Judas Priest Begin ‘Invincible Shield Tour’ with a Bang in Montreal [Photos]

It’s the fall of 1984 and a fellow fourth grader, whose name has long been forgotten to time, has asked me to join him in forming a band. I can’t sing worth a lick or play any kind of instrument, but the idea of being in a band seems pretty cool, so of course I accept the invitation. He tells me he wants to play the same kind of music as his favourite band, Judas Priest.

I have no idea who they are as growing up, we were mostly a talk-radio family and what music I did have access to came from either Video Hits on CBC or CJFM, which played mostly Top-40 pop music. So, he lent me his copy of their 1980 classic, British Steel. The first track was their hit “Breaking The Law,” with its unforgettable opening guitar riff. I didn’t know what this music was, but I loved it. My ambitions of being in a band evaporated four weeks later when that unnamed classmate moved away, but my love for Judas Priest continues to this day.

Here we are 40 years later, I still can’t sing or play any kind of instrument, but that little nine-year-old would have thought it pretty cool to learn that we would find ourselves right in front of our early metal heroes. There for the launch of the North American leg of their “Invincible Shield Tour” at the Centre Bell in Montreal. The anticipation in the building was palpable.

Despite having been formed in 1969, Judas Priest remains one of the vital bands of the genre. Opening the night was another heavy metal heavyweight, Sabaton. I was able to shoot the band during their visit to Montreal and was immediately drawn to them. All of their songs are about historical events, mostly dealing with wars. As a bit of a history buff myself, I was enthralled by their music and pretty much bought their entire back catalogue shortly after their show.

This year, as an opening act, the stage production was a little scaled back, though they still had their tank-themed drum riser. There was nothing scaled back about the performance though, as they opened with “Ghost Division,” a song about Rommel’s push into France during the Second World War. The musical blitzkrieg continued as there were no prisoners of war taken on this night. Everyone followed along to the marching beat of their captors willingly.

With the foot soldiers having done their job readying the masses, Judas Priest was ready to hit the stage. As the curtain lifted, the band were huddled together around the drum riser as they played “Panic Attack,” the opening track from their most recent album, Invincible Shield, released earlier this year. What followed for me was three songs of heavy metal majesty, given to the people by one of the best in the game. For the fortunate others in the stands, the performance lasted for almost another two hours as the band played a large collection of their greatest hits, as well as a few more cuts from Invincible Shield.

Listening to the still audible roars as I walked down the street after leaving the building, I thought about how, somewhere out there, prospective band members are still sharing Judas Priest songs amongst each other as influences get discussed. Hopefully, these new bands are more talented musically than yours truly. Judas Priest’s tour continues through to the end of October. Don’t miss these legends when they come to a town near you.

Judas Priest (w/ Sabaton) @ Centre Bell (Montreal, QC) on September 13, 2024

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