Sometimes if people yell loud enough there will be change – because that’s apparently the case for Judas Priest and their tour plans. To put it lightly, fans were not happy regarding the group’s initial plans to head out as a four-piece. A couple weeks ago, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford apologized and clarified some details regarding those decisions pertaining to the next leg of their 50th-anniversary tour.
While the band will be heading out now as a five-piece now, in a recent interview with Canada’s The Metal Voice, as transcribed by Blabbermouth, Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner addresses the fan backlash and how that pushed Judas Priest into reversing their initial four-piece decision.
Per Faulkner:
“I think it’s a really powerful indication of how much Priest still means, really. I don’t think we expected that much [pushback from the fans]. [Laughs] ‘Cause we all thought — for good or bad — we made a decision because we thought it would be a good idea; that’s the real crux of the matter. Otherwise we wouldn’t have made the decision. We knew there would be some voices raised, because that’s the brand of Judas Priest and it has been for 50 years. And the fans, boy, did they let us know. And that’s fan-fucking-tastic. And we listened. And no harm, no foul. It’s all back to as it was and we’re going out as it was gonna be. It’s a big thank you, really, to the fans for caring and letting us know what they felt. And boy, did they let us know what they felt about it. So, yeah, all good. All’s well that ends well, really.”
As of January 15th, the band released a statement that they were reversing their four-piece decision, and their tour would include the lineup of: Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, and Andy Sneap.
Good on the band to hear out their fans and be open to making changes! The next leg of the Judas Priest tour kicks off next month. You can find all dates and locations below.
3/4 – Peoria Civic Theatre – Peoria, IL
3/6 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO
3/7 – Maverik Center – West Valley City, UT
3/9 – Angel Of The Winds Arena – Everett, WA
3/10 – Moda Center – Portland, OR
3/12 – Fox Theater – Oakland – Oakland, CA
3/13 – Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood – Las Vegas, NV
3/15 – The Shrine – Los Angeles, CA
3/16 – Arizona Federal Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
3/18 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX
3/20 – H-E-B Center at Cedar Park – Cedar Park, TX
3/21 – Freeman Coliseum – San Antonio, TX
3/23 – Nashville Municipal Auditorium – Nashville, TN
3/25 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, GA
3/27 – Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center – Charleston, WV
3/29 – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA
3/30 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ
3/31 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor – National Harbor, MD
4/2 – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT
4/4 – Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell – Lowell, MA
4/7 – Scotiabank Centre – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
4/10 – Videotron Center – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
4/11 – Place Bell – Laval, Quebec, Canada
4/13 – FirstOntario Centre – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Words by: Michael Pementel