Judas Priest celebrate 50th anniversary with a tour of North America

Birmingham heavy metal icons will hit the road this autumn.

Rob Halford

Image: Daniel Knighton / Getty

Judas Priest have announced a North American tour, in celebration of their 50th anniversary.

The band formed in Birmingham, in 1970, and have to date released 18 solo albums – their latest being 2018’s Firepower. The upcoming tour, taking place over autumn 2020, will see the band hit the road across North America – including a festival slot in Florida.

They’re arguably best known for their breakthrough 1980 record British Steel, which catapulted them into the mainstream. Their signature sound, combining a harmonised twin-guitar-attack with frontman Rob Halford’s operatic vocals, would be a huge influence on many metal bands as the genre expanded beyond its blues-rock roots.

In a statement about the tour announcement, the band said: “Judas Priest are primed and ready to deliver the goods with our 50 Heavy Metal Years anniversary celebration stage show spectacular! Performing a blistering cross-section of songs from our lives in metal – we can’t wait to raise horns with you again at this once in a metal lifetime event!”

The full list of announced tour dates is as follows:

September 2020

9 – Oxon Hill, MD, MGM National Harbor
11 – Uniondale, NY, Nassau Coliseum
12 – Ledyard, CT, Foxwoods Casino Arena
14 – Philadelphia, PA, The Mann Center
15 – Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
17 – Charlotte, NC, PNC Music Pavilion
18 – Orlando, FL, Central Florida Fair – Rebel Rock Fest
21 – Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
23 – Detroit, MI, Fox Theatre
24 – Youngstown, OH, Covelli Centre
26 – Chicago, IL, Rosemont Theatre
27 – Minneapolis, MN, The Armory
29 – Milwaukee, WI, Miller High Life Theatre
30 – St. Louis, MO, Saint Louis Music Park

October 2020

2 – Oklahoma City, OK, The Zoo Amphitheatre
3 – Dallas, TX, Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
5 – Austin, TX, HEB Center
6 – San Antonio, TX, Freeman Coliseum

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