photo by Mathieu Bredeau

Judas Priest reschedule 50th anniversary tour, add dates

June 7, 2021

photo by Mathieu Bredeau

Heavy metal legends Judas Priest were scheduled to celebrate their 50th anniversary with a 2020 tour, which COVID kept from happening. They’ve now announced rescheduled dates for the tour, along with the addition of new shows, most of which feature Sabaton as support.

The rescheduled dates kick off on September 8 in Reading, PA (one of the newly added shows) and hit Orlando, Charlotte, Detroit, Milwaukee, Denver, Portland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Philadelphia, Newark, and more, wrapping up on November 5 in Hamilton, ON. See all dates below.

The Los Angeles show is on October 6 at Microsoft Theater, and the Newark, NJ date, another new addition, is on October 27 at Prudential Center. Tickets to that and the other new dates go on sale Friday, June 11 at 10 AM local time, with various resales beginning Thursday, June 10 at 10 AM local time.

Meanwhile, in honor of Pride Month, Rob Halford, speaking to Apple Music’s Hattie Collins, recently looked back on coming out as gay during a 1998 interview with MTV. “I was doing the rounds in New York City and ended up at MTV talking about this project,” he said. “And in the casual course of the conversation, we were talking about the overall music, and the direction, and the feelings. And I said something to the effect of, ‘Well, speaking as a gay man, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.’ And then I heard the producer’s clipboard bounce on the floor. It was one of those gay sharp intakes, ‘Oh my God, he’s come out.’ And so that was it. So it was very simple.”

“I think if I’d… I still say today, if I’d have really thought this through, like today’s the day I’m going to come out, maybe I even wouldn’t… maybe I may not have come out per se, because it’s still a big moment for so many of us, with a close friend, with someone at school, with Mum and Dad, with whomever, to actually say, ‘Hey, I’m a gay guy or I’m a gay girl,’” Halford continued. “It’s just a big, big deal. It’s just a glorious, glorious moment.”

“So wow,” he continued, “it was just this enormous feeling of freedom, and the pressure was gone, and there’s no more talking behind your back because you have all this ammunition of power as a gay person now, as an out gay person. Nothing can hurt you because this is it. You can’t throw insults, you can’t throw rumours, you can’t say anything negative about me because I am who I am. So that’s my wonderful memory of my great coming out day.”

Watch a video of the interview below, and get Judas Priest records and vinyl in our shop.

JUDAS PRIEST: 2021 TOUR
9/8/2021 Reading PA Santander Arena*
9/9/2021 Virginia Beach VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater*+
9/11/2021 Orlando FL Central Florida Fairgrounds#
9/13/2021 Charlotte NC PNC Music Pavilion
9/14/2021 Raleigh NC Red Hat Amphitheater*
9/16/2021 Grand Rapids MI Van Andel Arena*
9/17/2021 Youngstown OH Covelli Centre
9/19/2021 Detroit MI Fox Theatre*
9/20/2021 Rosemont IL Rosemont Theatre*
9/22/2021 Milwaukee WI Miller High Life Theatre^
9/23/2021 Minneapolis MN The Armory*
9/25/2021 Maryland Heights MO Saint Louis Music Park
9/26/2021 Louisville KY Louder Than Life Festival^#
9/29/2021 Denver CO The Mission Ballroom
9/30/2021 West Valley City UT Maverik Center*
10/2/2021 Everett WA Angel Of The Winds Arena*
10/3/2021 Portland OR Moda Center*
10/5/2021 Oakland CA Fox Theater^
10/6/2021 Los Angeles CA Microsoft Theater
10/8/2021 Las Vegas NV Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood
10/9/2021 Phoenix AZ Arizona Federal Theatre
10/12/2021 San Antonio TX Freeman Coliseum
10/13/2021 Cedar Park TX HEB Center Cedar Park
10/15/2021 Irving TX The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/16/2021 Oklahoma City OK The Zoo Amphitheatre
10/19/2021 Independence MO Cable Dahmer Arena*
10/21/2021 Nashville TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium*
10/22/2021 Alpharetta GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre*
10/24/2021 Charleston WV Charleston Civic Center Coliseum*
10/25/2021 Philadelphia PA The Met*
10/27/2021 Newark NJ Prudential Center*
10/28/2021 Oxon Hill MD The Theater at MGM National Harbor
10/30/2021 Mashantucket CT Foxwoods Resort Casino – Grand Theater^
10/31/2021 Lowell MA Tsongas Center At UMass Lowell*
11/2/2021 Halifax NS Scotiabank Centre*
11/4/2021 Laval QC Place Bell*
11/5/2021 Hamilton ON FirstOntario Centre*