In a recent interview with Kevin McKay of Florida’s 99Rock WKSM, Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens shared insights into why KK’s Priest won’t be doing meet-and-greets during their upcoming US tour, highlighting K.K. Downing’s distaste as the main reason. The singer shared:
”We usually don’t do meet-and-greets. I know it’s the big thing to do nowadays. And I would be all right doing meet-and-greets, but I know K.K.’s not a big fan of ’em. He likes to get in, do the show, and get out.”
When McKay pointed out the meet-and-greets were a source of extra money for the artists, he explained:
“Well, absolutely. And I’m all for that. [Laughs] Listen, I tried to talk [K.K.] into it. I said, ‘Listen, we should do ’em. And we get some good money out of this, and we can see the fans.’ Listen, that’s all I’ve been getting on social media is people asking, ‘Is there gonna be meet-and-greets?’ And I think everybody does it. I mean, it’s a different era. You don’t sell records like you used to, and everything’s so expensive, and everybody takes a giant merch cut out of your merch. So it’s ways to make extra money.”
Owens also ruled out the possibility of meeting fans without K.K. Downing, saying it would ‘defeat the purpose.’
KK’s Priest Will Hit The Road In 2024
KK’s Priest announced their first-ever US headlining tour around a week ago. Starting on March 7, 2024, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the trek will feature L.A. Guns and Burning Witches as supporting acts.
Revealing the upcoming dates on his official website, Downing said:
“We will be very proud to bring you the finest British steel from England — where the embryo of this beloved music was conceived so many years ago. The sands of time have moved so quickly for us all, but I am sure we all feel incredibly fortunate to have been a part of this nostalgic journey. I look forward to seeing everyone again — rest assured that it will be ‘Blood And Thunder,’ with ‘Hellfire Thunderbolts’ and much more. We promise to make history again together with you on this very special occasion.”
The upcoming series of shows will be the first of two legs in the US and support KK’s Priest’s second album, ‘The Sinner Rides Again,’ which was released in September.
