Judas Priest Launching North American “Epitaph;” Planning New CD
Judas Priest is now bringing their "Epitaph" tour to North America. The group has a 35-date trek scheduled throughout the U.S. and Canada that extends into early December. They're launching the road trip at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas Wednesday night. Thin Lizzy and Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society are on board as openers, while select shows will also feature Lady Starlight. Judas Priest is calling this a "farewell" trek, because it's marking an end to their extended global touring career. Guitarist Glenn Tipton tells MusicRadar.com their age was one factor that weighed heavily in their decision to change their touring ways, explaining that they're "not as young as we once were," which "certainly has to be considered." He adds that once they're off the road it'll be a "great thing" to have "more time on our hands."
Tipton explains that he and his bandmates will use their extra time to work on a new album. He adds that they've already started writing material for the disc, but it'll be a while before the band can start focusing on the project. Glenn says they plan to "take a nice rest" once they've completed the tour, and then they'll "get into the studio and write and work on the album." And it'll be several more months before the "Epitaph" tour is over. After wrapping up the North American portion of the trek, Judas Priest has a run of dates scheduled in Japan in February.
Judas Priest's North American "Epitaph" Tour Dates
October 14 - Concrete Street Amphitheater, Corpus Christi, Texas
October 15 - The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston, Texas
October 16 - Allen Event Center, Dallas, Texas
October 18 - Ava Amphitheater, Tucson, Arizona
October 19 - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre, San Diego, California
October 21 - Arizona State Fair, Phoenix, Arizona
October 22 - San Manuel Amphitheater, San Bernardino, California
October 23 - Hard Rock, Las Vegas, Nevada
October 25 - Rabobank Arena, Bakersfield, California
October 27 - Sleep Train Pavilion, Concord, California
October 29 - WaMu Theater, Seattle, Washington
October 30 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
November 1 - Shaw Conference Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
November 2 - Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
November 4 - Maverik Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
November 5 - 1STBANK Center, Denver, Colorado
November 8 - US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
November 9 - Prairie Capital Convention Center, Springfield, Illinois
November 10 - The Family Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
November 12 - The Venue at Horseshoe Casino, Chicago, Illinois
November 13 - Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
November 15 - Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
November 16 - The Armory, Rochester, New York
November 18 - Izod Center, East Rutherford, New Jersey
November 19 - Cambria County War Memorial, Johnstown, Pennsylvania
November 20 - Paul E Tsongas Arena, Lowell, Massachusetts
November 22 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canda
November 23 - Colisee Pepsi Arena, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
November 24 - Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
November 26 - Sovereign Center, Reading, Pennsylvania
November 27 - Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
November 30 - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida
December 1 - Klipsch Amphitheater at Bayfront Park, Miami, Florida
December 3 - Hard Rock Biloxi Hotel and Casino, Biloxi, Mississippi