When Judas Priest hits the stage, fans expect the hits, from “Breaking The Law” to “Living After Midnight”, and everything in between. But what’s missing — and has been for decades now — are songs from a very specific chapter in the band’s long history: the Tim “Ripper” Owens era.
In a recent interview with El Expreso Del Rock, longtime Judas Priest drummer Scott Travis addressed the absence of any material from 1997’s Jugulator or 2001’s Demolition in the band’s live shows. His explanation was practical, if a bit definitive.
“I just think it’s not something Rob really wants to do, and I totally understand that. And the other thing is, with Judas Priest, we have so many great songs to play, it’s impossible to get to get ’em all in because, as you know, in concert, we’re always gonna have to play ‘[You’ve Got] Another Thing Comin’ and ‘Living After Midnight’, ‘Breaking The Law’, ‘Victim Of Changes’ — you’re always gonna have to play those classics. ‘Cause as soon as you don’t play those, then people are screaming, ‘Why didn’t you play this song or that song?’ So you have to do those, and then you’ve only got so much time left to squeeze the other songs in during a live set. So, to be honest, there’s really just not time. And so we just decided to not mess with it.”
The logic makes sense: legacy bands are often constrained by time and by fan expectations. But for a group celebrating over 50 years of history, omitting an entire decade is bound to raise eyebrows — and it has, especially from Owens himself.
Back in 2021, Owens voiced his confusion in an interview with Rock Talks.”I actually don’t think it makes sense that they don’t play songs from my era. I mean, it was Judas Priest. Listen, you’re celebrating 50 years of Judas Priest, but you’re leaving out 10 years of it. The thing is Rob would sound so awesome… Could you imagine Rob singing ‘Burn In Hell’? Holy crap, it would sound fantastic. So, there’s nothing wrong with sticking ‘Burn In Hell’ in a setlist. It was right in the middle there, so… I don’t know. But they have a great setlist to play right now, so it’s pretty awesome to see it.”
Owens also highlighted the curious fact that those albums have never even been acknowledged in performance, not once. “It’s amazing Judas Priest has never done it. They don’t always have to do it, but it’s amazing that they’ve never done it. I mean, Rob supposedly has never heard my era of Judas Priest, and it’s kind of all right because I’ve never actually listened to his solo stuff except Fight, so we’re kind of even on it. After Fight, I’ve not really listened to his stuff either, so it’s kind of all right. “When I was in Judas Priest, I didn’t listen to a lot of stuff, so I really didn’t listen to the Halford stuff — unless somebody had it on somewhere,”
Despite the omission, Owens remains respectful of Halford and the band’s legacy.
“I love Rob — Rob is a friend and a mentor and an idol. Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio are the two guys who really inspired me. So it’s nothing against anything, really. It’s not that I didn’t want to [listen to his solo stuff]; I just never did. It was kind of like, ‘I’m in Judas Priest. There’s no need.’ But after I left, I listened to the Judas Priest records. Whether I liked them or not, I listened to ’em.”
As for Halford himself, he’s been candid about his disinterest in revisiting those albums. When asked in a 2021 Classic Rock interview whether he had ever listened to Jugulator or Demolition, Halford replied. “No. I still haven’t. This might sound selfish, but because it’s not me singing, I’m not attracted to it. I sound like a twat, but I’m really just not interested. And that’s no disrespect to Ripper, ’cause he’s a friend of mine.”
Still, there’s no animosity between the two singers. In fact, Halford recalled their first meeting fondly. “When the band went through Ohio, and Tim came to the show. Was it awkward? Not in the least. We hugged each other. He’s a massive Priest fan, and when the opportunity came for me to go back, he was, like, ‘Thumbs up, it’s great. I’m happy for the band, I’m happy for Rob.’ I respect his chops; he’s a great singer.”
Owens, of course, wasn’t just a hired hand. He joined Priest in 1996 after Scott Travis saw a videotape of him performing with the Priest tribute band British Steel. What followed were two heavy, darker albums that split fans at the time, but gained appreciation over the years for their aggression and vocal acrobatics.
Why, then, did this period of the band’s live history remain silent? Perhaps it’s a combination of emotional detachment, limited stage time, and artistic preference. However, one thing is certain: those songs still merit a performance for Owens and certain admirers.
1 Comment
When Priest found a new singer, Halford was visibly upset in an MTV interview when he was trying to damage Priest by claiming their new singer was a mere clone of himself.
I recall reading something he said after he reunited with Priest where he claimed he wanted back in at one point but saw the JP LIVE IN LONDON video and thought it wouldn’t happen.
Halford is a damn liar and a prissy little diva!