Posted by Ive always been a fan of Glenn Tipton and KK Downing of Judas Priest. To me, along with the incomparable pipes of Rob Halford, they epitomize what Heavy Metal is! In comparison, Dave Murray and Adrian Smith are equally as good, unfortunately I havent always been a fan of Bruce! If a cat in heat ever had a human voice…!
But let’s not get off track!
The night started out with a blazing, 6 song set from the all-girl heavy metal band, Burning Witches, fronted by Laura Guldemond and guitarist Courtney Cox, formally of the Iron Maidens. They were followed by L.A. Guns who took the stage by storm with Cannonball, fronted by Phil Lewis, once again teaming with Tracci Guns! It should be noted, this night was slated as a Heavy Metal show, but is L.A. Guns really a Heavy Metal band? It should also be noted, The Ballad of Jayne was the only ballad on this tour! But not one single person complained, as a matter of fact, the theatre was lit with the flashlights of cellphones as the crowd sang along!
Finally, the time had come we had all been waiting for!
The true originator of the Judas Priest sound commanded the stage. It may not have been as elaborate as perhaps the Defenders of the Faith or the Ram it Down days, but it was enough for K.K. and his counterpart A.J. Mills to get the job done. Add a 40’ X 15’ LED video wall to the drum riser with side ramps, it only enhanced our viewing pleasure.
Tim “Ripper” Owens, nickname given by K.K himself during the Priest days not only replaced Rob Halford for a couple albums, he’s keeping true to the JP sound that Mr Downing has been striving to keep alive or more or less the sound he created all these years. Although I did find it perplexing that K.K.’s Priest didnt play any “Ripper” tunes from his Judas days.
Here are a few highlights, followed by KK’s Priest’s Setlist
SETLIST:
Long Island Sounds 