Judas Priest‘s plans to launch a 50th anniversary tour last year were waylaid by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the heavy-metal legends finally will get their chance to celebrate the milestone later in 2021.
The North American leg of the band’s trek, dubbed “The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour,” kicks off with a September 8 concert in Reading, Pennsylvania, and currently runs through a November 5 show in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Tickets to some shows are already available, while other will go on sale to the general public starting this Friday, June 11, at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.com.
Veteran Swedish metal band Sabaton will open most of the concerts on the tour.
“Defending the heavy metal faith for fifty years, the Priest is back!” frontman Rob Halford declares in a statement.
Adds guitarist Glenn Tipton, “Time to don the leather and studs and roll out the Priest Machine — celebrating our 50 Heavy Metal Years!!”
Meanwhile, bassist Ian Hill notes, “After the horrific year of restrictions we’ve all had to endure, what better place to break free, than the land of the free — the USA!”
Here’s a complete list of Judas Priest’s 2021 North American tour dates:
9/8 — Reading, PA, Santander Arena
9/9 — Virginia Beach, VA, Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
9/11 — Orlando, FL, Central Florida Fairgrounds
9/13 — Charlotte, NC, PNC Music Pavilion
9/14 — Raleigh, NC, Red Hat Amphitheater
9/16 — Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
9/17 — Youngstown, OH, Covelli Centre
9/19 — Detroit, MI, Fox Theatre
9/20 — Rosemont, IL, Rosemont Theatre
9/22 — Milwaukee, WI, Miller High Life Theatre
9/23 — Minneapolis, MN, The Armory
9/25 — Maryland Heights, MO, Saint Louis Music Park
9/26 — Louisville, KY, Louder Than Life Festival
9/29 — Denver, CO, The Mission Ballroom
9/30 — West Valley City, UT, Maverik Center
10/2 — Everett, WA, Angel of the Winds Arena
10/3 — Portland, OR, Moda Center
10/5 — Oakland, CA, Fox Theater
10/6 — Los Angeles, CA, Microsoft Theater
10/8 — Las Vegas, NV, Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood
10/9 — Phoenix, AZ, Arizona Federal Theatre
10/12 — San Antonio, TX, Freeman Coliseum
10/13 — Cedar Park, TX, HEB Center Cedar Park
10/15 — Irving, TX, The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
10/16 — Oklahoma City, OK, The Zoo Amphitheatre
10/19 — Independence, MO, Cable Dahmer Arena
10/21 — Nashville, TN, Nashville Municipal Auditorium
10/22 — Alpharetta, GA, Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
10/24 — Charleston, WV, Charleston Civic Center Coliseum
10/25 — Philadelphia, PA, The Met
10/27 — Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
10/28 — Oxon Hill, MD, The Theater at MGM National Harbor
10/30 — Mashantucket, CT, Foxwoods Resort Casino – Grand Theater
10/31 — Lowell, MA, Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
11/2 — Halifax, NS, Canada, Scotiabank Centre
11/4 — Laval, QC, Canada, Place Bell
11/5 — Hamilton, ON, Canada, FirstOntario Centre
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