Judas Priest promise “something special” for 50th anniversary celebrations

Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner says the band are planning “something special” to mark their 50th anniversary in 2019.

Last month, frontman Rob Halford told Philadelphia radio station 93.3 WMMR Rocks! that discussions were taking place on what the band should do to celebrate the “incredible milestone.”

And while Faulkner won’t give too much away at this point, he reports that it’ll be “an event that the fans will really remember.”

He tells Metal Kaoz: “Obviously, I do have some idea of what's being talked about, but it’s at the very early stages at the moment – and I don’t want to give anything away.

“But, as Rob said, this is a fantastic milestone for the band and, again, the fans have put Priest there for all this time. This acknowledges the fans more than anything, so it will be all about giving back to them – an event that the fans will really remember.

Faulkner adds: “It’s in progress and we’re talking about what we want to do, but in true Judas Priest fashion, it’s going to be something everyone will remember.

“We want to give back to the fans because they have put the band there for nearly 50 years and they’re still coming to the shows. They still love the band, so it will be something special.”

Judas Priest are currently on the road across North America in support of their latest album Firepower.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that they’d be special guests of Ozzy Osbourne on the UK and Ireland leg of his No More Tours 2 run of shows in early 2019.

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.