JUDAS PRIEST US DATES

Published: May 25, 2011. © Rock AAA.

Judas Priest have announced the first series of dates for the North American leg of the band’s Epitaph Tour.
Things kick off on October 12 in San Antonio, Texas and run for about 6 weeks, wrapping up in East Rutherford, New Jersey on November 18.
Thin Lizzy and Black Label Society will share the bill with Priest as the metal legends embark on their farewell world tour.
“It’s not exactly the end of the band, it’s just the fact that we won’t really be doing any more world tours,” guitarist Glenn Tipton tells Rolling Stone.
“It takes a big chunk out of your life. We’ve been doing it for 40 years now or close to it, and we all love that moment on stage, but it’s difficult to be away from home and all the traveling involved. Now, if somebody came along and said, ‘Would you do a small string of dates,’ we wouldn’t automatically say no to that. But in general, this is probably the last chance you’ll get to see Priest live.”
And the band plans on going out with a bang. “We’re pulling out all the stops,” says Rob Halford. “We’ve built a brand new stage set, we’ve got all the effects that people love us for — the lasers, the fire, the bombs, the smoke, new costumes, and the bike. It’s just a full-on metal extravaganza.”
Priest introduced new guitarist Ritchie Faulkner to the media during a press conference at the Renaissance Hotel in Los Angeles on Tuesday; Faulkner steps into the lineup following the recent retirement of K.K. Downing, just six weeks before the tour’s start on June 7 in Tilburg, Holland.
During the press conference, it was revealed that Priest will release the “Single Cuts” CD-singles box set and the “Classic Albums Collection” later this year containing the following material:
1. “Single Cuts” – CD Singles box set:
• The complete UK CBS/Columbia singles from 1977-2008 – featuring all 7″ and 12″ tracks from 1987-2008.
• All singles will carry original artwork.
• This box will only be available online and sold through the official Judas Priest website.
• Fans can pre-order the box starting in June; the product will ship later in the summer.
2. The Classic Albums Collection:
• Timed for the start of the US tour, Judas Priest will be releasing the Classic Albums Collection
• Box set – featuring all the albums from the classic line up years, including first two Gull records
• Includes 17 albums – 19 discs in total
• All re-mastered albums with original artwork
Here’s the first series of North American shows for the Epitaph Tour; more dates are to be announced…
Judas Priest
Epitaph Tour
2011 North American leg
Oct 12 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
Oct 14 – Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street Amphitheater
Oct 15 – Houston, TX – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Oct. 16 – Allen, TX – Allen Event Center
Oct 18 – Tucson, AZ – Ava Amphitheater
Oct 19 – San Diego, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
Oct 21 – Phoenix, AZ – AZ State Fair
Oct 22 – San Bernardino, CA – San Manuel Amphitheater
Oct 23 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock
Oct 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Gibson Amphitheater
Oct 26 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
Oct 29 – Seattle, WA – WaMu Theater
Oct 30 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
Nov 01 – Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Center
Nov 02 – Calgary, AB – ScotiaBank Saddledome
Nov 04 – Salt Lake City, UT – Maverik Center
Nov 05 – Denver, CO – 1st Bank Center
Nov 12 – Chicago, IL – The Venue At Horseshoe Casino
Nov 13 – Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena
Nov 18 – East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center