Thursday night in Portland, Oregon, the mighty beast that is the Priest returned to the Moda center for a high energy performance: Judas Priest live on their Invincible Shield Tour. Judas Priest makes it a point to always come to Portland when touring, and rightly so as they still command an excited base of followers, ever since their first time in town for Sad Wings of Destiny tour back in the 1970s. The dedicated fans loved it, and showed their undying support for the band that made heavy metal.
The Metal God, Rob Halford commanded the stage, bringing his signature screams and awesome stage presence. Halford’s performance never disappoints, as he stalks the stage back and forth, singing his heart out, and connecting with the thrilled crowd. One thing is for sure, Rob Halford is THE VOICE of Judas Priest, and has proved it once again in Portland.
Bassist, and founding band member Ian Hill was as solid and steady as ever. Hill is the only member of Judas priest to be on every album, and every tour. Standing back by the drum riser, Ian Hill was locked in with drummer Scott Travis, and full of heavy metal energy from start to finish.
Scott Travis has been the man on the drums ever since the Painkiller album back in 1990, and is one of the most influential drummers in all of heavy metal. Travis has the ability to play everything in the Judas priest catalog with such energy and excitement that it feels like it’s brand new and fresh every time.
Richie Faulkner came into Judas Priest back in 2011 when founding guitarist K.K. Downing decided to call it a day, retiring from the band he founded. Faulkner has since become much beloved by fans, and is the shredder in chief with his stunning guitar work. Faulkner was perfect on stage, as he blended the original guitar solos with bits of his own style. In 2020, K.K. Downing wanted to return to the band, and replace Faulkner, but the band was adamant that he was one of the guys, and not replaceable, as Downing had voluntarily bowed out a decade before.
While Glen Tipton is still officially in the band, he cannot tour due to his medical condition of Parkinson’s disease. Filling his shoes on stage has fallen to guitarist/producer Andy Sneap. Sneap has been a part of the Priest team since 2017, when he produced the Firepower album, and joined the touring lineup. Sneap shows that not only is he a great producer, but an amazing guitarist.
The Set
The set Judas Priest played included songs going all the way back to their Sad Wings of Destiny album with their classic “Victims of Changes”, which was a high point of the show. The band played new material from Invincible Shield, along with their hits like “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”, “Turbo Lover”, “The Green Manalishi”, and “Living After Midnight”. The unexpected surprise song that was also a high point of the show is when the band performed “Saints in Hell” off of their Stained Class album. As is a Judas Priest tradition, Halford road on stage on his Harley Davidson motorcycle for a crowd favorite “Hell Bent for Leather”, to a thunderous applause.
One thing is for sure; after 50 years since their first album Rocka Rolla, Judas Priest still has the power and talent to keep their brand of heavy metal alive and thriving. As one of the bands that literally created heavy metal music as a genre, Judas Priest still stands tall, and delivers the goods!
Invincible Shield Tour Setlist
- Panic Attack
- You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
- Rapid Fire
- Breaking the Law
- Riding on the Wind
- Love Bites
- Devil’s Child
- Saints in Hell
- Crown of Horns
- Sinner
- Turbo Lover
- Invincible Shield
- Victim of Changes
- The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)
- Painkiller
- The Hellion
- Electric Eye
- Hell Bent for Leather
- Living After Midnight
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