Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton, who was forced to step back from intensive touring after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2018, is featured in a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock.
UCR: When Judas Priest first became a two-guitar band, how did you and K.K. Downing divide the parts?
Tipton: "It really took care of itself. We didn’t sit down and say, 'You take this one, I’ll take that one.' Everything seemed to fall in place. It seemed obvious which lead I should take and the leads that K.K. should do."
UCR: It takes a special guitar player to be able to match you, as Richie Faulkner did when he joined the band in 2011.
Tipton: "He’s phenomenal. I didn’t realize quite how good he was, initially. There’s been times when he’s just noodling on the guitars, and he doesn’t particularly know whether there’s anybody else in the studio. What he comes up with is unbelievable. He had a big mission as well. Because he had to play the solos in line with where the band was at. Otherwise, people would criticize him for that. He’s done that, but he puts his own stamp on it. I think it takes a lot of skill to do that. From one guitar player to another, I don’t think there’s anybody else that could have taken those solos and changed them without it affecting the quality of the song. He’s an incredible guitar player."
UCR: What's going on with the new Judas Priest album?
Tipton: "The epidemic really halted the writing process. But the band was kicking ideas around before that. I think it’s what every Priest fan would want to hear. There’s no attempt to be clever or try and do something too risky. It’s just down and out Priest. And as I say, I think it will be what every Priest fan will want."
Read the complete interview here.
Tipton rejoined the band onstage on March 12 at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. Glenn joined the band for their encore - "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law", and "Living After Midnight". Fan-filmed video can be found below.
Upcoming Judas Priest dates are listed below.
March
20 - HEB Center - Austin, TX
21 - Freeman Coliseum - San Antonio, TX
23 - Nashville Municipal Auditorium - Nashville, TN
25 - Ameris Bank Amphitheatre - Alpharetta, GA
27 - Charleston Civic Center Coliseum - Charleston, WV
29 - The Met - Philadelphia, PA
30 - Prudential Center - Newark, NJ
31 - MGM National Harbor - Washington, DC
April
2 - Foxwoods Casino Arena - Mashantucket, CT
4 - Paul E. Tsongas Arena - Lowell, MA
7 - Halifax Scotiabank Centre - Halifax, Nova Scotia
10 - Videotron Center - Quebec City, Quebec
11 - Place Bell - Montreal, Quebec
13 - FirstOntario Centre - Hamilton, Ontario
