A Judas Priest concert without leather and studs??? According to Blabbermouth — that's just what fans got at the band's May 31st European tour kick off at Berlin, Germany's 1,600-capacity Huxleys Neue Welt.
Priest Richie Faulkner guitarist posted a message to fans on social media, which read:
Last night in berlin was glorious and something I've never done with the band before. No leather, no studs. No screens, no motorbike. No massive light show or inflatable Birmingham bull. Exposed speakers, just jeans, t-shirts, a small club and it was all purely about the music. All of us together and the raw power of the music. It was truly a great experience and one I'd love to do again sometime.
It's great when you strip it all back to what it's all about, the music and the people of our great heavy metal community. Thank you all for making it such a special night.
Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford told us that an unexplainable transition occurs prior to him hitting the stage, which turns from soft-spoken, mild mannered man offstage to "Metal God" by showtime: ["Something happens — I don't know what it is. It's kind of intangible. It's probably best left unanalyzed, because it might be (laughs) too scary to find out what the hell's going on. I know that something takes over — that's just the full extent of the passion that I have for my music, and the fact that to some extent, it's always been my therapy."] SOUNDCUE (:18 OC: . . . been my therapy)