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JUDAS PRIEST ANNOUNCE “50 HEAVY METAL YEARS” NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

One of heavy metal’s all-time greats, Judas Priest will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with a world tour coming to the U.S. in the fall. The 50 Heavy Metal Years tour will also feature Sabaton as openers and is being fueled by the highest-charting album of Priest’s career, Firepower, which peaked at number five on the Billboard 200.

“Judas Priest are primed and ready to deliver the goods with our 50 Heavy Metal Years anniversary celebration stage show spectacular,” the band said in a statement. “Performing a blistering cross section of songs from our lives in metal — we can’t wait to raise horns with you again at this once-in-a-metal-lifetime event.”

Judas Priest 50 Heavy Metal Years tour dates:

Sep. 9 – Oxon Hill, MD @ MGM National Harbor 
Sep. 11 – Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum 
Sep. 12 – Ledyard, CT @ Foxwoods Casino Arena 
Sep. 14 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Mann Center 
Sep. 15 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center 
Sep. 17 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion 
Sep. 18 – Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fair – Rebel Rock Fest 
Sep. 21 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena 
Sep. 23 – Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre 
Sep. 24 – Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Centre 
Sep. 26 – Chicago, IL @ Rosemont Theatre 
Sep. 27 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory 
Sep. 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller High Life Theatre 
Sep. 30 – St. Louis, MO @ Saint Louis Music Park 

Oct. 2 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Zoo Amphitheatre 
Oct. 3 – Dallas, TX @ Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory 
Oct. 5 – Austin, TX @ HEB Center 
Oct. 6 – San Antonio, TX @Freeman Coliseum 
Oct. 8 – Albuquerque, NM @ Resort and Casino 
Oct. 09 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom 
Oct. 11 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena 
Oct. 13 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Federal Theatre 
Oct. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ Microsoft Theater 
Oct. 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ Zappos Theatre at Planet Hollywood

Judas Priest originally formed in 1970 in Birmingham, England (an area that many feel birthed heavy metal). The original nucleus of musicians – Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, KK Downing & Ian Hill (along with several different drummers over the years) would go on to change the face of heavy metal. Throughout the 70’s Priest were responsible for helping trail blaze metal with such classic offerings as Sad Wings of Destiny (1976) Sin After Sin (1977) and Hell Bent for Leather (1978) as well as one of the genre’s top live recordings Unleashed in the East (1979) among others.

But it was during the 80’s that Priest conquered the world, becoming a global arena headliner on the strength of such all-time classics as British Steel (1980) and Screaming for Vengeance (1982), as well as being one of the first metal bands to be embraced by the then-burgeoning MTV, plus performing at some of the decades biggest concerts (1980’s Monsters of Rock, 1983’s US Festival, and 1985’s Live Aid) and being the first to exclusively wear leather and studs – a look that began during this era and would eventually be embraced by metal heads throughout the world. Priest’s success continued throughout the 90’s and beyond with the addition of drummer Scott Travis, as evidenced by such additional stellar offerings as Painkiller (1990) Angel of Retribution (2005) and A Touch of Evil: Live (2009) the latter of which saw Priest win a Grammy Award for a killer rendition of the classic Dissident Aggressor.

In 2011 new guitarist Richie Faulkner came in to replace K.K. Downing who had left in 2010 – the move seemed to have reinvigorated the band, as evidenced by a show-stealing performance on the American Idol TV program that also served as Faulkner’s debut performance with the band (also in 2011 was the release of a new compilation The Chosen Few which included Priest classics selected by some of metal’s biggest names) and the Epitaph concert DVD in 2013. 

Priest’s next studio effort would arrive in 2014 Redeemer of Souls which was supported by another strong tour. 

In 2017 (and again in 2019) Judas Priest received a nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and got ready to unleash their latest studio album Firepower (produced by Andy Sneap and Tom Allom) which received global success and critical acclaim.

Few rock or metal acts remain as much of a must-see live attraction as Judas Priest. And the forthcoming 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour will undoubtedly drive this point home.

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OZZY OSBOURNE SAYS HE IN “UNBELIEVABLE PAIN 24/7”

Simon Cosyns of The Sun reports:

“I’m in unbelievable pain 24/7,” admits Ozzy Osbourne…

In his first major interview since confirming his battle with Parkinson’s disease, the lovable 71-year-old hellraiser says he is struggling to recover from a fall early last year.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. I was lying there as clearly and as calmly as anything, thinking, ‘Well Ozzy, you’ve f***ing done it now’… I have to be helped to change, to have a bath . . . it’s just f***ing awkward, you know?”

..”.If I had a choice between the Parkinson’s and the f***ing neck, he continues. “I’d go for the Parkinson’s. I’ve been laid up for a year now.”

…[Now] this week came the news that he’s had to cancel the US leg of his world tour, due to start in Atlanta at the end of May.

He says: “I had to pull out because I might only be able to do a couple of shows. I’ll go out there when I’m ready and I’m not ready yet. The recovery has been so goddam slow. I’ve never been this laid up in my life and, believe me, I’ve done some stupid things. I’ve recovered from alcoholism, drug addiction, all of the above. Then I tripped over, and that’s it…”

…[Ozzy also discussed his new album, Ordinary Man, out today (February 21st)] saying, The album has saved my life. Before I started work, I was just lying there thinking, ‘Poor old me’. The album got me out of bed. Some days I’d do an hour or two, other days four or five. It was the best medicine I could have because it stopped me thinking about how I might end up a cripple…When I first found out I had Parkinson’s I thought, ‘F***!’, but then I thought, ‘It could be worse, I could be dead.’ The fact is . . . what am I going to do about it? With the time I’ve got left, I don’t want to sit around being miserable. Everybody would like to be me for a weekend. I’ve had a great life.”

Of his recent diagnosis, Ozzy says, “It’s like, ‘Dun, dun, duuuuun . . . Ozzy’s got Parkinson’s’. But I actually have a thing called PRKN 2. It’s not mainstream Parkinson’s like Michael J Fox’s, but a milder form, I’m glad to say. It affects regular things — like if you get a cold, it could be the Parkinson’s…The problem I’m having right now is with my neck…”

…The legendary rocker has long since turned his back on the fast living of his early years fronting heavy metal pioneers Black Sabbath.

“It’s seven years since I had a drink, seven years clean and sober,” he says. “Don’t smoke tobacco, don’t drink, don’t do drugs. It’s quite boring…The only other thing is masturbation,” laughs Ozzy..

“…I just hope my fans won’t give up on me. If I cancel again, they might. There’s no one who wants to get better faster than me and go out on the road. I’ve never been at home this long in my life.”

Read more at The Sun.

Ozzy is currently celebrating the release of his new album, Ordinary Man, with a worldwide tattoo event and in store appearance, this evening, at Amoeba Records in Hollywood, CA  at 5:00 PM (PST).

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FORMER WHITE LION FRONTMAN MIKE TRAMP RELEASES VIDEO FOR NEW SONG “THE ROAD”

Former White Lion singer Mike Tramp has released a music video for his new single The Road. The song comes from his upcoming album, Second Time Around, due out May 1st through Target Records.

Tramp comments on the song, “Life is a journey where you travel an endless highway that goes up and down and in and out. It is here you find out who you are and what you are made of. Where you make decisions of where you’re going and where you are not. When you come to the end of the journey and you look back at the road you’ve traveled — no matter the good or the bad — you always want to do it again, and that is my commitment to rock ‘n’ roll.”

View the video here.

Mike Tramp recently announced that he will be embarking on a North American tour where he will be doing performing all the White Lion hits, including When The Children Cry, Little Fighter, Wait, Lady Of The Valley, Radar Love and many others. See dates below.

Apr. 15 – Whisky A Go-Go – Hollywood, CA 
Apr. 16 – Count’s Vamped – Las Vegas, NV 
Apr. 30 – M3 Festival Kick Off Party – Union Jacks – Columbia, MD 

May 1 – M3 Festival – Merriweather Pavilion – Columbia, MD 
May 2 – Debonair Music Hall – Teaneck, NJ 
May 3 – Mixx 360 – Malden, MA 
May 5 – Three Flags Ballroom – Warren, PA 
May 9 – The Stage – Williamsville, NY 
May 10 – Sharkey’s Bar – Liverpool, NY 
May 15 – Potawatomi Hotel And Casino – Milwaukee, WI 
May 20 – The Paramount – Salina, KS 
May 22 – The Venue – Denver, CO 

Jun. 7 – Sidetracks Music Hall – Huntsville, AL 
Jun. 12 – Warehouse Live – Houston, TX

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DAVID LEE ROTH SAYS HE HAS “NO DELUSIONS ABOUT MY [SINGING] VOICE”

Chris Riemenschneider of The Star Tribune spoke with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth. Highlights from the feature article appear below.

On his singing voice:

“I’ve never had any delusions about my voice. It sounds like four miles of flat road with knobby tires. Mom used to say that; in fact she said it last week. However, some people’s definition of perfect vocals might be pristine and pretty like Adam Lambert. My definition of absolutely the best vocal in the last 20 years is [sung off-key like Biz Markie]: “Girl, you got what I need! And you say he’s just a friend …”

Discussing Eddie Van Halen:

“You know what I know. Ed, God bless him, may have a fair amount of time ahead of him, but going out on the road is an unforgiving task. It kills people. It’s been a long great trip, a long great run. But this kind of music requires the kind of energy that people in their 20s bring. You know what NFL stands for: Not For Long. It’s similar in rock. I remember the days when we would stand around and say, ‘Let’s go have a cigarette.’ And that’s what we did: Four guys having one cigarette. I remember those days. They go by fast, so enjoy them while you’re in them.”

On tourmate Gene Simmons producing early Van Halen demos in the mid-1970s: 

“Van Halen was like a sea anemone. It’s born looking exactly the same way it does as it passes into the hereafter. If you listen to tracks from our club days in 1973, Van Halen, once I joined the band, sounded exactly like we did the first day together at Ed’s mom’s house as we did on the first record as we did on Jump. It took us 5½ years before Warner Bros. finally showed up. About two years before that, Gene came to the Starwood and said: ‘Let’s try to do some demos.’ We flew to Electric Ladyland and made some tapes, but nothing really came out of them. So that was that.”

What he considers his lasting legacy: 

“There was a 20-year phase where one in five males went dressed as me on Halloween. All their girlfriends went dressed as Stevie Nicks. It’s a songbook that’s more famous and more memorized than My Country Tis the Purple Mountains’ ”

Read more at the The Star Tribune.

David Lee Roth: Rocks Vegas remaining dates are: March 18th, 20th-21st, 25th, 27th-28th. The singer is scheduled to open for KISS on their End of The Road tour.

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LISTEN TO BON JOVI’S NEW SINGLE “LIMITLESS,” NEW ALBUM “2020” TO BE RELEASED ON MAY 15TH

A new Bon Jovi song titled Limitless can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band’s upcoming album, 2020, which will be released on May 15th. The effort will be made available as a CD, gold vinyl and as a digital download.

2020 track listing:

1.  Beautiful Drug 
2.  Unbroken 
3.  Limitless 
4.  Luv Can 
5.  Brothers In Arms 
6.  Story Of Love 
7.  Lower The Flag 
8.  Let It Rain 
9.  Shine 
10. Blood In The Water

Bon Jovi’s U.S. tour will start on June 10th in Tacoma, Washington and will conclude July 28th in New York City. Support on most dates will come from Bryan Adams, see full itinerary, here.

Pre-order Bon Jovi’s album, 2020 album, t-shirt bundles, vinyl, CD, and digital download are now available to pre-order here. 

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RATT GUITARIST CHRIS SANDERS DEPARTS THE BAND AND WRITES “I’VE RETIRED FROM THE INDUSTRY”

Guitarist Chris Sanders has confirmed that he has left Ratt, reports blabbermouth.net.

Sanders joined the band in 2018 after the departure of original guitar player Warren DeMartini. He spent most of the last two years playing sporadic shows with the band’s most recent lineup, which also featured singer Stephen Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier, drummer Pete Holmes (Black ‘N Blue, Ratt’s Juan Croucier) and guitarist Jordan Ziff (Razer).

Sanders released a statement to Mike Gaube’s Headbangers announcing his retirement from the music industry.

He wrote:, “At the beginning of the year, I sent an email to [Ratt’s] management that I would not be renewing my contract for 2020. After playing music in some form for 25 years, I’ve retired from the industry.”

Ratt is rumored to be joining forces with Tom Keifer, Skid Row and Slaughter for a U.S. tour this summer, with the official announcement expected next Monday, February 24th.

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