Imagine that tour!
Rob Halford of Judas Priest has revealed he once fantasised about playing shows with Black Sabbath, Motörhead and Iron Maiden as the UK’s ‘Big Four’ of metal.
In a new interview with Heavy Consequence, Halford said he dreamed of Priest performing shows in the UK with Sabbath, Motörhead and Maiden. It’d be the UK equivalent of the Big Four of thrash metal – namely, Slayer, Metallica, Anthrax and Megadeth – who staged concerts together between 2010 and 2011.
“My dream had always been to have like ‘The Big Four of the UK’, without turning this into a kind of depressing way,” Halford said. “I’d always dreamed of Black Sabbath and Motörhead and Priest and Maiden as ‘The Big Four’ doing something in the UK.”
He then acknowledged that the death of Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister and the retirement of Black Sabbath would make that difficult to accomplish: “Sadly, two-fourths of that has gone, but the music lives forever. That’s the main thing.”
Halford also expressed his enthusiasm for a Judas Priest and Iron Maiden joint tour, which his bandmate Ian Hill had previously supported. “I think both bands would look to do that,” Halford said. “It’s all about the timing of doing such a thing. We’re good friends.”
He also compared Priest and Maiden’s rivalry in the ’80s to healthy competition between sports teams: “It’s like the Arizona Cardinals and the Raiders or the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. It’s that kind of rivalry, a good rivalry. It’s a fun rivalry.”
“But I think both bands have admired each other throughout the metal years, and it would be a spectacular event – Priest and Iron Maiden together,” Halford added.
Last month, both Motörhead and Judas Priest were announced as nominees for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 2020. Motörhead’s nomination initially sparked outcry and criticism for excluding longtime members Mikkey Dee and Phil ‘Wizzo’ Campbell. The Rock Hall ultimately amended the band’s nomination to include the long-serving drummer and guitarist.
