Judas Priest in Bratislava (09/05/2012)
There are bands you love, admire and long to see live every night. There are bands you can't stand and wish someone banished them to the abyss of hell. There are bands that make you feel nothing... indifference. And then there are bands you respect because of their inspirative work and legacy for future generations of aspiring rock musicians, bands that are a must-see, so to say. Judas Priest, a heavy metal legend, is a member of the latest category for me, not to mention I love Thin Lizzy, thus it was a given that you would see me at their show in Bratislava.
The day of the show was quite unfortunate, Wednesday, although the fact that the next day was a working one did not stop thousands of people from coming and enjoying this unique fiesta of heavy metal. At the strike of eight the full venue of Incheba Expo Arena got tired of listening to AC DC for what felt like hours and started to stir impatiently. My friend and I spent a few minutes having a "is he or isn't he" talk when we were trying to determine whether the elderly man on the stage tuning a guitar was a member of Thin Lizzy or not (in fact he wasn't) and bragging on Facebook about being in the front row at Judas Priest (let me tell you, I have been to a lot of concerts and if you're with me, you'd have to be very unfortunate not to get in the front row) until the lights finally went dim and we heard the first tunes of Are You Ready!
Thin Lizzy did not waste any time and got down to kicking our asses from the first note. I dare say that a lot of fans, including me, were curious how both the support band and the headliner had dealt with losing key members not so long before, but the energetic and likeable performance of Ricky Warwick behind the microphone left me very pleasantly surprised. Ricky is not Phil Lynott nor John Sykes, which he is very well aware of and does not try to imitate them. He brought a wave of fresh wind to Lizzy and the whole band came across as a group of friends and professionals who not only try to make the fans enjoy the show, but enjoy it themselves. The icing on the cake was Lizzy's version of the traditional Irish drinking song Whiskey In The Jar, sung in unison by the whole venue. Thank you and until next time, Lizzy!
It does not happen very often that a support band outdoes the main star of the evening, however after the fantastic show of Thin Lizzy I started to have my doubts. I generally prefer organic and raw hard rock shows to pompous and impression-focused ones (the exception being Scorpions, who handle both exceedingly well) and I could not but wonder whether Judas Priest would live up to the expectations. Short answer - they did. The band's allegedly last international tour took us throughout the whole history of Judas Priest, with hits such as Judas Rising, Painkiller or Prophecy. From heavy metal anthems (Breaking The Law) to an acoustic intermezzo in the form of the first half of Diamonds and Rust, it was obvious that the band is still in a top-notch shape and not quite ready to give up yet. Their fantastic performance was supported by a wonderful light show, pyro effects and stage build-up. Credit where credit's due, Rob Halford took my breath away and Richie Faulker as a replacement for KK Downing did not disappoint anyone. All in all, an unforgettable night for fans of genuine heavy metal!