In a recent chat with Heavy Consequence, Rob Halford revealed why they won’t perform ‘Painkiller’ in full on the ‘Shield of Pain’ tour.
“It’s still in the works, but we’re gonna go and show [‘Painkiller’] off,” the Judas Priest frontman said of their plans to celebrate the 35th anniversary of ‘Painkiller’ with the ‘Shield of Pain’ tour in 2025. “Not in its entirety.”
He went on to explain, “I haven’t figured out yet whether we’re just gonna do a clump of ‘Painkiller’ songs — this is the ‘Painkiller’ section — or we’re gonna go, a ‘Painkiller’ song, a couple of others, a ‘Painkiller’ song, a couple of others. It’s all in theory in my mind at the moment, but, however, I think it’s gonna be a real thrill and a treat.”
“And, again, a once-in-a-lifetime thing for the band. You’ll only see the show once. You’ll only see the ‘Shield Of Pain’ show once. So, we hope our fans will be on the rail and banging their heads to it,” Halford then shared.
The singer also said of the record, “It’s a beloved, revered metal album. A lot of our friends in different bands will say, ‘If you wanna hear what a metal album is all about, put on ‘Painkiller.” And that’s pretty cool. But our fans, as well, recognize that of all of the 19 albums that this band has ever made, ‘Painkiller’ is still very heavily under the spotlight. And here we are, 35 years next year.”
Judas Priest recently added more dates to their ‘Shield of Pain’ tour in 2025. The band will play their biggest London show ever at the O2 Arena on July 25. Alice Cooper will support them at that show.
They will also perform on July 23 at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre in North Yorkshire. Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons will open for them there. The tour will celebrate the 35th anniversary of their ‘Painkiller’ album. It will feature a special set with classic songs.
