Words: Smudge
Photos: Adrian Hextall
It was an early start, but nobody told us! So, I completely missed Burning Witches. As I arrived Paul Di’Anno’s crew were well into preparation and having sneaked a peak at the set list we were in for a treat because it was all Maiden tunes. The band entered and Di’Anno was pushed into place in his wheelchair having had knee replacement surgery recently. I’ve never seen him live before and the impression I have always got about him is quite obnoxious and less than flattering however he came across as the chirpy cockney who was very humble. Kicking off with the thundering ‘Wrathchild’ it was straight in to ‘Sanctuary’ and ‘Purgatory’ before a stunning ‘Remember Tomorrow’. It was great to hear these songs with some meat on their bones rather than the thin versions on the records. And I must say that Di’Anno has a fine voice despite his issues with his mic. ‘Murder’s In The Rue Morgue’ gave way to the furious ‘Killers’ then we got ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ which gave us loads of audience participation along with ‘Running Free’ where the crowd gave the chorus. What a wonderful way to set up for the headliners. The crowd were juiced and ready.
Paul Di’Anno Line Up
Paul Di’Anno – Vocals
Rikard Nilsen – Guitar
Jan Vegard Naess – Guitar
Are Gogstad – Bass
Henrik Haugses Kampaug – Drums
Setlist
The Ides of March
Wrathchild
Sanctuary
Purgatory
Remember Tomorrow
Murders in the Rue Morgue
Killers
Phantom of the Opera
Running Free
Video: Mindhex Media
An overlong intro was soon forgotten as the biggest of cheers welcomed both KK Downing and Ripper Owens onto the stage and they tore straight into ‘Hellfire Thunderbolt’ and ‘One More Shot At Glory’ in quick succession before Ripper introduced ‘The Ripper’ and oh, how we sang along and played our air guitars. ‘Reap The Whirlwind’ gave us a battering before ‘Night Crawler’ and ‘Sermons Of The Sinner’ saw Ripper shatter the glasses with his phenomenal range. ‘Burn In Hell’, probably my favourite from the Ripper era of Priest was just immense then the song that not only got me into Judas Priest but into metal ‘Beyond The Realms Of Death’ gave me goosebumps. ‘Hell Patrol’, ‘Brothers Of The Road’ and ‘Metal Meltdown’ were proper crowd pleasers then we all banged our heads to the best cover Priest ever did – ‘Green Manalishi’ and it’s world of chug! The place went mental with ‘Breaking The Law’ before the stunning ‘Victim Of Changes’. This song literally has everything – Proper metal, a bit of glam, a bit of prog and a bit of AOR in there too and Ripper’s scream at the end was incredible. They came back with ‘Raise Your Fist’ and ‘Strike Of The Viper’.
A lot has been written about KK’s departure from Judas Priest and the role he fulfilled within the band. What he has proved, not that he has anything to prove, is that he is a great songwriter and an incredible metal guitarist. He didn’t hog the limelight either. Fellow guitarist A.J Mills was on fire, and they complimented each other perfectly. The rhythm section of Tony Newton and Sean Elg were as tight as a duck’s bum and what can you say about Ripper. Jeez that voice – just amazing. An evening of faultless world class METAL!
Setlist
Hellfire Thunderbolt
One More Shot At Glory
The Ripper
Reap the Whirldwind
Night Crawler
Sermons of the Sinner
Burn in Hell
Beyond The Realms of Death
Hell Patrol
Brothers of the Road
Metal Meltdown
The Green Manalishi (With The Two Prong Crown)
Breaking the Law
Victim of Changes
Encore:
Raise Your Fists
Strike of the Viper
KK’s Priest Line Up
Tim “Ripper” Owens – Vocals
K.K. Downing – Guitar
A.J. Mills – Guitar
Tony Newton – Bass
Sean Elg – Drums
About Author
