Fans were lined up around Boston’s MGM Music Hall to get a glimpse of one of the most anticipated concerts of the year. You could feel the excitement in the air as you pass by the venue.
As soon as the fans entered the venue they were excited and were ready for the night to get started. This was a concert they have been waiting to see after it was rescheduled from earlier in the year as the band had to cancel hours before the show. Fans were excited they were going to be able to see their favorite band live.
Fans piled into the venue rather quickly as it was only two highly anticipated bands.
First band of the night was heavy metal band Queensryche. They opened their set with “Queen Of The Reich.” The fans were going crazy. They continued their set with a few more of their hits which included “EN Force,” “NM 156,” and “Behind The Walls.”
Before the song “Take Hold Of The Flame,” lead singer Todd La Torre came to the mic and said that the next song is dedicated to a 15 year old fan who is battling an illness. “He is a drummer and is a fan that is going through treatment right now. His family is in our prayers”. The crowd was quiet and listened as the band played the song. They then went on to play their final two songs of the night, “Screaming In Digital,” and “Eyes of A Stranger.” The crowd was singing and cheering loudly for what they just witnessed.
Finally, after a long awaited time was English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham England Judas Priest. They are currently touring for their 50th Rock and Roll years. The stage was set as J.P Ironworks. It was similar to an Iron factory. Up high above the stage was a huge steel version of the Judas Priest cross. As the band was getting ready to perform on stage the gigantic cross that started out flat with the stage started to turn and stand upright. It then illuminated with bright (blinding) white lights beaming from the red background behind it. It was the brightest thing in the venue. While this was happening Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” was playing as an intro.
As the band walked on stage their intro “Hellion” was playing in the background. As the band started playing their first song of the night “Electric Eye,” the fans started screaming and yelling. They went on to play some of their hits such as “Riding On The Wind,” “Jawbreaker,” Never The Heroes,” and “Judas Rising,” just to name a few. The fans were having a blast watching guitarist Richie Faulkner wow the crowd with his silly antics and crazy guitar moves. You could tell they were having a blast on stage poking fun with the crowd. He was seen at some points in the performance sticking his tongue out. After 50 years of heavy metal Rob Halford still sounds amazing after battling health issues earlier in the tour, which caused them to cancel a few dates on the tour.
They continued their set with some of their popular songs, “Between The Hammer and Anvil,” Firepower,” and “Screaming of Vengeance,” which were the final songs of the performance before their encore. They took a short encore and the lights went out on stage. When the lights came back on Rob was seen riding in on his motorcycle onto the stage as the band was beginning “Hell Bent For Leather.” They went on to play “Breaking The Law.” The fans were screaming, cheering, jumping to hear the final songs of the night. Right before the final song of the evening there was a brief pause and the lights were flashing and flickering and you could see giant red eyes of what was to become a giant bull that was brought on stage as they played their final song “Living After Midnight.” This was an all out amazing performance for a band that has been around the world and back. The fans loved every minute and wanted more.
Judas Priest
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