Watch Judas Priest Play ‘Tyrant’ Live for the First Time Since 1983
If you've seen Judas Priest play "Tyrant" before, count yourself among the luckiest of headbangers because the Metal Gods haven't put it in a set since 1983 (per setlist.fm). Well, until two nights ago in San Antonio, Texas.
It was the closing night of the North American leg of the Firepower tour and Priest tweaked the set list to celebrate, breaking out the Sad Wings of Destiny fan favorite. On this run, the band dropped staples like "Victim of Changes" and "Beyond the Realms of Death" to clear room for some others which had not been played in decades ("Running Wild," "Bloodstone," "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll"), as well as one, "Saints in Hell," which had never been performed live before.
For those keeping tabs on the Judas Priest Instagram page throughout the tour, you may have seen Richie Faulkner and Scott Travis rip through this song in a live backstage jam session stream. The two took requests from fans, one of which asked to hear "Tyrant" and they ran through it without hesitation. Later, Rob Halford tuned in from the bus and made the same request, but was informed he had missed it. Still, he demanded it be played and so it was.
Perhaps this performance of "Tyrant" is a preview of what's to come this summer when Judas Priest link up with Deep Purple for a co-headlining trek which kicks off in late August.
Judas Priest Albums Ranked
Judas Priest Play 'Wikipedia: Fact or Fiction?'