We made a quick road trip to Youngstown to catch Judas Priest and the Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton at the Covelli Center arriving shortly after the doors opened to find an overfilled parking lot of fans enjoying the hot and humid spring night.
In anticipation of the sold-out Saturday evening crowd, police were directing vehicle and pedestrian traffic and using both inbound and outbound lanes to keep everyone moving, but we could still see that the bridge overhead was backed up for as far as the eye could see with more concert goers making their way to the arena with less than an hour to spare before showtime.
We hadn’t seen Judas Priest since their 2018 performance at the Covelli Center with Saxon and Black Star Riders, and had never seen Sabaton before last night. We knew that the vast majority of their albums have been written about historical events, mainly wars and significant battles, and were looking forward to the live “battle” on stage.
The band that has taken their name from medieval armor didn’t disappoint! As an overwhelming crowd of mostly male fans stood in a line the wrapped the venue trying to get their hands on the latest merch from the bands, Sabaton hit the stage at 7:30 pm with a backdrop of warriors that visualize their celebration of 25 years of metal. They took the term heavy metal to a new extreme brining a tank into the Covelli Center arena as the ultimate riser for the band’s drum kit. And, the artillery didn’t stop with there, as the microphone stands were adorned with machine guns and military helmets and the band was in full uniform!
For those not familiar with Sabaton, they rank up there with the top power metal bands, and have a quarter-century history that they are celebrating this year with in epic fashion. Each month of 2024 will be dedicated to an album from the band’s catalog, beginning with Primo Victoria and ending with The War To End All Wars with special insights for fans who want to better understand the catalog. They are currently on month four with a giveaway in honor of the band’s fourth studio album Art of War underway right now.
The band includes Joakim Brodén (lead vocals), Thobbe Englund (guitar), Chris Rörland (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums), Pär Sundström (bass). Thobbe originally joined the band in 2012 and recorded two studio albums with the band before his amicable departure in 2016 and now returns in replacement for Tommy Johansson.
Their set included anthems like “Stormtroopers” and “Primo Victoria” and kept us entertained with several surprises. They sang in English with the exception of “Carolus Rex” from their sixth studio album of the same name which the band had released in both English and Swedish, but kept the crowd entertained by providing yellow and blue (Swedish flag colored) balloons to bounce as they told the story of the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire in their native language.
Mid-set we were entertained when a glittery pink guitar and matching pink strap was delivered to frontman Joakim who would go on to add a third guitar to the mix after teasing the crowd with a few bars of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” while swearing that whoever pulled this joke on him was fired. They later finished strong with the thundering vocals the band is known for, singing of imortality and the stairway to heaven with “Soldier of Heaven” from their latest release, The War to End All Wars album.
Heavy metal legends Judas Priest’s current line-up features Rob Halford (vocals), Ian Hill (bass), Andy Sneap in replacement for Glenn Tipton, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, and Richie Faulkner (guitar), and Scott Travis (drums). When the banner showcasing the story of the Invincible Shield was dropped, the band took the stage together in front of Scott’s kit around 9pm. They would go on to engage the enthusiastic, sold-out crowd with a nearly two-hour set, comprised of 18 metal anthems old and new.
Being sighted as one of the founders of Heavy Metal music along with other British bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest celebrates 55 years of legendary status in the genre having sold more than 50 million albums. The pioneers are on the road in support of their new album Invincible Shield, and included three songs from the release. The title track, as well as the first single “Panic Attack” which opened the evening, and “Crown Of Horns,” which was introduced by an epic guitar solo from fret master Richie Faulkner.
With Halford and Tipton joining founding member Ian Hill in the early 1970s, Hill remains as the only original member of the band with drummer Scott Travis joining in the late 1980s and Richie Faulkner being the newest member in the fold, having replaced K.K. Downing who departed in 2011. K.K. later formed KK’s Priest with former frontman and Ohio native Tim “Ripper” Owens at the helm and his band made their way through the region back in March.
It’s hard to believe that the band first gained mainstream success with their sixth album British Steel when I was just a toddler, and that we now how the opportunity to introduce an entire new generation to Judas Priest. While opening with their new single in a welcome of metal mayhem, the band was sure to remind us of those origins quickly with “Breaking the Law” from that British Steel masterpiece and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” from the later release of Screaming for Vengeance were soon to follow.
Having reminded us of the band’s mainstream relevance when frontman Rob Halford took the stage with Country music giant Dolly Parton at last year’s Rock N Roll Hall of fame induction, it is no surprise that a crowd of all ages joined in the fun on this Saturday night in Ohio. For those that feel that metal is dead in the United States, I beg to differ. It simply depends upon the circumstances, and when Judas Priest comes to town on a beautiful Saturday night, people show up!
And, not only do they show up, they were ‘all in’ from the call for crowd participation as Halford encouraged the masses to repeat his “oh yeah” chants in prelude to “Green Manalishi” to the sing along finale of “Living After Midnight” which concluded the evening and the three-song encore that began with “Electric Eye” and “Hell Bent for Leather.” As the big screen flashed the key lyrics from the final cut, it only added fuel to the sing along chant of the well known chorus from the entire crowd. So much so that I’m confident that as the band took their final bow and vowed to return, the majority were still chanting “loaded”…”loaded” in their heads. What a show, cheers!
For those who can’t add enough patches on their battle vests, Judas Priest offered up separate VIP experience tickets for what they called their “Metal Masters Backstage Experience” in addition to their show tickets. The guided backstage tour tickets offer fans an exclusive glimpse behind the curtain with access to instruments, gear and photo opportunities with Halford’s jacket and the famous motorbike. Details and availability for these special events as well as ticketed sound check experiences can be found on the band’s website.
Tour dates can be found below for US shows offering support from Sabaton and Saxon and Uriah Heep joining the band on the European leg. Not to worry, however, we have Saxon and Uriah Heep on this week’s very busy agenda will full coverage of their Wednesday evening show at The Roxian Theater in McKees Rocks, PA coming soon.
Tour Dates:
10TH OCT 2024 – 13TH OCT 2024, SACRAMENTO, CA AFTERSHOCK FESTIVAL
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Watch for continued coverage of local shows and regional shows with Faster Pussycat, Uriah Heep and Saxon, Aldo Nova and more. In May, you’ll find us at the M3 Rock Festival in Baltimore.
Coverage by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen posted on 4/28/2024. All event photos by photographer Kara Uhrlen and The Pure Rock Shop.
