Music

Five thoughts: Judas Priest at the Pearl (November 14)

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Judas Priest at Pearl at the Palms on Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, in Las Vegas.
Photo: Edison Graff / Stardust Fallout
Jorge Labrador

1. Judas Priest’s debut album came out 40 years ago, and the band has been changing and updating its sound almost the entire time. So it’s no surprise that there are a lot of younger fans along with their parents in this sold-out crowd. Three generations of Judas Priest fans are right in front of me—a grandfather, father and son—and that’s three generations of familial cringing every time Steel Panther frontman Michael Starr drops a “glory hole” or “f*ck all night” during the opening set.

2. I thought something was up with the sound when Rob Halford’s typically powerful voice seemed a little buried in the mix, and my suspicions are confirmed about a quarter of the way through the show. when the sound suddenly improves. The rest of the show sounds marvelous, and I’m told other spots in the venue didn’t experience this problem. It’s blasphemous for the Metal Gods to sound anything but godly.

Judas Priest at Pearl at the Palms

3. I get it. It’s tough to curate a setlist that makes everyone happy, especially when your tour sets out to simultaneously revisit some older deep cuts and promote the new album. But to play nothing from 1990’s Painkiller? The album that proved Priest had nothing to worry about from all of those young thrash metal upstarts? The new stuff from Redeemer of Souls is really good, and “Love Bites” and “Jawbreaker” are welcome throwbacks, but Painkiller’s absence really stands out.

4. Guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced founding member K.K. Downing in 2011, deserves a shout-out for both his technical proficiency and stage presence, especially during his late-show solo jam. Those are big shoes to fill. And Halford is the frontman every band wishes it could have. His voice is as grandiose and operatic as ever, even though he’s been at it for more than four decades. His presence alone evokes those tough-guy heavy metal vibes and yet he can pull off a costume change every few songs like a leather-and-studs Liberace.

5. Absolutely the highlight of the night: Halford riding a motorcycle onto the stage during “Hell Bent for Leather” and whipping its rear end like it’s been a bad, bad bike. Who says you can’t be a little campy and still be a badass?

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