Judas Priest at Nassau Coliseum
photo by Mathieu Bredeau

Judas Priest's Rob Halford comments on cell phone kicking incident

Rob Halford, frontman of heavy metal legends Judas Priest, proved actions speak louder than words when he kicked a cellphone out of an audience member’s hand at a recent show in Rosemont IL, sending it flying. He didn’t say anything about the incident at the time, just went on performing “Judas Rising,” which the band was in the middle of at the time, but now he’s made a statement about it to Loudwire:

THE FACTS ARE WE LOVE OUR FANS AND YOU CAN FILM US ALL YOU LIKE AND WATCH OUR SHOW ON YOUR PHONE RATHER THAN IN THE FLESH. HOWEVER IF YOU PHYSICALLY INTERFERE WITH THE METAL GOD’S PERFORMANCE YOU NOW KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN.

So, there you have it: unlike camera-adverse acts like Bob Dylan, Misfits, Jack White, and A Perfect Circle, Judas Priest don’t mind if you watch their set through your phone – er, film their set – if that’s what you want to do, but don’t be obnoxious about it, and don’t you dare physically interfere.

Judas Priest are on tour supporting their most acclaimed album in a while, last year’s Firepower, through the end of June, and they head overseas for more touring in 2020. See their upcoming dates below.

Judas Priest: 2019-2020 Tour
May 31 – Dallas, Texas @ The Bomb Factory
Jun. 01 – Little Rock, Ark. @ First Security Amphitheater
Jun. 03 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Stifel Theatre
Jun. 05 – Colorado Springs, Colo. @ Broadmoor World Arena
Jun. 08 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ SaskTel Centre
Jun. 10 – Lethbridge, Alberta @ ENMAX Centre
Jun. 11 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Rogers Place
Jun. 13 – Dawson Creek, British Columbia @ Encana Events Centre
Jun. 14 – Prince George, British Columbia @ CN Centre
Jun. 16 – Kelowna, British Columbia @ Prospera Place
Jun. 17 – Abbotsford, British Columbia @ Abbotsford Centre
Jun. 19 – Airway Heights, Wash. @ Northern Quest Resort and Casino
Jun. 21 – Kent, Wash. @ Accesso Showare Center
Jun. 22 – Portland, Ore. @ Moda Theatre of the Clouds
Jun. 24 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
Jun. 25 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre
Jun. 27 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Microsoft Theater
Jun. 28 – Ontario, Calif. @ Citizens Business Bank Arena
Jun. 29 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel
Jan 31 Motorpoint Arena Nottingham, United Kingdom
Feb 2 ARENA Dublin, Ireland
Feb 5 MANCHESTER ARENA Manchester, United Kingdom
Feb 7 Utilita Arena Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Feb 10 The O2 Arena London, United Kingdom
Feb 12 SSE Hydro Glasgow, United Kingdom
Feb 14 RESORTS WORLD ARENA Birmingham, United Kingdom
Feb 17 Westfalenhalle 1 Dortmund, Germany
Feb 20 HARTWELL ARENA Helsinki, Finland
Feb 22 Friends Arena Stockholm, Sweden
Feb 24 Mercedes-Benz Arena Berlin, Germany
Feb 26 STADHALLE Vienna, Austria
Feb 29 O2 Arena Prague, Czech Republic
Mar 3 Barclaycard Arena Hamburg Hamburg, Germany
Mar 5 Olympiahalle Munich, Germany
Mar 7 SAP Arena Mannheim, Germany
Mar 10 UNPOL ARENA Bologna, Italy
Mar 13 WIZNIK ARENA Madrid, Spain
Mar 16 Hallenstadion Zürich, Switzerland