When looking back on the summer of 2011, one thing sticks in my mind. Judas Priest. July 19 was the day I saw Judas Priest for the second time and remains the tied best live performance I have witnessed. At approximately 8:50pm the lights in Hall 4 went down and the modest crowd exploded. I stood front and centre, a position I had queued for eight hours to get. The curtain was still up across the stage when the taped intro of ‘Battle Hymn’ from the Painkiller album cranked up, the excitement level rose as in a few short moments the Priest would be hitting the stage.

Battle Hymn ends and the curtain drops as the twin guitars of Glenn Tipton and newly recruited Ritchie Faulkner power through the opening song ‘Rapid Fire’. Centre stage stands Rob Halford sporting his trademark leather, studs and sunglasses as he begins singing. Hammering through the song with pounding drums and ripping guitar solos it is clear to all in the room that Judas Priest are here to smash the faces of everyone in attendance that night with their style of Heavy Metal. Rapid Fire ends and turns into ‘Metal Gods’ the live set following for the first two songs the track listing for their ground breaking British Steel album.

The set list runs through every album with classic songs like ‘Heading out to the Highway’ into ‘Victim of Changes’ and songs the band have never played live before like ‘Never Satisfied’ and ‘Blood Red Skies’.  Every note pounds out perfectly, as does every guitar chord, tone and solo; drums and bass are as tight as any band there has been. Rob Halford, just five years away from his pension, patrols the stage with his larger than life persona, singing and screaming like a man less than half of his age with a controlled aggression that goes unmatched. The remaining classic line up members of Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton and Ian Hill are all into their sixties but by the way they come alive on stage no-one would ever know. Ian Hill never stays still, head banging for the full two-hour show. Glenn Tipton plays with a precision few can match.

The set-list closes with the thunderous ‘Painkiller’ and the crowd cheers for more. A few moments later the band return for their encore. ‘The Hellion’ and ‘Electric Eye’ are played from the Screaming for Vengeance’ album which then takes us into ‘Hell bent for Leather’ and finally Judas Priest’s arguably biggest hit, ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, to close the show. The smoke settles, the fire dies down and the lazers stop. Standing on stage taking their bow is, in my opinion, the finest band in the history of Heavy Metal. Judas Priest.