Judas Priest
Date: October 14, 2005 Caught Out of a Mosh In a definite throwback concert, the Corel Centre was host to Judas Priest, with Rob Halford back in the fold, and Anthrax, also returning to a classic line-up. Priest delivered a long set that drew from their 30 year catalogue, while Anthrax confined themselves to material recorded between 1985 and 1991, while all five members on this tour were still in the band. Far from resting on a nostalgia trip, though, each band gave the fans an intense performance. Unfortunately, the fact that the arena floor was actually seated was a huge detriment; and I left somewhat disappointed, despite the strong playing. Having grown up as a huge Anthrax fan, I was very excited to get an opportunity to witness the line-up with which the band first made its mark. In fact, Anthrax was the reason that I bought my ticket. Hearing the opening strains of "Among the Living" roar out felt great; and there was to be no let-up from the group during their 50-minute set. Anthrax has always been known for giving a fantastic live performance; and their reputation was justified on this night. Bassist Frank Bello raced about the stage for the whole set, egging the crowd on; drummer Charlie Benante demonstrated again that he is one of the best in the business; and Scott Ian always appeared to be having such a great time that he drew out a reaction in the fans. Despite the chairs, I had raced to the front of the floor for the band, a vantage point that I held through "Got the Time" and "Caught in a Mosh" before getting kicked back to the thirteenth row. The remainder of the group's time was very tainted for me. For a standard show, my early arrival would have allowed me to be front and centre, going crazy through the whole set. Watching the band from much farther back, crammed in between the rows of seats, was a very flat experience. On the other hand, the band remained great and I can't say that they didn't have me chanting along to "Antisocial" or bopping along as best I could for "Indians" or "Madhouse." As far as the reunion goes, it was interesting to see Joey Belladonna back on vocals, after having only seen the band with John Bush. To be sure, Belladonna strained a bit on the higher notes and his stage banter is sometimes cheesy, but he still has lung power for days. Seeing him at one edge of the stage, belting out "Medusa," with Dan Spitz laying down lead guitar right next to him, was a sight that I never thought I'd get to see. Given the circumstances, I can't say that I had more fun than when I saw Anthrax headline a club show with their newer line-up. However, despite the respect that I have for their later work, it was still a lot of fun to see this incarnation of the band. In contrast with Anthrax, who have been among my favourite bands for many years, I was never a huge fan of Judas Priest. While most of the few thousand in attendance could no doubt have rattled off their favourite albums from the band, I was going to be content if the band gave a solid showing and touched on a few songs that I knew. It turned out that they were in great form, making for an enjoyable concert even during the stretches when I didn't recognize all of the songs. The band started into "The Hellion/Electric Eye" before singer Rob Halford made his appearance, dressed in a trademark studded leather outfit that was suitably over-the-top. Halford methodically plodded about a stage set-up that was configured like a set of bleachers, with raised catwalks on either edge. His deliberate movements may have been a concession to age, while the frequent stage departures made by band members between songs was another. However, Priest still came through with a long, well-paced set that kept the enthusiastic crowd in a frenzy. As for Halford, his ability to hit the perfect shriek is undiminished. I found that he took a few songs to loosen up on stage; but from "Breaking the Law" onwards, he engaged the crowd as well as he nailed his vocals. On the theatrical side, Halford disappeared several times, only to pop into view elsewhere on stage, sometimes having swapped outfits. "Judas Rising" saw him raised high above the stage, with a backdrop of the band's latest album, Angel of Retribution, revealed behind him. Generally, though, the band just laid down their songs, letting the music speak for itself. From my position, it seemed that the hit "Turbo Lover" got the strongest reaction of the main set, although everyone I saw in the crowd was on their feet through the whole affair. The set ended with a blistering rendition of "Painkiller"; and I thought that the most brutally heavy song of the concert was also the high point. The encore was certainly no let-down, though. Halford returned to the stage on a motorcycle to start off "Hell Bent for Leather," which the band followed with "Living After Midnight." After Halford lead the crowd through some call-and-response chanting, the band wrapped up with a fun rip through the vintage "You've Got Another Thing Coming." Despite the huge let-down of the seated floor, I was still happy to have seen two metal legends performing with their classic line-ups. Neither Judas Priest nor Anthrax was content to rest on reputation alone, instead treating the fans to a great night. <--Prev (Metric) | Next (Broken Social Scene)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |