JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT To Tour UK

[dave_mc]

Well I went the NEC one on Saturday and the priest show is something you'll not forget, Halford is back on form again and the rest of the guys are better than ever.

Megadeth were pretty cool, it's a shame that someone like Chris Broderick is completely overshadowed by Mustaine, though.

Testament were a little boring, they could play great, no doubt, but their sound was just mush(Not their fault, I'm sure) and I could barely hear the guitar parts. It was one of those gigs where you have to look at the guitarists hands to hear what they're playing. The fat guitarist is using 5350's so keep an eye out for them if you like to eye up the gear like I do at gigs.

Megadeth had a bunch of empty JVM heads and cabs on stage, didn't see what they were really using, though.

Best bit of the night was getting Glen Tiptons plec. If you have to stand, get over by Glenn on the right side of the stage, there's more action over there.

yeah, i couldn't hear testament either (i was at the belfast date). was a bit annoyed, they were the main reason i was going. megadeth was great though, but even with them the sound wasn't amazing at times. priest was just hilarious. :lol:

[Crazy_Joe]

Bring on Saturday!!!

[murraymurray]

Lucky guys
Shows looks awesome, im going to maiden on sunday but saw them twice last year so not quite as exciting, never got the chance to see any of these bands live. Priest were supposed to come to NZ last year but cancelled due to "logistic" issues, so not selling enough tickets i guess.

[shobet]

Well that was fun, I can't hear a $%&#ing thing now though.

Testament were good, looked like they were having fun up there, Chuckies a bit heavier than I remember him. They looked like a band enjoying themselves and I think they have some headline dates lines up between the Priest shows. It's a pity the set was short and the sound shite, I wonder if they'd $%&#ed the engineers wife on mass or something.

Megadeth, mechanical, soulless and shitee I thought. Not the band I remember seeing in the 80s and early 90s. I think he should change the name to Mustaine and get it over with. They were all very technical players, but it all left me very cold. Thrash by numbers.

Priest we $%&#ing great. Shame about the 30 minutes we lost due to some technical difficulties like the PA not $%&#ing working. Halford dress sense has not improved over the years, appearing in a silver lame cape at the start made me nearly piss myself with laughter. After that things settled down and it was heads down and business as usual. They even played some older stuff which was a pleasant surprise.

They look pretty much the same apart from being a bit balder and heavier around the waist. Showmen through and through. It was also nice to see Downing's old Hamers again, even if they were rudely interrupted by an explorer. However I'm glad I saw them in '88 and not for the first time now as they were much more powerful then, but that's age I suppose. Both theirs and mine.

Overall I thought it was worth the money as I would have paid that to see just Priest. I just wish my $%&#ing ears would stop going WHEEEEEEEEEE!

[murraymurray]

Halford dress sense has not improved over the years, appearing in a silver lame cape at the start made me nearly piss myself with laughter.

yeah thats pretty funny, big silver gown and a  big staff.

ddi they play the sentinel? that songs rips

[Philly Q]

Overall I thought it was worth the money as I would have paid that to see just Priest. I just wish my $%&#ing ears would stop going WHEEEEEEEEEE!

It was after seeing Priest a few years ago that I decided to start wearing ear protection to gigs.  I really thought I'd suffered some serious damage.

[James C]

I will be in Cardiff on the 20th, can't wait, (now to devise a way of stealing alex skolnick's phrasing, dexterity and genious :twisted:)

[shobet]

When I said Downing playing an explorer I meat Tipon, I was pissed and old.

A little birdy tells me they are going to be doing something to calibrate the 30th ann. of British Steel this year as well. 

[Antag]

OK, just got back from the Wembley show (well, by just got back, I mean just got back to my office where I left my car & went in for a cup of tea, something to eat & a sit down :)) so here is a stab at a review:

As other posters have said, Testament's sound/mix was awful :(  Just no definition at all - I didn't even recognise "Over the wall" until Chuck's vocals started :!: - too much low end without the things that should generate the most low end actually making the floor shake. It was as if they were playing through practice amps & trying to make themselves heard over 1000 toilets flushing at once.  But bad sound or not, it was a really good performance with tons of energy from a band who all looked like they were giving it their all.  "DNR" was a welcome surprise in the set, loved "Practice what you preach", but burying the formidable lead playing of Alex Skolnik in the 1000-toilet sound is bordering on criminal.  Anyway, I intend to write more about Testament elsewhere, so enough for now.

Megadeth on the other hand had a crystal clear mix: you could hear everything.  For a time around 1988 Megadeth were my absolute favourite band, but kinda dropped of my "radar" after '92 when I saw them last & during the first few numbers they barely crept back on it.  The guy behind the drums looked like he wasn't really trying & it had the feel of Dave +3 session musicians going through the motions :(  I was thinking to myself "if only Testament had had Megadeth's mix & Megadeth Testament's energy" & mentally writing the band off, when about 15 mins in something amazing happened: they woke up (actually the soundman may have woke up too because I'm sure the volume crept up a notch).  A titanic rendition of "In my darkest hour" was the best I've heard that song played in the half dozen times I've seen it, then "Skin o' my teeth" was dispatched with kidney-spiking fury, a brilliant "Hanger 18", "Peace Sells" & "Holy Wars" brought memories of a great band flooding back.  Dave may carry a guitar but he's also a great frontman & Chris not only reproduced Marty's great solos, he added to them.  If I took nothing else from this show, I re-discovered my love of Megadeth - & that was worth the ticket price alone.

***WARNING/DISCLAIMER: I'm about to type heavy metal heresy, so don't read any further if you don't like anything less than stellar reviews of Judas Priest*** ;)

Only Judas Priest could have a song with the words "I am Nostradamus" for the chorus & carry it off :lol:  Perhaps part of the secret of their success & longevity is in the way they do this overblown stuff as if it's the most normal thing in the world.  They do it seriously but not in a po-faced way.  They have fun, but not in a way that seems like they're taking the pi55.  It's a difficult balance to strike & I can't think of any other band that has managed it.

There are funny moments - Halford's ludicrous silver cape & magician staff for starters.

Also, Scott Travis seriously needs to practice tossing & twirling his sticks.  Almost every time he tried it, the stick came back in his hand wrong (if at all - on one occasion it actually missed the front of the drum riser when it came down :lol:).  It is possible to toss a stick 20ft in the air, catch it & hit something without missing a beat or needing a second attempt to get a proper grip on it (Neil Peart can do it amongst others)

The PA really kicked into gear for Priest.  It was VERY loud, perhaps even too loud (my ears haven't rung like this for many years) with a very clear heavy mix.  You could feel the kick drum vibrating throught your chest as much as hear it :twisted:  But if the PA could sound this good, then why didn't it for Megadeth & why was it so bad for Testament?  Sorry, but that sucks - not cool at all.  I've seen more shows than I can count where the support bands have had just as good a mix as the headliners.  There's no way it's some sort of technical limitation.  FFS Priest - you're the men who wrote "Breaking the law".  You have NOTHING to prove & nothing to fear from any other band.

Still, gripes aside, Priest played very well & the crowd loved it.  Glenn & KK are brilliant metal guitarists & sounded fantastic.  I am very happy I went but I won't be rushing out to buy "Nostradamus".  More later, but now I'm going home :)  If only this damn ringing will stop....

[Stevepage]

I got back from the show around 12. It was an awesome gig, probably nothing we'll get to see again for along time. I wore ear protection for this gig, which really helped. I could hear everything much clearer and my ears are just fine.

But I really think the sound guy needs a good kick up the arse because Testament's sound was awfull. All I could hear was Bass guitar and Bass drums. If I didn't recognise the riffs I wouldn't of known what the hell they were playing. The volume kept fading in and out too. They put on a great show still though.

Megadeth were fantastic. Chris Broderick could play those solos in his sleep. I saw Megadeth on the World Needs A Hero tour, which was ok. Last night they were great. I was so glad they played Skin O My Teeth, one of my favourites songs and they played it with such intensity. I wish they could of played longer.

Judas Priest, put on a great show. Though Rob Halford does seem a little overly camp during some parts of the show. Still, the guitar tone was perfect and so fat yet crunchy. I wish Glen Tipton could of been less sloppy with playing the solo to Painkiller though.

Overall, fantastic night and great atmos.

[Crazy_Joe]

So yeah, i checked the ticket at 5, it said doors open at 5, show starts at 6.30 :/

So we missed Testament, but got there before Megadeth.

Was an epic show, lack of pits though i thought, especially since half the show was thrash metal.

Loved Megadeth (should have played Tornado though) and Prist were epic, even my mates who don't like Priest watched them and loved it.

But yeah, i'm damn hungover. :lol:

[Stevepage]

Was an epic show, lack of pits though i thought, especially since half the show was thrash metal.

That's because Wembley Arena security overeact over the tiniest things. Some guys get kicked out for starting pits. Even having some one on your shoulders gets you a slap on the wrist.

One thing I didn't understand is the Bottle Bar. Why have a bottle bar when security make you put your drink in a plastic cup before you go in anyway?

[dave_mc]

sounds like a slightly different setlist- megadeth did play tornado of souls at the belfast gig, but i don't remember skin o' my teeth... and i don't think testament played practice what you preach either. :( the mix got better as the gig went on at ours too... makes you wonder if it was intentional (which, if it was, is extremely annoying).

:)

[noodleplugerine]

So yeah, i checked the ticket at 5, it said doors open at 5, show starts at 6.30 :/

So we missed Testament, but got there before Megadeth.

Was an epic show, lack of pits though i thought, especially since half the show was thrash metal.

Loved Megadeth (should have played Tornado though) and Prist were epic, even my mates who don't like Priest watched them and loved it.

But yeah, i'm damn hungover. :lol:

You coming to the Testament gig on the 25th?



Gunna be insane.

[Crazy_Joe]

So yeah, i checked the ticket at 5, it said doors open at 5, show starts at 6.30 :/

So we missed Testament, but got there before Megadeth.

Was an epic show, lack of pits though i thought, especially since half the show was thrash metal.

Loved Megadeth (should have played Tornado though) and Prist were epic, even my mates who don't like Priest watched them and loved it.

But yeah, i'm damn hungover. :lol:

You coming to the Testament gig on the 25th?



Gunna be insane.

That's the plan!