out the grooves from playing it every day.  As luck would have it, this time I wouldn’t have to drive to Dallas to see the concert as they made a stop near my home in Houston.  The Priest always bring out the heavy metal hoards and 50 years on, they still get us older metal heads to gather and celebrate their music.

Faulkner was not kidding about making Screaming For Vengeance a focal point in the set.  In true dramatic fashion, the opening taped intro of the “Hellion” blasted out of the speakers heralding out metal legends.  As quickly as that intro was over, the band launched into a trifecta of tunes from that same record.  Without any in between song banter, they ripped through “Electric Eye”. “Riding On The Wind”, and "You've Got Another Thing Comin'". 

The crowd lapped up every note and the band fed off that energy by almost racing through those songs.  Sticking with the same basic timeframe, they brought “Jawbreaker” back into the set list.  I’m glad that Judas Priest has been changing up the set list a lot by playing tracks that haven’t been performed often. 

Another surprise track to make it back onto the stage was “Genocide." I have seen the band well over a dozen times and this is the first time I have seen them perform that classic from their Sad Wings of Destiny record.  Frankly, if the show ended there, I would have walked away very happy but there were other tunes needed to be played.  Digging back into the Screaming for Vengeance release, they pulled out “Devil’s Child” and the title track and at the end, they did perform more than half the album; Faulkner did not lie. 

Other songs played included “Steeler," “Judas Rising," “Halls Of Valhalla” and “Between The Hammer And The Anvil” from Painkiller.  They also managed to throw in one of the greatest cover tunes of all time “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)." Not many bands are able to pull off a cover and make it their own, but Judas Priest own this track. 

No Priest show would be complete without Halford riding his motorcycle on stage for “Hell Bent For Leather” and this show’s encore was no different.  No matter how many times I see this, I, along with the whole crowd, get so excited when we hear the motorcycle revving up and making it onto the stage.  To finish off the show, the band launched into “Breaking The Law” and "Living After Midnight," both of which get the crowd going.  No matter how many times I see Judas Priest, they always put on a great concert, and 50 years on, they don’t really show any signs of slowing down.