Judas Priest originally announced they'd perform their upcoming 50th anniversary tour as a four-piece, removing live fill-in guitarist Andy Sneap from the lineup. After public outcry from fans and even a comment from Sneap himself, the band reinstated the guitarist and announced they'd go back to being a five-piece.
So what was the reason behind the move toward a four-piece? Vocalist Rob Halford said to Billboard it was totally his idea, and it wasn't a great one. Which y'know – it happens.
"That all came from me, it didn't come from the band. Of course, that blew up in my face, didn't it? To have done something like a four-piece now would've been just not right, ridiculous, insane, crazy, off my rocker, have a cup of tea and relax. It's kind of water under the bridge now. I think my heart was in the right place, but I'm not the first musician to have a crazy idea."
Sneap has been filling in with Judas Priest since 2018 when longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton announced he wouldn't tour anymore due to his worsening Parkinson's disease. Catch Judas Priest at one of the dates below with Queensrÿche.
3/4 – Peoria Civic Theatre – Peoria, IL [Tickets]
3/6 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO [Tickets]
3/7 – Maverik Center – West Valley City, UT [Tickets]
3/9 – Angel Of The Winds Arena – Everett, WA [Tickets]
3/10 – Moda Center – Portland, OR [Tickets]
3/12 – Fox Theater – Oakland – Oakland, CA [Tickets]
3/13 – Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood – Las Vegas, NV [Tickets]
3/15 – The Shrine – Los Angeles, CA [Tickets]
3/16 – Arizona Federal Theatre – Phoenix, AZ [Tickets]
3/18 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX [Tickets]
3/20 – H-E-B Center at Cedar Park – Cedar Park, TX [Tickets]
3/21 – Freeman Coliseum – San Antonio, TX [Tickets]
3/23 – Nashville Municipal Auditorium – Nashville, TN [Tickets]
3/25 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, GA [Tickets]
3/27 – Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center – Charleston, WV [Tickets]
3/29 – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA [Tickets]
3/30 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ [Tickets]
3/31 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor – National Harbor, MD [Tickets]
4/2 – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT [Tickets]
4/4 – Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell – Lowell, MA [Tickets]
4/7 – Scotiabank Centre – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada [Tickets]
4/10 – Videotron Center – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada [Tickets]
4/11 – Place Bell – Laval, Quebec, Canada [Tickets]
4/13 – FirstOntario Centre – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada [Tickets]
