Two years after Judas Priest last played the Washington, DC area, the OG metal giants returned to the MGM National Harbor Sunday night, one of the last stops on the current leg of the Invincible Shield tour. Like on the 50 Metal Years tour in 2021, Judas Priest brings Swedish power metal band Sabaton along for the ride.
The theater at the MGM National Harbor is part of the larger hotel/casino complex. As Sunday afternoon progressed, the place filled with fans—the line to get through security snaked through the atrium. Priest sold the joint out, so it took forever to get everyone through.
At 8PM, Sabaton (Joakim Brodén, Par Sunström, Chris Rorland, Hannes Van Dahl, and Thobbe Englund) took the stage to serve up their brand of historic power metal. For the unfamiliar, Sabaton is a Swedish band known for their war history-themed music. This started way back in 2005, with the release of Primo Victoria, the album to first take on historic themes. In the nearly twenty years since, the band has taken on broad topics like World War 1, World War II, and even Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Sabaton manages to pack a twelve song setlist into their opening slot, which is made up of crowd pleasers from across their discography
Despite the warmongering imagery, including gas masks, lots of camo, and a drum riser disguised as a tank, Sabaton comes across as just a happy, jovial bunch interested in cool stories about history. Brodén peppers his performance with lighthearted jokes while the rest of the guys engage with the audience, smiling broadly all the way. It’s very entertaining and the music is creative.
I’ve seen Sabaton perform many times with Judas Priest over the last few years; the National Harbor show was my fourth time on this tour alone. Something that stands out to me is just how strong a fanbase Sabaton has. It’s not unusual to show up at a Judas Priest gig and see many Sabaton t-shirts and even people dressed up in costume. Priest has done a great job here finding a band with crossover appeal for tours and is sticking with what works for them.
But Judas Priest is the main event here. Judas Priest (Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Scott Travis, Richie Faulkner, and Andy Sneap) last came to DC in 2022; it was the tail end of a makeup stretch of 50th anniversary shows necessitated by health scares, along with the usual COVID-related clumsiness everyone endured in those years. Now, in 2024, the Judas Priest engines are roaring in full force once more. After more than 50 years on the scene, Priest released Invincible Shield, the metal pioneers’ nineteenth studio album, just in March.
It was hard for me to believe the band could release something that was as good as 2018’s Firepower, but dang it, that’s exactly what they did. Released to nearly universal acclaim, the album is being praised by some as the band’s best since Painkiller. Amazing.
The moment before a band appears onstage is always fun and filled with anticipation. Judas Priest shows are extra special in this regard. Before the lights go down at any show, “War Pigs” plays in the venue, and the crowd sings along. It’s the same whether you’re in Milwaukee or Milan, and it’s a great bonding moment for fans and gets the energy of the crowd up.
On the Invincible Shield tour, “War Pigs” is followed by the sounds of guitarist Richie Faulkner’s thundering introduction to “Panic Attack.” Richie and the gang are hidden behind a massive curtain around the drum riser; when it disappears into the rafters the men take their positions on the stage, ready to spend the next couple of hours destroying the crowd.
And destroy us they did. The setlist is as balanced as can be expected from a band with a half-century of material to draw upon, and Priest has succeeded in assembling a group of bangers. New material makes an appearance (“Panic Attack,” “Trial By Fire,” and “Invincible Shield”) alongside old favorites like “You Got Another Thing Coming” and my beloved “Painkiller.” The great thing about Priest is that they aren’t afraid to tweak a set list if they sense something isn’t working. I was at the first show of the US tour, in Wallingford, CT. There they played “You Don’t Have to Be Old to Be Wise,” and the next night, in Newark, it had been swapped out in favor of the very satisfying “Sinner.”
Much has been made of the idea that Judas Priest performances are as good as ever; you can believe the hype. Rob Halford (age 72), with his white beard and frequent studded leather costume changes, looks every inch the elder Metal God and is just jaw dropping. I wish I knew what sorcery he practices to somehow manage to sound better than he did on the Firepower tour. It’s something to be seen and heard to be believed. The Priest machine, with all its men, is as well-oiled as ever.
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge both Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap here. In the past, crabbier parts of the fanbase held onto the tendency to make comparisons to KK Downing, and the 2018 departure of Glenn Tipton from touring led many to get extra cranky about the state of the band, and whether it was still Judas Priest (“no KK, no Priest,” or whatever the hell it was people said and sometimes still say).
Look, it’s ok to reminisce about the good old days, when KK Downing and Glenn Tipton helped perfect metal’s twin guitar attack; it’s an important legacy to protect and it lives on in younger bands today (like tour mates Sabaton and my very favorite Swedes, Avatar). But 13 years after Downing’s departure, Richie Faulkner has now cemented himself as a leader in Priest; I can’t imagine the band’s 21st century sound without him.
Guitarist and producer Andy Sneap remains the second guitarist on Judas Priest’s modern tour schedule, which he has done more than adeptly since 2018 when Glenn Tipton announced he would be no longer able to tour due to his battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Like I mentioned when I covered Priest for TVD in 2022, I count myself among Judas Priest’s rabid fans; the National Harbor date marked something like my 34th show since March 2018, the very beginning of the Firepower tour. But that still makes me a new fan.
Andy Sneap’s participation in the 2018 Firepower tour was, in my book, nothing less than heroic and allowed someone like me to experience Judas Priest live for the first time. Hell, as a side note, if it weren’t for that Firepower tour, I might not even be sitting here writing this review. I credit Judas Priest for my start in live music photography, since I used to just smuggle a small camera in with me to their shows and take snaps during the performances. Those shots helped me land a spot here at The Vinyl District so thanks for not throwing me out! I owe my photography addiction to the mighty Priest!
But seriously, since 2018, there’s no telling how many more people have been able to see this legendary band, OG metal giants, perform (for the first time or 100th time) because Richie Faulkner stepped into his role in 2011 and Andy Sneap stepped up to the plate in 2018. Sneap, of course, is as humble and mild mannered as ever. While he usually doesn’t call much attention to himself, he looks like he’s finally at home on stage with the rest of the band. We fans certainly see him as part of Judas Priest. So, what am I getting at ultimately? In 2024, Judas Priest’s twin guitar gods are Richie and Andy, and I (and all the rest of the fans) love and appreciate them both.
The Invincible Shield tour wraps up this week in Syracuse, New York. After a break to “recharge the old batteries,” Judas Priest head off for a summer in Europe to melt the faces off the metal maniacs there.
SABATON
JUDAS PRIEST SETLIST
Panic Attack
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Rapid Fire
Breaking the Law
Lightning Strike
Love Bites
Devil’s Child
Saints in Hell
Crown of Horns
Sinner
Turbo Lover
Invincible Shield
Victim of Changes
The Green Manilishi
Painkiller
Electric Eye
Hell Bent for Leather
Living After Midnight
SABATON SETLIST
Ghost Division
The Last Stand
Swedish Pagans
The Red Baron
Bismark
Stormtroopers
Carolus Rex
Resist and Bite
The Attack of the Dead Men
Primo Victoria
Soldier of Heaven
To Hell and Back
