You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ if you thought Judas Priest would ever actually commit to retiring.
Coinciding with their 50th anniversary, the pioneer British heavy metal outfit will embark on a 33-date trek across North America in the summer. The tour will commence in Hollywood on May 3 and conclude in Vegas on July 29.
Judas Priest are on the road to promote their latest offering, Firepower (2018) — their critically acclaimed 18th studio album.
Along the way, the five-piece band will hit Western Canada for seven explosive performances across three provinces.
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The Firepower tour was announced on Monday evening. Priest invited fellow Brit rock veterans, Uriah Heep, as the main support band to open up all 33 shows.
Priest were set to slow down on touring after their monstrous Nostradamus world tour, which ended in 2012. Lineup changes, new music and the reignited worldwide desire to see the Metal Gods “forced” them back on the road.
Although Priest have already toured the U.S. and Canada during this album cycle, they decided to change things up this time around and visit some of the cities they haven’t been to in a while.
Canadian headbangers will be happy to know they’ve included Lethbridge, Prince George and Abbotsford in their tour dates, among other cities.
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Although classic lineup lead guitarist Glenn Tipton has been featured on the Firepower tour poster, it is unclear whether he will be partaking in any of the upcoming shows.
Tipton announced his retirement from touring in February 2018 after revealing his unfortunate diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease. He passed on the torch to the producer of the Firepower album, Andy Sneap.
Tipton has appeared onstage only once with Priest following his retirement, in which he played fan favourites Metal Gods, Breaking the Law and Livin’ After Midnight.
The current lineup consists of frontman Rob Halford, guitarists Sneap and Richie Faulkner, drummer Scott Travis and founding member and bassist Ian Hill.
Since its inception, Judas Priest has sold more than 50 million records, been nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and won a number of prestigious awards in the rock community. They are now widely regarded as one of the best heavy metal bands of all time.
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Tickets can be purchased through the official Judas Priest website. Fan club presale begins at 10 a.m. ET on Dec. 4.
All tickets will be made available to the general public on Dec. 7 at 1 a.m.
North American Firepower tour dates 2019
May 3 – Hollywood, Fla. @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
May 6 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Nashville Municipal Auditorium
May 8 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Fox Theatre
May 9 – Biloxi, Miss. @ Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
May 12 – Washington, D.C. @ The Anthem
May 14 – Huntington, N.Y. @ The Paramount
May 15 – Huntington, N.Y. @ The Paramount
May 16 – Uncasville, Conn. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
May 18 – Albany, N.Y. @ Palace Theatre
May 19 – Albany, N.Y. @ Palace Theatre
May 22 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Riverside Theater
May 23 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Riverside Theater
May 25 – Rosemont, Ill. @ Rosemont Theatre
May 28 – Austin, Tex. @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
May 29 – Austin, Tex. @ ACL Live at The Moody Theater
May 31 – Dallas, Tex. @ The Bomb Factory
June 1 – Little Rock, Ark. @ First Security Amphitheater
June 3 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Stifel Theatre
June 5 – Colorado Springs, Colo. @ Broadmoor World Arena
June 8 – Saskatoon, Sask. @ SaskTel Centre
June 10 – Lethbridge, Alta. @ ENMAX Centre
June 11 – Edmonton, Alta. @ Rogers Place
June 13 – Dawson Creek, B.C. @ Encana Events Centre
June 14 – Prince George, B.C. @ CN Centre
June 16 – Kelowna, B.C. @ Prospera Place
June 17 – Abbotsford, B.C. @ Abbotsford Centre
June 19 – Airway Heights, Wash. @ Northern Quest Resort and Casino
June 21 – Kent, Wash. @ Accesso Showare Center
June 22 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Theatre of the Clouds
June 24 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
June 25 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
June 27 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Microsoft Theater
June 29 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
adam.wallis@globalnews.ca