Judas Priest announced their first new tour dates following bassist Ian Hill’s departure from the band due to health issues. The band posted the shows on Instagram.
The dates mark the band’s first concerts since Hill stepped down. They include a show in the United States scheduled for May 16, 2027.
According to Judas Priest’s announcement: “14 July 2027 – Markopoulo Complex, Athens. 16 May 2027 – Boardwalk Rock, Ocean City, MD.”
Hill had explained his decision to leave in his own statement about his health. “I hate to say it, but that time has come,” Hill said. “For some years now, I’ve been struggling with the onset of the evil arthritis, which is now in an advanced state in my left shoulder and right hand, established in my right shoulder, and present in both knees. I’ve been fighting this with painkilling pills, gels, and recently with cortisone injections in my shoulder and hand.”
“Although, I was able to put bass lines to the songs for the new album, there were questions whether I’d be able to complete the recent European tour without incident, so we asked our good friend Davey Rimmer from Uriah Heep, and of course Elegant Weapons, to learn the set list to stand in for me if I had to pull out, which I did for the London show,” he continued.
The tour dates come as Judas Priest moves forward after Hill’s exit from the band.
Ian Hill announced his retirement on October 9, 2026, after his arthritis made it impossible to continue performing. During the band’s concert in Brussels on September 18, 2026, Hill snapped a tendon in his left shoulder just before the encores, leaving him unable to reach the neck of his bass for the final songs. Three days later, on September 21, he missed the band’s show at Eventim Apollo in London, marking the first time in his career that Hill had ever missed a Judas Priest show.
Despite his inability to perform, Hill had managed to record bass parts for Judas Priest’s new album before his injury. Davey Rimmer, who has played bass with Uriah Heep since 2013 and also performs in Elegant Weapons, was confirmed as Hill’s replacement. Rimmer is a member of Elegant Weapons, the band led by Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner.
The London concert was the final show of the band’s 2026 “Faithkeepers” European tour. Judas Priest is working on a follow-up to 2024’s Invincible Shield, with frontman Rob Halford recording his vocal parts in Phoenix, Arizona. The new album is expected to arrive around March or April 2027.
