Judas Priest rolled into Fresno, California Friday night and played the Saroyan Theater on their Redeemer of Souls Tour, belting out a tremendous set list of the band’s greatest tracks from classics to new numbers, leaving an audience of roughly 1,500 wild fans in awe over the brilliant performance. The opening act, Mastodon, was a powerhouse through and through and got the crowd wound up and prepared for a blistering show.
After Mastodon concluded their set, a giant curtain with the Judas Priest logo fell from above the stage, enabling the enthusiastic crowd to get ready for what was in store for the night. I couldn’t wait for Judas Priest to take the stage. This was an internationally successful band being crowned as the “Metal Gods” and they were taking the time to play here? Next door to my city?! I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity to see them live in action.
Right before Priest started their set, the theater played Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” while the entire audience sang along in harmony all the way to the chant “OH LORD YEAH!”
And thus it began!
The intro of “Battle Cry” rang out from behind the curtain and built the anticipation of the show. Then the giant curtain rained onto the floor and the two guitarists, Richie Faulkner and Glenn Tipton, played alongside the rhythm section of Ian Hill and Scott Travis, transitioning into “Dragonaut,” the lead track of Priest’s latest release. Rob Halford could be heard singing before he made his appearance on stage. Once he revealed himself, the crowd exploded with excitement as the show kicked off in earnest. The band slayed through “Metal Gods” and “Desert Plains” assertively with showmanship and exertion.
“Victim Of Changes,” from the Sad Wings Of Destiny album was one of the of the show’s pinnacles, beginning with Faulkner and Tipton’s synchronized intro leading to Halford’s impacting first verse that ends with a vigorous scream. The crowd was feeling each and every riff and Halford added his glass-shattering vocals as another factor to enjoy. Especially the section of the song where Halford shouts two lyrics at a time and has his voice echo afterwards as a real dramatic sequence of intensity.
“Halls Of Valhalla” was a thrill to hear, with Halford delivering a string of growls before slowly raising the level from the bottom of his vocal range all the way to his unreachable height. Priest continued on with “The Rage” from British Steel and “Redeemer Of Souls” with impressive guitar solo exchanges and Halford working the audience with his postures.
The band further electrified the faithful crowd when they reached all the way back to 1976 with “Beyond The Realms Of Death,” shifting from a slow, leisure-paced tone into a hard hitting world of metal that is bombarded with Scott Travis’s expeditious drumming and Richie’s rapid fire solo.
Halford took a moment during the concert to call out “Yeah!” in verses to the audience and duplicate his pattern until he amusingly teased us by extending his vocals to an unparalleled level that we couldn’t possibly match. Another highlight from this portion of the set was Priest’s supersonic “Screaming For Vengeance” performance, full of Halford’s mean attitude vocals and emphasized screeches and shrieking:
“Screaming For Vengeance!”
Richie also took the crowd by storm with his flourishing solo and Glenn answered back with equal precision. “Breaking The Law” fired the audience up, triggering everyone to sing every word and loving it in its entirety. Following, Halford disappeared backstage and rode back on a motorcycle for a crowd-pleasing shout-along of “Hell Bent For Leather.” The iconic bike remained center stage for the rest of the show.
After the main set list was completed, Scott Travis asked us what track they should play next and after an enthusiastic response, Priest gave the crowd “The Hellion/Electric Eye” along with “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’.” Both were punctuated by the crowd yelling all the lyrics.
Once the crowd got what they wanted, Scott took to the microphone again and called for a following tune. The crowd erupted when the band ripped into “Painkiller.” Priest took full command with Richie and Glenn’s guitar duel and Halford’s ability to nail every high note. Closing the concert with “Living After Midnight” was the perfect end to an exhilarating night of precious metal mastery.
It was an honor to see Priest in my hometown and have them completely flatten me with every song they played. After forty years of this band doing what they do best, it’s breathtaking to be a member of the audience, watching them embody their same stature that they’ve always been praised for. Richie and Glenn are a perfect combination for keeping Priest’s legacy screaming and kicking. The crowning jewel is Halford continuing to absolutely destroy every track with the same force and brilliance that he has projected for decades. Having the chance to catch this band on the Redeemer Of Souls Tour was the best way to assure me that Priest lives up to their title of being The Metal Gods!
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