Written by:	destroyah
Published:	December 12, 2005

Judas Priest, THE Judas Priest in Tallinn. How great is that? Pretty damn great. Despite this I actually almost did not go to this concert... After all I was kinda out of work and down. Luckily, on the last minute, Ivan of Retribution made a divine intervention and so, accompanied by him and Ivor we were all set to go.

Before the show people recommended me to see Priest live, saying that their shows are always awesome and pack a mighty punch. Now I must join their ranks - Judas Priest rocked the house, even despite the mild-to-warm reception by the audience. The lack of a true feeling was the only shortcoming of the gig for me. Alas, the people here aren't yet ready to give bands the feedback they deserve (unless of course it's giants like Metallica or Rammstein). I can't really blame the crowd as I was extremely laid back myself this time (which I really regretted later).

But enough of this, let us concentrate on the heroes of the day. The bandmembers may be in their fifties but that doesn't mean Priest no longer put the pedal to the metal. Rob Halford walked about the stage and relentlessly tormented the speakers with his flesh-cutting vocals - the man's live voice is truly exceptional. Then again you couldn't expect less from a legend. I believe praising the other musicians is redundant. I will only say that Priest has aged like wine.

The band treated the audience with heavy metal classics such as "Painkiller" and of course "Breaking the Law", but fans of lighter music were pleased to hear "Living After Midnight" and "Turbo Lover". "Beyond The Realms Of Death" lit the candles. The setlist also included three songs from Judas Priest's 2005 album "Angel of Retribution". It was quite uplifting to say the least to see Rob Halford wave a Priest flag on top of a tower, screaming "Revolution!" from the bottom of his lungs. Of course, just before the encores the heavenly sound of a Harley Davidson chopper greeted the fans as Halford rode the beautiful beast to the stage. As for the closing track: well, after playing repeat-after-me with the audience for several minutes Halford said: "You've got another thing coming, Tallinn!". Need I say more?

Well actually, I do. I can't help bringing up a comparison with the Alice Cooper gig in Haapsalu this summer. A concert that was in my eyes salvaged by the rather modest-by-comparison but yet very captivating performance by Uriah Heep. Compared to Cooper (who undoubtedly delivered a spectacular show), Judas Priest was superior. Also they were significantly more communicative towards the audience, bringing it what it craves for - attention.

Older Priest fans might just roll their eyes reading this and consider my text pretty obvious and full of pathos. But then again this review is more like a proclamation, a call to arms if you will. My point is: if you've even heard just one Priest song and liked it, do not hesitate to see them live. Otherwise you'll miss out on an awesome concert experience. Personal taste is the only thing that might stop you from enjoying the show - expect no remorse from Priest. Ladies and gentlemen, Judas is rising.

Setlist:
1. Hellion/Electric Eye Medley
2. Metal Gods
3. Riding on the Wind
4. A Touch of Evil
5. Judas Rising
6. Revolution
7. Breaking the Law
8. I'm a Rocker
9. Diamonds & Rust
10. Beyond the Realms of Death
11. Turbo Lover
12. Hellrider
13. Victim of Changes
14. The Green Manalishi
15. Painkiller

Encores:
1. Hell Bent for Leather
2. Living After Midnight
3. You've Got Another Thing Comin'