Judas Priest was forced to cancel their tomorrow night (June 5th) show in Colorado Springs, Colorado in order to allow Halford to fully recover from bronchitis. Front man Rob Halford has been fighting bronchitis for the past week, and doctors strongly advised him to rest his voice if he is to recover fully. Tomorrow’s show at Broadmoor Arena featured Judas Priest, with guests Uriah Heep.
There is no rescheduled date, however the band did comment, “We didn’t want to cancel, but Rob’s health must come first. The Priest will be back to Colorado Springs, but until then, refunds for all tickets will be available at point of purchase.”
Judas Priest were one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the gothic doom of Black Sabbath with the riffs and speed of Led Zeppelin, as well as adding a vicious two-lead guitar attack; in doing so, they set the pace for much popular heavy metal from 1975 until 1985, as well as laying the groundwork for the speed and death metal of the ’80s.
Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1970, the group’s core members were guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill. Joined by Alan Atkins and drummer John Ellis, the band played their first concert in 1971. Atkins’ previous band was called Judas Priest, yet the members decided it was the best name for the new group. The band played numerous shows throughout 1971; during the year, Ellis was replaced by Alan Moore; by the end of the year, Chris Campbell replaced Moore. After a solid year of touring the U.K., Atkins and Campbell left the band in 1973 and were replaced by vocalist Rob Halford and drummer John Hinch. They continued touring, including a visit to Germany and the Netherlands in 1974. By the time the tour was completed, they had secured a record contract with Gull, an independent U.K. label. Before recording their debut album, Judas Priest added guitarist Glenn Tipton.
In January of 2018, the band announced the March release of Firepower with a teaser video for the single “Lightning Strikes” and news of a forthcoming world tour. In February, guitarist Tipton — diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease a decade earlier — announced that it had progressed to the point where he had to retire from touring. Sneap would fill his slot on the road. Former guitarist K.K. Downing, who claimed he was shocked that he wasn’t asked to replace Tipton on tour, asserted in public that “Sneap’s role was actually much more than as a producer on Firepower” — i.e., he actually played Tipton’s parts on the album. Halford took to the media to respond, saying that “everything that you hear from Glenn on Firepower is the amazing Glenn Tipton.” He called Downing’s accusation “completely superfluous” and “a thousand percent false.” On March 2, Judas Priest released the lyric video for second single “Never the Heroes.” Firepower was issued on March 9. (Source)
Should Halford’s health improve in time, the tour is set to resume Saturday, June 8 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
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