Judas Priest Rocks Chicagoland

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Rob Grabowski and Tom Wojcik caught Judas Priest In The Act during show at the Rosemont Theatre on Wednesday, May 1st. Check out Tom's review and Rob's photos!

Heavy Metal Parking Lot it was not, but the lot at the Rosemont Theatre Wednesday night was full of Judas Priest's Chicago faithful. The Metal Gods returned to Chicago barely two weeks into their latest tour, and were as amazing as the set list itself.

Invincible Shield is their 19th album (reaching No. 18 on the Billboard charts), and the band wasted no time launching into the first single "Panic Attack," before giving the audience "You've Got Another Thing Coming" and "Rapid Fire" (from 1980's British Steel) and the metal staple "Breakin' The Law."

Vocalist Rob Halford, still tuneful and powerful as ever, hit vocal cadence this writer has not seen before in the 25+ years of seeing Priest live. Rob added a different flair on certain chorus' that gave a modern touch to familiar tunes. Founding member and bassist Ian Hill deserves more of the spotlight, but he was as comfortable as ever holding down the rhythm.

"Love Bites," from the Defenders Of The Faith album, was welcomed with , immediately followed by "Devil's Child" and "Saints In Hell." A nice deep cut came in the form of "Turbo Lover" before the band returned to the eponymous new track.

The band played its expected favorites, tearing through their catalog from all eras and two other tracks from Invincible Shield, rubbing shoulders with classics like "Sinner," "Victim Of Changes."

Gone are the twin axe duo of KK Downing (who officially left in 2011) and current member Glenn Tipton (sidelined by Parkinson's) as Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap respectively took over the six string attack. And of course skin basher Scott Travis turning his drums into a punching bag all night before he intro'd the final song of the regular set, "Painkiller."

Since their last visit at the Genessee in Waukegan in October 2022, Priest's latest release proves they can still whip a crowd into a frenzy, while delivering breakneck albums time and time again.

In a recent interview, Halford explained that "Priest has always been about quality over quantity. Back in the '80s, we were making an album a year and then touring. But that was then. The industry now, in the business sense, is completely different to where we were in the '80s."

Five decades later and a long way from their Birmingham roots, the mighty Priest deliver to America.

SABATON, who also last played Chicago in 2022 (headlining the Aragon), put on a very impressive set of Swedish power metal behind their newest album.

JUDAS PRIEST Set List:
Panic Attack
You've Got Another Thing Comin'
Rapid Fire
Breaking the Law
Lightning Strike
Love Bites
Devil's Child
Saints in Hell
Crown of Horns
Sinner
Turbo Lover
Invincible Shield
Victim of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)
Painkiller

Encore:
The Hellion
Electric Eye
Hell Bent for Leather
Living After Midnight

Sabaton Photos

More Judas Priest Photos

Photos by © Rob Grabowski / GrabowskiPhoto.com - All Rights Reserved

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