Epitaph World Tour

Epitaph World Tour
Tour by Judas Priest
Promotional poster for the tour
Location
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • North America
  • South America
Start date7 June 2011
End date26 May 2012
No. of shows
  • 120
  • 63 in Europe
  • 40 in North America
  • 9 in Asia
  • 8 in South America
Judas Priest concert chronology

The Epitaph World Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, at the time intended to be the band's farewell tour.[1] The tour commenced in June 2011 and concluded in May 2012. The tour was named after the 6th track from their Sad Wings of Destiny album.

Guitarist K. K. Downing abruptly left the band shortly before the start of the tour. He was replaced by then 31-year-old Briton, Richie Faulkner. The last date of the tour was held in an unusually small venue, London's Hammersmith Apollo. This return to Judas Priest's homeland was filmed for a live DVD.[2]

Epitaph would ultimately turn out not to be the band's final tour, as they embarked on the Redeemer of Souls Tour two years later.

Production

Stage production for the Epitaph World Tour

On 10 May, the band announced that preparations for the tour had begun, including rehearsals, photos, stage construction, and special effects.[3]

On 6 June, guitarist Glenn Tipton announced on his website that:

We have just finished production rehearsals for our Epitaph World Tour; the show looks great bikes, lasers, flames you name it, we've got it.

But as always, the most important thing is the music and the set list contains all the old favorites combined with songs we haven't played before live, such as "Blood Red Skies" and "Never Satisfied", and also earlier songs, including "Starbreaker" and "Night Crawler".

In addition we changed the arrangement of some songs slightly, including "Diamonds and Rust" and "Hell Bent for Leather", which I'm sure every one will enjoy.

Our first show is in Holland on June 7th at Tilburg; the band is really excited and can't wait to get back on stage. I will post regular bulletins from now and as the tour gets underway keep every body up-to-date on our progress.[4]

Rob Halford incident

On the 15 September 2011 show in Brasília, Rob Halford fell off his Harley-Davidson motorcycle when he rode across the stage, only to slip off as "Hell Bent for Leather" was set to be performed. This was reminiscent of an incident that occurred on the Operation Rock & Roll tour in 1991,[5] but this time he did not sustain any major injuries. He was assisted by crew members as the intro piece began, and finished the show thereafter.[6]

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue/Event
Europe, Leg #1
7 June 2011 Tilburg Netherlands 013
9 June 2011 Sölvesborg Sweden Sweden Rock Festival
11 June 2011 Tampere Finland Sauna Open Air Metal Festival
14 June 2011 Oslo Norway Oslo Spektrum
15 June 2011 Bergen Edvard Griegsplass
17 June 2011 Copenhagen Denmark Copenhell Festival
19 June 2011 Clisson France Hellfest
20 June 2011 Paris Le Zénith
22 June 2011 Milan Italy Gods of Metal Festival
23 June 2011 Basel Switzerland Sonisphere Festival
25 June 2011 Dessel Belgium Graspop Metal Meeting Festival
27 June 2011 Munich Germany Zenith
28 June 2011 Prague Czech Republic O2 Arena
29 June 2011 Vienna Austria Wiener Stadthalle
1 July 2011 Belgrade Serbia Beogradska Arena
3 July 2011 Bucharest Romania Piața Constituției
5 July 2011 Athens Greece Faliro Olympic Complex
6 July 2011 Thessaloniki Kaftanzoglio Stadium
8 July 2011 Sofia Bulgaria Balgarska Armia Stadium
10 July 2011 Istanbul Turkey Maçka Küçükçiftlik Park
15 July 2011 Newport Wales Newport Centre
16 July 2011 Manchester England O2 Apollo
17 July 2011 Doncaster The Dome
19 July 2011 Glasgow Scotland SECC
20 July 2011 Newcastle England Metro Radio Arena
21 July 2011 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Civic Hall
23 July 2011 London High Voltage Festival
24 July 2011 Bournemouth Bournemouth International Centre
27 July 2011 Lisbon Portugal Pavilhão Atlântico
29 July 2011 A Coruña Spain Coliseum da Coruña
30 July 2011 Madrid Plaza de Toros La Cubierta
31 July 2011 Bilbao Bizkaia Arena
2 August 2011 Barcelona Palau Municipal d'Esports Badelona
5 August 2011 Wacken Germany Wacken Open Air
7 August 2011 Colmar France Foire aux Vins Festival
9 August 2011 Berlin Germany O2 World
10 August 2011 Katowice Poland Spodek
11 August 2011 Budapest Hungary Sziget Festival
Latin America
10 September 2011 São Paulo Brazil Arena Anhembi
11 September 2011 Rio de Janeiro Citibank Hall
13 September 2011 Belo Horizonte Chevrolet Hall
15 September 2011 Brasília Ginásio Nilson Nelson
18 September 2011 Buenos Aires Argentina Estadio Presidente Juan Domingo Perón
20 September 2011 Santiago Chile Movistar Arena
23 September 2011 Bogotá Colombia Coliseo Cubierto el Campín
25 September 2011 Caracas Venezuela Terraza del C.C.C.T.
27 September 2011 San José Costa Rica Estadio Nacional
30 September 2011 Mexico City Mexico Palacio de los Deportes
1 October 2011 Guadalajara Auditorio Telmex
3 October 2011 Monterrey Auditorio Banamex
North America
12 October 2011 San Antonio United States AT&T Center
14 October 2011 Corpus Christi Concrete Street Amphitheater
15 October 2011 The Woodlands Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
16 October 2011 Allen Allen Event Center
18 October 2011 Tucson AVA Amphitheater
19 October 2011 Chula Vista Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
21 October 2011 Phoenix Arizona State Fair
22 October 2011 San Bernardino San Manuel Amphitheater
23 October 2011 Las Vegas The Joint
25 October 2011 Bakersfield Rabobank Arena
27 October 2011 Concord Sleep Train Pavilion
29 October 2011 Seattle WaMu Theater
30 October 2011 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena
1 November 2011 Edmonton Shaw Conference Centre
2 November 2011 Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome
4 November 2011 West Valley City United States Maverik Center
5 November 2011 Broomfield 1stBank Center
8 November 2011 Cincinnati U.S. Bank Arena
9 November 2011 Springfield Prairie Capital Convention Center
10 November 2011 St. Charles Family Arena
12 November 2011 Hammond The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
13 November 2011 Detroit Joe Louis Arena
15 November 2011 Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena
16 November 2011 Rochester Main Street Armory
18 November 2011 East Rutherford Izod Center
19 November 2011 Johnstown Cambria County War Memorial Arena
20 November 2011 Lowell Tsongas Center
22 November 2011 Toronto Canada Air Canada Centre
23 November 2011 Quebec City Colisée Pepsi
24 November 2011 Montreal Bell Centre
26 November 2011 Reading United States Sovereign Center
27 November 2011 Winston-Salem Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
30 November 2011 Tampa 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
1 December 2011 Miami Bayfront Park Amphitheater
3 December 2011 Biloxi Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
Asia
4 February 2012 Seoul South Korea Olympic Gymnastics Arena
7 February 2012 Fukuoka Japan Sun Palace
9 February 2012 Yokohama Pacifico Yokohama
11 February 2012 Kobe Kobe Kokusai Hall
13 February 2012 Hiroshima Alsok Hall
14 February 2012 Nagoya Aichi Prefectural Arts Theater
16 February 2012 Tokyo Zepp
17 February 2012 Nippon Budokan
20 February 2012 Central Area Singapore Fort Canning
Europe, Leg #2
14 April 2012 Katowice Poland Spodek
16 April 2012 Kyiv Ukraine Palace of Sports
18 April 2012 Moscow Russia Stadium Live
20 April 2012 Saint Petersburg Yubileyny Sports Palace
22 April 2012 Helsinki Finland Helsingin Jäähalli
24 April 2012 Linköping Sweden Cloetta Center
25 April 2012 Stockholm Hovet
27 April 2012 Hamburg Germany Alsterdorfer Sporthalle
28 April 2012 Leipzig Arena Leipzig
30 April 2012 Münster Halle Münsterland
1 May 2012 Düsseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle
3 May 2012 Stuttgart Porsche-Arena
4 May 2012 Nuremberg Arena Nürnberger Versicherung
5 May 2012 Linz Austria TipsArena Linz
8 May 2012 Pardubice Czech Republic ČEZ Aréna
9 May 2012 Bratislava Slovakia Incheba Hall
11 May 2012 Mantua Italy PalaBam
12 May 2012 Fribourg Switzerland Forum
15 May 2012 Madrid Spain Palacio Vistalegre
16 May 2012 Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi
18 May 2012 Seville Auditorio Municipal Rocío Jurado
20 May 2012 San Sebastián Velódromo de Anoeta
23 May 2012 Antwerp Belgium Lotto Arena
24 May 2012 Kerkrade Netherlands Rodahal
26 May 2012 London England HMV Hammersmith Apollo

Setlist

According to a posting on Tipton's website on 27 January 2011, the tour will "include some classic Priest songs that we haven't played before -- and of course, the old favourites that everybody will want to hear."[7] On 15 February, the band announced they were considering playing at least one song from each of their albums as part of the setlist.[8]

The setlist for the first leg of the tour was as follows:[9]

  1. "Battle Hymn"
  2. "Rapid Fire"
  3. "Metal Gods"
  4. "Heading Out to the Highway"
  5. "Judas Rising"
  6. "Starbreaker"
  7. "Victim of Changes"
  8. "Never Satisfied"
  9. "Diamonds and Rust" (acoustic to heavy version)
  10. "Prophecy"
  11. "Night Crawler"
  12. "Turbo Lover"
  13. "Beyond the Realms of Death"
  14. "The Sentinel"
  15. "Blood Red Skies"
  16. "The Green Manalishi (with the Two Prong Crown)"
  17. "Breaking the Law"
  18. "Painkiller"
  19. "The Hellion"/"Electric Eye"
  20. "Hell Bent for Leather"
  21. "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
  22. "Living After Midnight"

Note: The band played a shorter set with omitted songs at certain festival appearances.

Reviews

A review of the band's performance at the Sonisphere Festival in Basel, Switzerland by RockAAA.com was favourable, praising both Rob Halford's vocal performance and Richie Faulkner's guitar playing.[10] The reviewer said that Halford's "tone is astonishing...and [his] delivery as good as there is in the business."[10]

Support acts

Personnel

References

  1. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST Announces Farewell 'Epitaph' Tour – Dec. 7, 2010". Blabbermouth.net. 7 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 December 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  2. ^ Warrell, Richard (25 May 2012). "Judas Priest – Hammersmith Apollo, London (26/05/2012)". Born Music Online. Retrieved 10 August 2012.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST Begins Rehearsing For 'Epitaph' World Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 10 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
  4. ^ "Epitaph World Tour Diary". Glenn Tipton official website. 6 June 2011. Archived from the original on 12 July 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  5. ^ "[HQ] Judas Priest - Accident - Toronto 1991 (Halford Falls From His Motorcycle) [Very Rare Video]". YouTube. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Judas Priest, Hell Bent for Leather (Rob Halford drops his Harley-Davidson) in Brasília 15.09.2011". YouTube. Retrieved 18 September 2011.
  7. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST Working On New Material – Jan. 27, 2011". Blabbermouth.net. 27 January 2011. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  8. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST Contemplating Playing Material From Every Studio Album On Upcoming Tour". Blabbermouth.net. 15 February 2011. Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  9. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST's TIPTON: New Guitarist FAULKNER 'Has Injected So Much Enthusiasm In The Band'". Blabbermouth.net. 23 June 2011. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  10. ^ a b "40 years on and Priest still rip it up". RockAAA.com. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Judas Priest Plan 'Full-On Metal Extravaganza' for Farewell Tour – May 24, 2011". Rollingstone.com. 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 May 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2011.
  12. ^ "Duff McKagan's Loaded live in Paris". Metal Traveller. Archived from the original on 1 October 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  13. ^ "Duff McKagan's Loaded". Songkick. Archived from the original on 2 April 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  14. ^ "Exodus To Open For Judas Priest In Katowice, Poland". Metal Underground. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2011.
  15. ^ a b c "Tour Information". Judas Priest official website. Archived from the original on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2011.
  16. ^ "Metal Hammer Festival @ last.fm". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  17. ^ a b "JUDAS PRIEST: U.K. Tour With QUEENSRŸCHE Officially Announced". Blabbermouth.net. 28 February 2011. Archived from the original on 3 March 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2011.
  18. ^ "Saxon tour page". 6 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
  19. ^ "JUDAS PRIEST To Headline Poland's METAL HAMMER FESTIVAL – Feb. 6, 2011". Blabbermouth.net. 6 February 2011. Archived from the original on 10 February 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  20. ^ "Whitesnake home page". Whitesnake official website. Archived from the original on 8 February 2011. Retrieved 19 February 2011.