By Christopher David<\/p>\n
The second leg of Judas Priest\u2019s Firepower tour steamrolled through Chicago on Wednesday, and unsurprisingly, the metal gods delivered in grand fashion.<\/p>\n
The post-Glenn Tipton era of Judas Priest is starting to find its stride in the twin attack of Jason Faulkner and Andy Sneap, and Rob Halford is now officially a man who exists outside of time; his vocal prowess remains strong (though a bit more carefully measured), and he stalks the stage like a man half his age, rousing the crowd to a fever pitch during \u201cTurbo Lover\u201d and \u201cHellbent for Leather,\u201d performed from his signature motorcycle in layers of leather regalia.<\/p>\n
Faulkner is a rock star if ever there was one; the man was clearly born to be playing heavy metal to huge crowds. Constantly working the crowd and engaging with fans while blazing through Defenders of the Faith<\/em> crusher \u201cFreewheel Burning\u201d and the grinding trade-offs with Sneap during \u201cSinner,\u201d he\u2019s everything you want to see in a metal guitarist. New tune \u201cRising From Ruins\u201d found a mid-tempo groove not unlike early classic \u201cBeyond the Realms of Death,\u201d and while it was already one of the strongest cuts on Firepower<\/em>, it really rose (see what I did there?) to the occasion on a live stage; this is one that should stay in the set for a while. Priest\u2019s sound remains unique in hard rock; they\u2019ve always towed a line between a classic rock groove as well as a thrasher, speed metal approach to certain records or eras. To that end, touring with Deep Purple (if for no other reason than the two being so closely related in terms of longevity) makes sense, though Priest\u2019s abbreviated set in light of that was disappointing, given some gems that have appeared throughout the tour (\u201cNo Surrender,\u201d \u201cSaints in Hell,\u201d and \u201cThe Ripper\u201d were MIA). Priest\u2019s fanbase and live show are bulletproof; they could have carried the entire night.<\/p>\n