Downing quits Priest!

[Mr Badguy]

KK Downing has left Judas Priest.

He will not be taking to the road for the "Epitaph" world tour, which will still take place.

His replacement is Ritchie Faulkner.

Downing is said to have retired.

This is bullshit.

(Not the story, the fact he has quit/been fired)

[Mr Badguy]

This for JudasPriest.com:

It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. DOWNING has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming EPITAPH Tour.

The band respect his decision and naturally all wish him well.

[binnie]

This is ridiculous - if you're almost 40 years into something, I'm sure you could bear it for a few more months before finishing things off. At least for the fans.

My gut reaction here is that this is a way of publicising the tour (a la Steven Tyler 'quitting' Aerosmith last year). That is, a non-story. Maybe Priest aren't that devious - but why would you not want to do a farewell tour as one band?

[binnie]

Apparently the new guitar player is Richtie Faulkner, who played in Lauren Harris's band.

O.K. Then.

[Mr Badguy]

This must have been in the works for some time, to have a replacement ready to go smacks of Downing having left months ago but the news withheld until the tickets were well on sale.

Total bullshit.

[chefcraig]

This must have been in the works for some time, to have a replacement ready to go smacks of Downing having left months ago but the news withheld until the tickets were well on sale.

Total bullshit.

It does have an unhealthy smell. It's also strange that of the dozen or so articles on the web about the issue, not a single one has drawn the same obvious conclusion. Tickets went on sale in what, December? Consider this line (the full press release is in the inconvenient and annoying PDF form, which also makes you wonder about how much the band wanted people to actually read the whole thing) from the band's official site (http://judaspriest.com/news/fullstory.asp?id=31894B27-BD13-43BA-84F0-6A11B4F9D835):

“Having thought long and hard about how to proceed, Rob, Glenn, Ian and Scott unanimously agreed that they should go ahead with the tour and not let the fans down all around the world...".

Wouldn't it be sort of interesting to know just WHEN the group were notified of Downing's decision, and just WHEN this "long and hard" thinking took place? http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/smileys/searching-019.gif (http://www.easyfreesmileys.com/facebook-smileys.html)

[Hardrock69]

Not even going out on their final tour. Priest have already found a replacement.

Seems rather sudden....hope there are no serious health issues.....

http://i54.tinypic.com/2ziuiqh.jpg

[Hardrock69]

Dupe post. Please remove.

[Hardrock69]

I have longtime experience in dealing with Priest management. Not on a business level, but scrutinizing how they do business.

They have been mis-managed for many years, in my humble opinion, ever since Halford left the band in the early 90s.

They are notoriously silent, never EVER revealing ANYTHING publicly about the inner workings of the band.

By the early 2000s, it was painfully obvious they were completely out of step with the internet, and were extremely slow to catch on to the internet as both a marketing tool, and an interface between the band and their fans. So the last 10 years or so they have spent a lot of time playing catchup to all of the bands who had been using the net efficiently since the late 90s.

I could go on about that aspect of it, but it is old news.

Sorry that Ken has decided to leave. Hope it is not health-related. Could just as easily be that he is burned out, or whatever....

[Terry]

Weren't JP supposed to have been retiring fairly soon anyway? I seem to recall reading that in this forum some months back...

[chefcraig]

Weren't JP supposed to have been retiring fairly soon anyway? I seem to recall reading that in this forum some months back...

I'm pretty sure they were retiring from touring, as the recording of a new album to come out after the current set of shows has been in the works (and could in fact have been completed) for a while now.

[Hardrock69]

Yes, they announced that the Epitaph tour would be their last.

[Mr Badguy]

Threads merged.

[FORD]

I'm suspecting it has to be a health issue. Even if you can't stand anybody else in the band, it doesn't make any sense at all to quit a band after announcing a farewell tour, unless you aren't going to be physically capable of playing in the first place.

The most logical conclusion, though a sad one, would be that Downing was already ill, which is why the final tour was announced, and at the time, he thought he would be able to handle one more tour. Which would mean that things have only deteriorated since then. Obviously I have no inside confirmation on any of this, but it seems like the only sensible explanation. :(

[chefcraig]

Or he simply wants to spend more time on a golf course, namely his own.

A round of golf with Judas Priest’s KK Downing

Golf, it has been noted by detractors of the game, is a good walk ruined, observes Ben Bentley.

Alas, whoever coined this phrase has clearly never played with KK Downing, guitarist and songwriter with heavy metal legends Judas Priest. And in any case, on our round with KK, we don’t walk much – we jet around his 27-hole course within the grounds of his home near Bridgnorth in a mini motorcade of electric golf buggies in scenes that are more reminiscent of The Italian Job – especially the bit where my buggy very nearly imitates the closing shot of the 1969 Michael Caine movie as it beaches on the brink of a bunker.

Golf. Heavy metal. Two forms of entertainment with, it would seem, the commonality of a stick of chalk and a slice of cheese.

But there is common ground. And that common ground is called KK Downing.

KK, who off duty is also known as Ken, has now finished construction on not one but two golf courses – one with 18 holes and another with nine – within the grounds of his magnificent 450-acre estate at Astbury Hall.

The course is set in the glorious undulating hills of south Shropshire and is now managed by Troon Golf which operates some of the world’s top courses and has offices in Hong Kong, Australia, Switzerland and Dubai. After several years in the making, Ken’s vision to design and construct an international class course has finally become a reality.

Ben Bentley and KK Downing on KK's new Shropshire golf course

It is officially due to be opened on September 15 when 22 teams, each with a celebrity member, will play at a Lord’s Taverners charity golf day at the hall, after which the course will be open to the public. It is already open to membership.

And as part of the build up to the opening, the star agrees to a “round with KK Downing” with me and the Shropshire Star’s video department, and he’s in top form as he talks music and golf and everything in between while simultaneously knocking the Shropshire Star’s sporting prowess into a cocked hat...

Continued at Shropshire Star (http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2010/08/10/a-round-of-golf-with-judas-priests-kk-downing/)

[Diamondjimi]

All these years and they're gonna go out with a whimper and a fucking scab on guitar. What a fucking joke of a punchline to a 40+ year carreer.

What the fuck are they thinking?...........

[sadaist]

All these years and they're gonna go out with a whimper and a fucking scab on guitar. What a fucking joke of a punchline to a 40+ year career.

What the fuck are they thinking?...........


Weird isn't it?

Sure a lot different than the guys from the poster on my wall in the 80's. :(


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51f9RYGW4GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[FORD]

Well, they didn't think it was wrong to tour with a scab vocalist standing in for one of the greatest metal voices in history, so by comparison, this really isn't all that shocking. (Aside from the previously mentioned ridiculousness of doing so after announcing a farewell tour)

[Hardrock69]

Seems to me it must be something serious. One more tour cycle would last for perhaps a couple of years.....he would still be in his mid-50s....no reason to bail now unless it was absolutely necessary. :(

This sucks. I was planning on going to see them, just to say "Fare The Well", but with a vocalist who really can't sing that well any more and Ken gone, I don't really feel like going.

[ELVIS]

Priest was done 20 years ago...

Put a fork in it...

[Diamondjimi]

Statement from KK today...


APRIL 21st 2011

K.K. Downing press release

Dear friends,

It is with much regret that I will not be with you this summer. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your concerns about my health. Please rest assured that I am O.K.

There has been an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time.

Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans.

However I would urge you to please support the Priest as I have no doubt that it will be a show not to be missed.

All my love and respect,

http://www.kkdowning.net/home_signature.gif

[chefcraig]

There has been an ongoing breakdown in working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time.
Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans.

A deception? Does anyone here, whom have ever hated their boss and/or their job (yet performed it with a smile for the paying customers), quite understand what this guy is talking about?

[Jagermeister]

I wouldn't go see them with out KK in the line up. That would be a joke.

[hambon4lif]

Oh brother!...here we go!
Seeing as we're fans of the most dysfunctional band on the planet, we're all too familiar with this scenario.

So what should we name it?

One Priest To Live?
As The Priest Turns?
The Young And The Priest-less?

One of the main things that made these fuckers so cool (to me) was the twin-guitar attack of Downing-Tipton, and how effortlessly they would trade leads. If one of them is missing, why the fuck even bother?

[chefcraig]

I wouldn't go see them with out KK in the line up. That would be a joke.

It would be like going to see Van Halen with some stranger playing bass. Oh, wait a minute...

[Jagermeister]

Oh brother!...here we go!
Seeing as we're fans of the most dysfunctional band on the planet, we're all too familiar with this scenario.

So what should we name it?

One Priest To Live?
As The Priest Turns?
The Young And The Priest-less?

One of the main things that made these fuckers so cool (to me) was the twin-guitar attack of Downing-Tipton, and how effortlessly they would trade leads. If one of them is missing, why the fuck even bother?

Yup. Say what you want but this just wouldn't work at all. I don't care who the scab may or may not be. It's just silly to even think about it.

[FORD]

Well, he's not really a "stranger" if he's related to half the band. Though it certainly was "strange" to see a 17 year old kid on stage with three guys in their 50's.

[chefcraig]

Well, he's not really a "stranger" if he's related to half the band. Though it certainly was "strange" to see a 17 year old kid on stage with three guys in their 50's.

It doesn't matter if he was related. Other than at the tour announcement presser or a Youtube clip of the ghastly 2004 tour, the first time anyone ever laid eyes on Wolfgang Van Halen was when his face was airbrushed over Mike Anthony's on some album cover at the band's official web site. And since the site is so poorly maintained, only a handful of folks even knew he would be standing around on stage wearing (and possibly playing) a bass guitar.

[Jagermeister]

No. I won't have anything to do with it. The replacement that is. I would most likely do the chick. :biggrin:

[Jagermeister]

And before all you know it all mofo's ask yes I know who she is.

[binnie]

A deception? Does anyone here, whom have ever hated their boss and/or their job (yet performed it with a smile for the paying customers), quite understand what this guy is talking about?

Not really. But there again most of us haven't been a rock star for 35 years.

One more farewell tour for the fans and he couldn't hack it? Some of us work with people we despise year in year out.

[FORD]

And before all you know it all mofo's ask yes I know who she is.

I had no idea who she was until I saw it on the comments on some other YouTube video.

Should have joined her dad's band. Couldn't have done any worse than Blaze BoreMe.

[sadaist]

Well, he's not really a "stranger" if he's related to half the band. Though it certainly was "strange" to see a 17 year old kid on stage with three guys in their 50's.


When I was 17 I imagined myself onstage with VH. :)

[Hardrock69]

"Elements Of The Band...

In this case, Glenn Tipton. He has been running the band since Halford left in the early 90s.

"and management...."

That would be Miss Jayne Andrews. She was hired by Bill Curbishly back in the 80s to work for Trinifold (Priest's management company, as well as The Who's and Jimmy Page's).
She is not exactly what I would call management material, and despises Priest's fans.

Kudos for Ken. We love him, he has been a quintessential Guitar God, and if he leaves more power to him.

Priest is finished.

Oh well. I had a nice run of almost 30 years of seeing them in concert.

[kissfan1976]

This just blows...(insert you Rob Halford realated jokes here)

Blows, Insert,Rob Halford...Get It?

[ELVIS]

Does it suck ass too ??

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Well, they didn't think it was wrong to tour with a scab vocalist standing in for one of the greatest metal voices in history, so by comparison, this really isn't all that shocking. (Aside from the previously mentioned ridiculousness of doing so after announcing a farewell tour)

That may be true, but I'll always remember during those Ripper days when they played The Boathouse in Norfolk. The place is literally just as it sounds, an old boathouse next to Harbor Park (Orioles AAA team) in Norfolk. It can't hold more than a few hundred, and that's packing them in tight. It's hosted many bands back in the day until Hurricane Isabel tore it up and it had to be closed.

Anyway, it was great being literally three feet away from Glenn Tipton for the entire show, jamming on their usual setlist. The fact that it wasn't Halford but a sound-alike, well I overlooked it for that night.

[Terry]

[QUOTE=sadaist;1535670]Weird isn't it?

Sure a lot different than the guys from the poster on my wall in the 80's. :(


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51f9RYGW4GL._SL500_AA300_.jpg[/QUOTE


Most of the great rock acts from "yesteryear" that are still around bear little resemblance to what turned me onto them in the first place. Not just talking about classic or definitive lineups, either.
I guess it's the passage of time and the difference between a young group on the ascent vs. an older group marking time and plugging away to keep a bank balance...and I understand the need to keep on earning. It's just a bit of a shame that so many aging acts are sort of floundering around, reprising the oldies and a bit past it re: bursts of inspired creativity.
I guess I can understand people wanting to see these bands now, and the desire to get a quick blast of nostalgia.
There does come a point where these acts are laboring under monikers that describe these bands in name only. When it gets to the point where semi-pro tribute bands can outplay the real deal, as a fan I'm starting to pass on shelling out dough to keep elderly rock stars solvent.
Am not necessarily referring to Priest specifically, but while I'll always have a high regard their late 1970s - late 1980s work enough is enough.
There is something to be said for leaving before wearing out your welcome.

[Hardrock69]

So Ian Hill is the last original member now. The only guy to have gone through every lineup change since the beginning.

With Ken leaving, I would venture to say their attendance numbers on the Epitaph tour are going to be lacking.

Instead of going out with a bang, they are going out with a whimper.

I never thought I would label them the "once mighty Priest", but that is exactly what it is now. A guitarist who is not that great of a writer, a singer who cannot sing, a second guitarist who is unknown to the general public......all the smoke and mirrors in the world could not make it a show worth seeing now...at least for me...the last couple of times I have seen them, and certainly when watching bootlegs from the last couple of tours, I have just wound up being bummed out watching Halford struggle....

Oh well....

[sonrisa salvaje]

This does suck but the only people this really hurts are the ones that didn't see them in their prime and thought they may catch them in the end just to say they saw them live. Fortunately, i am not one of those people. Unlike Van Halen with DLR, JP have been pretty available to see with their core members. For those that never got off their ass to go see them...oh well. However, i do understand that there are hardcore fans of the band that want to go say goodbye. By the same token, if you are that hardcore you probably would go see them anyway this time around just to say goodbye to what is left.

[Matt White]

Stupid.....

Did see them for the BRITISH STEEL 30 yr tour......

Say "Goodnight".......

[Hardrock69]

If they come back to town, if I have the money I will probably go see them despite my bitching. Just to "say goodbye".
But who knows?

[sonrisa salvaje]

Hell, i may go myself. It will be cool to see the brand name one last time but there will be that something missing like when i went to see Maiden while Adrian Smith wasn't in the band. It was cool to see them (Fear of the Dark tour) but they didn't have that same "umph".

[Diamondjimi]

Stupid.....

Did see them for the BRITISH STEEL 30 yr tour......

Say "Goodnight".......

Same here. That was a fucking mindblowing set.

Too bad they didn't fill the rest of the set with the Unleashed in THe East track list.... \,,/

[Jagermeister]

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing has posted the following message on his official web site:

"I would just like to say a big thank you for your support and kind words. It is most heart-warming for me to be the recipient of such graciousness and compassion from you all.

"For some of you that would seem to desire some more details as to why I have resigned from the band, I can only say that there is nothing more underlying than I have already put in my initial statement. I would like to reassure you that I am still here for you and I am still the same person with the same feelings and sentiments.

"I have been lucky enough to have had a great life and to have fulfilled many goals, one of the most significant being the friendships that I have made with you my fans. Many of you I have met and we have enjoyed some time together, some of you I have just had a beer with and with others I might only have shared a couple of laughs or simply signed my autograph.

"Nothing could ever have been more rewarding than to have experienced and enjoyed our special relationship and the things that we have shared together — those being music, friendship and the love of life itself."

Downing, whose retirement from the band was announced last month, issued a statement regarding his departure from the legendary heavy metal group on the eve of its farewell tour. Downing said, "It is with much regret that I will not be with you this summer. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your concerns about my health. Please rest assured that I am OK. There has been an ongoing breakdown in (the) working relationship between myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time. Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished fans. However, I would urge you to please support the PRIEST as I have no doubt that it will be a show not to be missed."

Singer Rob Halford told French magazine Rock Hard, "K.K. leaving was his own decision, for the reasons he made public on his web site. . . K.K. has his own life to live and we can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to do."

The band has recruited 31-year-old British guitarist Richie Faulkner to replace Downing on the tour, with Halford saying, "K.K. can never be replaced; he's unique, and we didn't want any kind of K.K. copycat. Richie Faulkner came to Glenn's [Tipton, guitar] house to jam, and Glenn simply told me he was absolutely brilliant."

Although PRIEST plans to stop touring after this run, the band will continue to record and intends to issue a new studio album in 2012

[Jagermeister]

On May 9, longtime Spanish heavy metal journalist Rafa Basa of RafaBasa.com conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford about the departure of the band's founding member, Kenneth "K.K." Downing; the addition of 31-year-old guitarist Richie Faulkner (LAUREN HARRIS, DIRTY DEEDS); and the group's upcoming "Epitaph" farewell tour. Several excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed exclusively by BLABBERMOUTH.NET from the original 27-minute audio, which can be streamed at the bottom of this article).

On why JUDAS PRIEST has chosen to embark on a farewell tour at this point in the band's career:

Halford: "I think we're just being very careful. We wanna be able to still do these big shows and to still give out the same kind of power and energy that we've always been able to do. And so, 40 years later, we're doing that really successfully and we feel that we would like this to be a kind of celebration of many, many things about JUDAS PRIEST and give the fans a really, really great metal show. And then maybe just take things easier next time, you know, because… I wish we were all immortal. [Laughs] Metal is immortal [Laughs], but I don't feel immortal. It's a lot of reasons, and it happens to everybody in one way or another. I think metal touring is very, very difficult. I mean, you've got all the travelling to do and you don't get much sleep. And it's different on your body all these years later. PRIEST is famous for these very big, long grueling tours, and we just wanna still be able to make our shows, but we just wanna be able to kind of enjoy them and put on a great performance. But just kind of kick back a little bit and enjoy the golden metal years and still be with our fans, but just on a different level now."

On whether the next PRIEST studio album will be similar to the band's last CD, "Nostradamus" (2008), or if it will be a return to a classic PRIEST album format along the lines of "Angel Of Retribution" (2005):

Halford: "Well, I can tell you that it's gonna be a very strong, powerful, solid heavy metal album with all of the famous things people love about PRIEST — all the big sledgehammer heavy metal riffs from Birmingham and the screaming vocals. And it's just a very straightforward record as far as looking at our past and all of the wonderful things that we've done in heavy metal — from 'British Steel' to 'Painkiller' to 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'. We've got this wonderful heritage in our music, so I think we're just letting our heart lead us on this record. It's not as complicated or as complex in the arrangements as 'Nostradamus' was and I think we always felt that it would have been wrong to finish the recording side of PRIEST with 'Nostradamus'; we felt it was very important to kind of re-focus and put the metal in its place that we're most famous for, and I think that's what we're gonna do with this new record. It's coming out next year. It's almost completed. A lot of the songs have been already written, not fully recorded, but all of the arrangements have been made. That's the time-consuming part — the actual writing of the songs and then getting the arrangements right and all the pieces into place. And then when you go in the studio, the studio is generally a pretty straightforward operation. But we're excited, yeah. It's kind of unusual, isn't it?! 'Cause it's farewell, but it's full of new things; we have a new show, new costumes, new setlist and that's we've always tried to do for our fans and for ourselves — to make every tour special, and that's definitely the case with this one."

On the future of JUDAS PRIEST after the "Epitaph" tour:

Halford: "It's a very open set of opportunities, of course. We will still be making shows, we won't be going out on these long, massive world tours as much. But we'll still be getting together every now and again and doing a festival here and there. Personally, I don't see any reason why we need to stop the writing and the recording, because that's always a great joy and pleasure and it's not as stressful and difficult, physically and mentally, as a tour. So yeah, the future is not really laid out for certain, but I guess we'll just be and do what we've always tried to do as a metal band, which is, in one way or another, still keep recording and still do some shows."

On what it means to him to be working on a new JUDAS PRIEST studio album at this point in the band's career:

Halford: "I think it's just another testament to the self-belief we have as a band. We still feel that we've got something to say. We still feel that we've got important things to display in our music, especially. And so, for a brand new studio album to come this far on in our career, I think it's a wonderful achievement, and I think it's just letting our fans, especially, see that the things that are important to us — the passion of metal and the power of metal — is still alive inside of us and we still get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from making metal songs and recording them and putting on a show. That's not changed. I think in our hearts we wish we could do this forever. [Laughs] It's like your favorite soccer player; you wish he could keep playing the game forever, but eventually you have to be realistic and sensible and say, 'This has been great. I'm still gonna do a few things — maybe do some coaching.' Still stay in the mix of metal. But life goes on and things change. But like I said, we hope that people will see this as a time to celebrate, with a lot of new experiences. We're celebrating a lot of great moments from our past, but we're also looking forward to the future."

On K.K. Downing's statement that his departure from JUDAS PRIEST was brought on in part by "an ongoing breakdown in [the] working relationship between [him], elements of the band, and the band's management":

Halford: "Well, I'm sure you've been around a lot of bands in your life as a journalist and I'm sure you've heard a lot of stories about the creative differences that happen in a group, and you always overcome them. It's not easy being in a band; it's a very difficult, temperamental machine, because you're dealing with very emotional people, very talented people, and so you have your ups and your downs. I think that in the light of all of the excitement and the confusion over the last few weeks, a lot of the things have been kind of distorted out of the fact. I don't really know why K.K. said what he said in his press release. I think maybe K.K. himself was feeling very emotional and very kind of… I don't know… maybe retrospective about all of the things that have been going on in PRIEST for the last few years. . . If you go onto his web site today, he put up a new press release and he says, you know, he's had a great time and he's not feeling bitter, he's not feeling in any other way than feeling just very satisfied and complete that he's done all the things that he wants to do. And I think that's great. I think K.K.'s really answered a lot of questions for a lot of people. But I think it was unfair to single out the bandmembers and I think it was unfair to single out management as the reason why he left, because it was more than that. And so there you go. We're all separate, individual people that all have lives to live and all have different needs and choices to be made, and this is the one that K.K.'s gone with. And we love him dearly; he'll always be in the spirit of JUDAS PRIEST. We wish things were different, but they're not, so we have to look forward and be positive and be excited about the shows that we're gonna do and a great new guitar player, Richie. JUDAS PRIEST is not just one person, JUDAS PRIEST is the whole experience, and we've always felt that way. Even when I was away from the band, JUDAS PRIEST carried on. So this is what we're gonna do — we're gonna be strong and we're gonna put on some powerful shows and we're gonna celebrate and have some great metal experiences together again."

On why K.K. couldn't wait until after the "Epitaph" tour to leave the band:

Halford: "It's a great question. I can't answer it. You have to get in touch with K.K. and ask him that question, 'cause I can't answer it. I think we've tried to be as honest and as straightforward as we can be on both sides of the discussion, and it is very emotional. I mean, you could just as easily [have asked] that same question — which you may have done — when I was away from the band, and Ripper, my good friend Ripper, was holding the mic for me. You just have to carry on. I think more than anything, it's just kind of difficult, 'cause it's a farewell tour. Why is it happening now? Well, you've got no control over life, have you? [Laughs] You can't control life and these things happen. So you just have to accept them and see what your options are. So that's the way it is. Of course, it will never be the same without K.K., like I'm sure a lot of people said it was never the same without me. But you can't just grind to a halt, you can't just stop everything — that would be ridiculous. We have obligations to our fans and to promoters and to everybody else, and to our record company, and we wanna fulfill them and be professional and do the right thing, which is what I think we are doing."

On how he feels personally about K.K.'s departure from the band:

Halford: "I just feel very sad that this whole episode has taken place at the time that it has. I think that we're all dealing with it differently. I love Ken like a brother; we've been in each other's lives for over 40 years. And we're all still good friends; that's the important thing. It doesn't matter about the breakdown in the communication or the creative differences; that's just part of being in a band. The friendship and the caring for each other, that doesn't go away. It should never go away. Because we've been through too much together and you can't let differences of opinion over different incidents and different moments, you can't let that affect your long-term-standing relationship, business-wise and personal-wise, you can't let that get destroyed; that would be a terrible thing to do. So you just respect each other, you respect each other's choices and you respect each other's decisions. And I'm sure that at some point K.K. will probably want to be a little bit more open about his reasons for departing PRIEST; that's entirely up to K.K. We've made it clear that we're not speaking for K.K.; we can only speak for ourselves and what we need to do. So there you go — that's about as much as we can really offer to the press and to our fans at this point."

On what fans can expect from the upcoming tour:

Halford: "Well, I think, looking at the history and the tradition of PRIEST, whenever we've gone out on these world tours, we've tried to do something different, so we do have a brand new stage set, light show, we've got some special effects that we're bringing back in terms of pyro and lights and lasers and flames and all these other great, crazy things that you love about metal that we haven't used in a while; we're bringing all those back. I think the setlist is the most exciting part, because we're trying to do everything from all of our music, so it really is a celebration of the music of PRIEST as much as anything else — right from 'Rocka Rolla' all the way up to maybe a track from the brand new record. So that's quite special and unique; we've never done before that for our fans. New stage, new costumes, new songs… it's just gonna be a really special event. . . The fact that we've said we're gonna try to do something from every record is already creating a lot of excitement and people are looking at the songs and going, 'I wonder, will they do this song?' or 'I wonder, will they do that song?' So I think we wanna keep that as a surprise until the first few shows because obviously when the first few shows start to happen, it will be all over the Internet and everybody will know. But we are actually rehearsing a lot of songs, so we're gonna try to mix it up. We're gonna try to put on… maybe one song will be not in the setlist one night, so maybe we'll put two more in another night. So it will be quite varied. It's important, I think, to try and keep an element of surprise; it just gives you something to look forward to."

On the decision to hire a relatively unknown guitar player, Richie Faulkner, to replace K.K. Downing:

Halford: "I think it would have diluted the moment if we would have gone with one of our friends. We know some very famous metal guitar players and I'm sure that they would have said, 'Yeah, I'll help you out if you need the help.' But I think we wanted to give this moment its own special feeling. Obviously, nobody can replace K.K. entirely, so I think we worked really hard to find someone of the same caliber and with the same kind of discipline and guitarmanship as K.K.'s always displayed, and I think we found that in Richie. Richie's been around for awhile; he's already had a successful career up until this point with his solo activities and some of the other bands that he's worked with. But this is a big leap for Richie to go into a band like PRIEST. And he's gonna be the right man for the job, you know. It is gonna be a tremendously exciting moment for Richie as a player. I can only imagine what's going on in his mind. I suppose it's the same as when Ripper walked out each night; you just have to go out and do your very best, and that's what Richie's gonna do. I think he's gonna show the metal world that he's a very competent, exciting player that's gonna not only be able to do the parts he needs to play but also inject his own special style and technique. And I think the metal fans are really grateful that Richie's there, because if Richie was not in the spot, this tour would have been canceled. So, yeah, it's gonna be tremendous for Richie to be able to do what's gotta do and he's gonna do it really well. And I think the fans are gonna love him."

On how it will feel seeing Richie in K.K.'s spot on stage:

Halford: "Yeah, I think K.K. felt the same when he looked to the left and saw Ripper [Laughs], he didn't see me. So history repeats itself, doesn't it? Emotionally, it's always very challenging to deal with these types of things, but you just have to accept the facts and this is it now; this is the way that PRIEST is looking and the band is still together. I know we've always said JUDAS PRIEST is not just one member; JUDAS PRIEST is the whole combination of players coming together to make the sounds of PRIEST, and we have 100 percent faith that Richie can do that part. So we're excited about the shows that we're gonna and the way that we're gonna display ourselves."

[Jagermeister]

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=158067


On May 9, longtime Spanish heavy metal journalist Rafa Basa of RafaBasa.com conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford about the departure of the band's founding member, Kenneth "K.K." Downing; the addition of 31-year-old guitarist Richie Faulkner (LAUREN HARRIS, DIRTY DEEDS); and the group's upcoming "Epitaph" farewell tour. Several excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed exclusively by BLABBERMOUTH.NET from the original 27-minute audio, which can be streamed at the bottom of this article).

On why JUDAS PRIEST has chosen to embark on a farewell tour at this point in the band's career:

Halford: "I think we're just being very careful. We wanna be able to still do these big shows and to still give out the same kind of power and energy that we've always been able to do. And so, 40 years later, we're doing that really successfully and we feel that we would like this to be a kind of celebration of many, many things about JUDAS PRIEST and give the fans a really, really great metal show. And then maybe just take things easier next time, you know, because… I wish we were all immortal. [Laughs] Metal is immortal [Laughs], but I don't feel immortal. It's a lot of reasons, and it happens to everybody in one way or another. I think metal touring is very, very difficult. I mean, you've got all the travelling to do and you don't get much sleep. And it's different on your body all these years later. PRIEST is famous for these very big, long grueling tours, and we just wanna still be able to make our shows, but we just wanna be able to kind of enjoy them and put on a great performance. But just kind of kick back a little bit and enjoy the golden metal years and still be with our fans, but just on a different level now."

On whether the next PRIEST studio album will be similar to the band's last CD, "Nostradamus" (2008), or if it will be a return to a classic PRIEST album format along the lines of "Angel Of Retribution" (2005):

Halford: "Well, I can tell you that it's gonna be a very strong, powerful, solid heavy metal album with all of the famous things people love about PRIEST — all the big sledgehammer heavy metal riffs from Birmingham and the screaming vocals. And it's just a very straightforward record as far as looking at our past and all of the wonderful things that we've done in heavy metal — from 'British Steel' to 'Painkiller' to 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'. We've got this wonderful heritage in our music, so I think we're just letting our heart lead us on this record. It's not as complicated or as complex in the arrangements as 'Nostradamus' was and I think we always felt that it would have been wrong to finish the recording side of PRIEST with 'Nostradamus'; we felt it was very important to kind of re-focus and put the metal in its place that we're most famous for, and I think that's what we're gonna do with this new record. It's coming out next year. It's almost completed. A lot of the songs have been already written, not fully recorded, but all of the arrangements have been made. That's the time-consuming part — the actual writing of the songs and then getting the arrangements right and all the pieces into place. And then when you go in the studio, the studio is generally a pretty straightforward operation. But we're excited, yeah. It's kind of unusual, isn't it?! 'Cause it's farewell, but it's full of new things; we have a new show, new costumes, new setlist and that's we've always tried to do for our fans and for ourselves — to make every tour special, and that's definitely the case with this one."

On the future of JUDAS PRIEST after the "Epitaph" tour:

Halford: "It's a very open set of opportunities, of course. We will still be making shows, we won't be going out on these long, massive world tours as much. But we'll still be getting together every now and again and doing a festival here and there. Personally, I don't see any reason why we need to stop the writing and the recording, because that's always a great joy and pleasure and it's not as stressful and difficult, physically and mentally, as a tour. So yeah, the future is not really laid out for certain, but I guess we'll just be and do what we've always tried to do as a metal band, which is, in one way or another, still keep recording and still do some shows."

On what it means to him to be working on a new JUDAS PRIEST studio album at this point in the band's career:

Halford: "I think it's just another testament to the self-belief we have as a band. We still feel that we've got something to say. We still feel that we've got important things to display in our music, especially. And so, for a brand new studio album to come this far on in our career, I think it's a wonderful achievement, and I think it's just letting our fans, especially, see that the things that are important to us — the passion of metal and the power of metal — is still alive inside of us and we still get a lot of pleasure and satisfaction from making metal songs and recording them and putting on a show. That's not changed. I think in our hearts we wish we could do this forever. [Laughs] It's like your favorite soccer player; you wish he could keep playing the game forever, but eventually you have to be realistic and sensible and say, 'This has been great. I'm still gonna do a few things — maybe do some coaching.' Still stay in the mix of metal. But life goes on and things change. But like I said, we hope that people will see this as a time to celebrate, with a lot of new experiences. We're celebrating a lot of great moments from our past, but we're also looking forward to the future."

On K.K. Downing's statement that his departure from JUDAS PRIEST was brought on in part by "an ongoing breakdown in [the] working relationship between [him], elements of the band, and the band's management":

Halford: "Well, I'm sure you've been around a lot of bands in your life as a journalist and I'm sure you've heard a lot of stories about the creative differences that happen in a group, and you always overcome them. It's not easy being in a band; it's a very difficult, temperamental machine, because you're dealing with very emotional people, very talented people, and so you have your ups and your downs. I think that in the light of all of the excitement and the confusion over the last few weeks, a lot of the things have been kind of distorted out of the fact. I don't really know why K.K. said what he said in his press release. I think maybe K.K. himself was feeling very emotional and very kind of… I don't know… maybe retrospective about all of the things that have been going on in PRIEST for the last few years. . . If you go onto his web site today, he put up a new press release and he says, you know, he's had a great time and he's not feeling bitter, he's not feeling in any other way than feeling just very satisfied and complete that he's done all the things that he wants to do. And I think that's great. I think K.K.'s really answered a lot of questions for a lot of people. But I think it was unfair to single out the bandmembers and I think it was unfair to single out management as the reason why he left, because it was more than that. And so there you go. We're all separate, individual people that all have lives to live and all have different needs and choices to be made, and this is the one that K.K.'s gone with. And we love him dearly; he'll always be in the spirit of JUDAS PRIEST. We wish things were different, but they're not, so we have to look forward and be positive and be excited about the shows that we're gonna do and a great new guitar player, Richie. JUDAS PRIEST is not just one person, JUDAS PRIEST is the whole experience, and we've always felt that way. Even when I was away from the band, JUDAS PRIEST carried on. So this is what we're gonna do — we're gonna be strong and we're gonna put on some powerful shows and we're gonna celebrate and have some great metal experiences together again."

On why K.K. couldn't wait until after the "Epitaph" tour to leave the band:

Halford: "It's a great question. I can't answer it. You have to get in touch with K.K. and ask him that question, 'cause I can't answer it. I think we've tried to be as honest and as straightforward as we can be on both sides of the discussion, and it is very emotional. I mean, you could just as easily [have asked] that same question — which you may have done — when I was away from the band, and Ripper, my good friend Ripper, was holding the mic for me. You just have to carry on. I think more than anything, it's just kind of difficult, 'cause it's a farewell tour. Why is it happening now? Well, you've got no control over life, have you? [Laughs] You can't control life and these things happen. So you just have to accept them and see what your options are. So that's the way it is. Of course, it will never be the same without K.K., like I'm sure a lot of people said it was never the same without me. But you can't just grind to a halt, you can't just stop everything — that would be ridiculous. We have obligations to our fans and to promoters and to everybody else, and to our record company, and we wanna fulfill them and be professional and do the right thing, which is what I think we are doing."

On how he feels personally about K.K.'s departure from the band:

Halford: "I just feel very sad that this whole episode has taken place at the time that it has. I think that we're all dealing with it differently. I love Ken like a brother; we've been in each other's lives for over 40 years. And we're all still good friends; that's the important thing. It doesn't matter about the breakdown in the communication or the creative differences; that's just part of being in a band. The friendship and the caring for each other, that doesn't go away. It should never go away. Because we've been through too much together and you can't let differences of opinion over different incidents and different moments, you can't let that affect your long-term-standing relationship, business-wise and personal-wise, you can't let that get destroyed; that would be a terrible thing to do. So you just respect each other, you respect each other's choices and you respect each other's decisions. And I'm sure that at some point K.K. will probably want to be a little bit more open about his reasons for departing PRIEST; that's entirely up to K.K. We've made it clear that we're not speaking for K.K.; we can only speak for ourselves and what we need to do. So there you go — that's about as much as we can really offer to the press and to our fans at this point."

On what fans can expect from the upcoming tour:

Halford: "Well, I think, looking at the history and the tradition of PRIEST, whenever we've gone out on these world tours, we've tried to do something different, so we do have a brand new stage set, light show, we've got some special effects that we're bringing back in terms of pyro and lights and lasers and flames and all these other great, crazy things that you love about metal that we haven't used in a while; we're bringing all those back. I think the setlist is the most exciting part, because we're trying to do everything from all of our music, so it really is a celebration of the music of PRIEST as much as anything else — right from 'Rocka Rolla' all the way up to maybe a track from the brand new record. So that's quite special and unique; we've never done before that for our fans. New stage, new costumes, new songs… it's just gonna be a really special event. . . The fact that we've said we're gonna try to do something from every record is already creating a lot of excitement and people are looking at the songs and going, 'I wonder, will they do this song?' or 'I wonder, will they do that song?' So I think we wanna keep that as a surprise until the first few shows because obviously when the first few shows start to happen, it will be all over the Internet and everybody will know. But we are actually rehearsing a lot of songs, so we're gonna try to mix it up. We're gonna try to put on… maybe one song will be not in the setlist one night, so maybe we'll put two more in another night. So it will be quite varied. It's important, I think, to try and keep an element of surprise; it just gives you something to look forward to."

On the decision to hire a relatively unknown guitar player, Richie Faulkner, to replace K.K. Downing:

Halford: "I think it would have diluted the moment if we would have gone with one of our friends. We know some very famous metal guitar players and I'm sure that they would have said, 'Yeah, I'll help you out if you need the help.' But I think we wanted to give this moment its own special feeling. Obviously, nobody can replace K.K. entirely, so I think we worked really hard to find someone of the same caliber and with the same kind of discipline and guitarmanship as K.K.'s always displayed, and I think we found that in Richie. Richie's been around for awhile; he's already had a successful career up until this point with his solo activities and some of the other bands that he's worked with. But this is a big leap for Richie to go into a band like PRIEST. And he's gonna be the right man for the job, you know. It is gonna be a tremendously exciting moment for Richie as a player. I can only imagine what's going on in his mind. I suppose it's the same as when Ripper walked out each night; you just have to go out and do your very best, and that's what Richie's gonna do. I think he's gonna show the metal world that he's a very competent, exciting player that's gonna not only be able to do the parts he needs to play but also inject his own special style and technique. And I think the metal fans are really grateful that Richie's there, because if Richie was not in the spot, this tour would have been canceled. So, yeah, it's gonna be tremendous for Richie to be able to do what's gotta do and he's gonna do it really well. And I think the fans are gonna love him."

On how it will feel seeing Richie in K.K.'s spot on stage:

Halford: "Yeah, I think K.K. felt the same when he looked to the left and saw Ripper [Laughs], he didn't see me. So history repeats itself, doesn't it? Emotionally, it's always very challenging to deal with these types of things, but you just have to accept the facts and this is it now; this is the way that PRIEST is looking and the band is still together. I know we've always said JUDAS PRIEST is not just one member; JUDAS PRIEST is the whole combination of players coming together to make the sounds of PRIEST, and we have 100 percent faith that Richie can do that part. So we're excited about the shows that we're gonna and the way that we're gonna display ourselves."

[Diamondjimi]

:cough: , mmm double post? :biggrin:


And I think the metal fans are really grateful that Richie's there, because if Richie was not in the spot, this tour would have been canceled.

http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2010/12/12/c852d674-d9ba-4ac9-8426-e3b6677e8f98.jpg

[chefcraig]

On the surface, it seems peculiar that these bands on the downside of their careers seem to have no compunction about going out minus a famous member or two and replacing them with unknowns. The list is ever growing, be it Journey, KISS, Yes, Judas Priest or even Van Halen. One important fact is never discussed in the various interviews supposedly explaining away the reasoning, and that is the rest of the band can make considerably more money by not paying the "replacements" the same amount as they would have to pay the guys being replaced. So they get some schmuck, fill him full of bullshit like "Look what an honor and a privilege you have to be seen playing with us..." and pay him around 8 bucks an hour, all the while socking the money away and laughing all the way to the bank at the fans who fall for this sort of crap.

[Jagermeister]

From Rolling Stone. If anyone cares to go see the scab band Priest.

Confirmed Judas Priest U.S. Tour Dates (more dates to be announced):

October:

12 – San Antonio, TX

14 – Corpus Christi, TX

15 – Houston, TX

16 – Dallas, TX

18 – Tucson, AZ

19 – San Diego, CA

21 – Phoenix, AZ

22 – San Bernardino, CA

23 – Las Vegas, NV

25 – Los Angeles, CA

26 – Oakland, CA

29 – Seattle, WA

30 – Vancouver, BC

November:

1 – Edmonton, AB

2 – Calgary, AB

4 – Salt Lake City, UT

5 – Denver, CO

12 – Chicago, IL

13 – Detroit, MI

18 – East Rutherford, NJ

[Dave's Bitch]

Scab band?.Try greatest metal band of all time ;)

[ashstralia]

greatest metal band of all time ;)

http://i1234.photobucket.com/albums/ff418/davej253/Iron_Maiden_2.jpg

[Dave's Bitch]

Fair comment but this say it all
http://www.wallpapergate.com/data/media/3465/Judas_Priest_29230.jpg

Nuff' Said

[bueno bob]

I've never seen Priest live, so...I'll probably drive up to Seattle just to say I did, or at least some version thereof.

Pretty crazy shit, obviously more going on behind the scenes than what we're being told about.

[Jagermeister]

Scab band?.Try greatest metal band of all time ;)

I agree. I am just pissed KK is out. I am not sure I want to see a scab in his place.

[Hardrock69]

Wow! Bob is back! Have you got any more trombone gigs lined up Lord Va....I mean Bob????

[Jagermeister]

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=159448

[binnie]

Scab band?.Try greatest metal band of all time ;)

Shitty 'comeback' aside, they'd certainly be up there.