Judas Priest: 50 Heavy Metal Years at the Vibrant Arena at the MARK -- October 29.
Saturday, October 29, 8 p.m.
Vibrant Arena at the MARK, 1201 River Drive, Moline IL
Legendary heavy metal artists who were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, the musicians of Judas Priest bring their national tour to Moline's Vibrant Arena at the MARK on October 29, the hugely influential, Grammy-winning rockers currently celebrating, as her tour title states, “50 Heavy Metal Years.”
Judas Priest was formed in 1969 in Birmingham, England, by lead vocalist Al Atkins and bassist Brian "Bruno" Stapenhill, with John Perry on guitars and John "Fezza" Partridge on drums. It was Stapenhill who came up with the band name, in honor of the Bob Dylan song "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest" on his album John Wesley Harding. Although no member of Judas Priest's early line-up lasted long enough to play on the band's recordings, the group – its musicians including current lead vocalist Rob Halford, bass player Ian Hill, and guitarist Glenn Tipton – went into the studio in the summer of 1974 and released their debut single "Rocka Rolla," following it in September with an album of the same title. Rocka Rolla features a variety of styles including straight-up rock, heavy riffing, and progressive, and although it wasn't a massive hit upon its debut, the album did lead to a discography that currently boasts 18 studio albums, six live albums, 14 compilation albums, 29 singles, 10 video albums, and 21 music videos.
Released in 2018, Judas Priest's most recent album Firepower sold roughly 49,000 copies in the United States within its first week of release and debuted at number five on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the band's highest-charting album in the United States. The album also reached number five in the U.K., making it their first top-10 album in England since 1980's British Steel. The band's best-selling album, meanwhile, is 1982's Screaming for Vengeance, with their most commercially successful line-up featuring Halford,Hill, Tipton, guitarist K. K. Downing, and drummer Dave Holland, with Tipton and Hill the only two members of the group to appear on every album.
Halford's operatic vocal style and the twin guitar sound of Downing and Tipton have been a major influence on heavy metal bands, while Judas Priest's image of leather, spikes, and other taboo articles of clothing were widely influential during the glam metal era of the 1980s. The Guardian referred to British Steel as the record that defines heavy metal, and beyond being inaugural inductees into the VH1 Rock Honors in 2006, Judas Priest received a Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance in 2010 and have had their songs featured in video games such as Guitar Hero and the Rock Band series.
Judas Priest brings their “50 Heavy Metal Years” tour to Moline on October 29 with an opening set by the rockers of Queensrÿche, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $39-99, and tickets are available by calling (800)745-3000 and visiting VibrantArena.com.
