Good evening, ladies and gents of the Sinful thread. Just got back from Concord a few hours ago. Here is my review of the concert last night.
I got to the Pavilion about an hour before the gates opened, so I was one of the first to go in once they opened. Bought a British Steel shirt that was actually in my size (YES!!!) and the Razor Blade necklace. I placed the pendant in the same ball chain necklace from where my JP dog tag was hanging. Cost me quite a good amount of money, but I was happy regardless. 
The actual venue (seats and lawn area) is smaller than the one I went to last year, but it was still breath taking when I saw it. It had a huge roof over most of the seating area. Almost got scared though when I asked a worker of the venue where my seats were at. He told me it was a seat right on KK’s side. Not that I wouldn’t like sitting in front of KK, but the seating chart in the venue’s website said that I was supposed to be on Glenn’s side. I sat down for a bit and looked at the rest of the seats. I asked another worker, and he pointed to a seat on Glenn’s side of the stage. That area had the section number that matched the one on my ticket. I was relieved and took my seat. It was a good seat, but I was sitting right in front of a series of subwoofers that were suspended in mid-air by large cables. I got a little nervous for my hearing, so I went to a booth and bought some earplugs (hey, at least I'm being smart about it!!). Then I came back, and I watched Popevil perform, instead of doing what I planned on doing during their set (which was to hang out outside the seating area).
Popevil was actually not too bad. They were energetic and moved around quite a bit. The singer is pretty good, but he reminded me too much of a rapper (must have been the huge sunglasses he wore). The bassist was quite a spazz (heheh), moving from one side of the stage to another, playing the bass like there was no tomorrow.  Not bad overall…8/10.
Whitesnake came on a few minutes after Popevil finished, and they played some great, hard-rocking jams. David Coverdale had a nice British accent when he talked (not as nice as Rob’s though…  ). Doug Aldrich was HOT, ladies!! I love the way he played his Les Paul!! He reminded me of KK, so in random times I yelled “KK!!!!!!!!!!!” on accident (What?!? He had the same cute smile!!). I’ve read in other reviews that David was struggling to hit the high notes. Last night it didn’t sound as though he was struggling. Sounded really good, to be honest. I also liked the little guitar solo face-off between Doug and the other guitarist (forgot the name) as well as the drum solo done by the drummer (as you can probably tell by now, my knowledge on the band is still almost nil). The keyboardist was cool, too. I yelled and waved at him and he smiled back (ha!!!). Overall, fun and entertaining band…9/10.
After Whitesnake were done, the crew was hanging up the curtain that had the scenery of the British Steel factory. Set-up for JP took the longest time, but I’m not complaining, especially when the loud booms and clashes of a steel factory at work began. They were loud enough to make the ground shake!! Against the basic rules of common sense, I removed my earplugs to take in the noise. It felt good. Not only that, but I moved myself a few more seats into the center so I won’t get the full blast of the subwoofers. When the curtain fell during the start of Rapid Fire, I was screaming like a banshee (and my throat hurts like hell right now. Hard to swallow!!). Not only because JP was on stage, but they looked like GIANTS!!! They were so much closer to us than the other bands, so they looked like they were larger than life. Hell, they ARE!!!!!!!!!!! Their music was SO LOUD and perfect and I was headbanging away, and jumping and screaming everytime Glenn came close, trying to get his attention. Those red pants were so nice and shiny up close (and so were his guitars). Even saw a peek of his tummy when he bent back while playing, AND he got crazy with the tremolo bar during Freewheel Burning like he usually did during Hell Bent for Leather. It was Heaven.  One of my favorite moments with him was when we were all singing Living After Midnight, and when Rob sings “I took the city ‘bout 1 am, LOADED!”, Glenn would mouth “What??” and we would all yell “LOADED!” and he would give us a nod of approval. Someone up front was giving him air kisses, and he give an air kiss back to our section. Made my heart skip a beat, even though that kiss was for everyone.  Rob’s voice, I gotta say, was perfect. That’s it. PERFECT!! He nailed those screams so well its hard to believe!!! His singing of Victim of Changes is a great example (THE LAST SCREAM!!), and The Ripper, and Hell Patrol, and Freewheel Burning!! His screams were powerful, controlled, and strong enough to go through one’s body. Couldn’t help but let out a scream of my own after he hit those notes. He’s still got it, ladies and gents!! He’s still got it.
He was also moving everywhere at once, more so than last year. He was playing air guitar and pointing to everyone in the audience, and he was especially active during “You Don’t Have to be Old to be Wise”. Oh! And he was wearing leather pants last night…or maybe they’re chaps…  Ian was awesome, playing his Bass and he was smiling quite a lot. KK was too far from me too see him at all times, but he did great during his Victim of Changes solo (from what I was able to hear). And Scottie…his drumming still makes my ribcage vibrate.  He did a great job with Rapid Fire and Freewheel Burning. Loved it when he twirled his drumsticks right in front of him. At the end of the show, he was nice enough to give one of his drumsticks to a wheelchair-bound fan who was at the edge of the first row, and Glenn and Ian followed suit and gave him their picks. Hats off to you, Scottie, Glenn and Ian!!  Alas, no guitar pick or drumstick for me.  I was a little sad when they bowed and left. Goodbye and thank you so much, Judas Priest!! We’ll meet again!! Someday...hmmmm....Nostra tour, anyone? 
Overall, I enjoyed watching Judas Priest immensely. All five members had so much energy and they looked as though they were having a great time. Freewheel Burning, Steeler, Living After Midnight, Victim of Changes, The Rage, Metal Gods, Hell Patrol….ah, heck, the whole thing, was fantastic!! LASER SHOW, ANYONE?!? Overall rating: 11/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
Oh, yeah!!! I've got PICS!!!! Cameras were allowed into the venue, so I brought mine and took alot of pics. I shall post them later. Until then, hope you all enjoyed this review, because I had a great time. This concert will definitely be one to remember for a long time. It's been great seeing you, Judas Priest!! Come back to California soon!! |
