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 Consequen Of Sound. Following is an excerpt from the interview.
Q: How has it been playing with Judas Priest on certain tour dates?
Tipton: "It’s fantastic. To hear the roar of the crowd, and in some places they chant 'Glenn', it makes me feel really good. It’s just a very hard thing to give up. I will find it very difficult when I finish completely. But at the moment, I’m dealing with it and enjoying it. And the crowd’s enjoying it. Also, I’ve got a foundation for Parkinson’s. Basically, I’ve done it through this specialist that I work with in London. We’ve got t-shirts and we put them on sale with the Priest posters and t-shirts. It’s sold really good. I’m not surprised, because the Priest fans are so loyal. They’re great. It’s great that we’re able to raise some money. I’m putting it into a Parkinson’s trust that deals with MRI – it’s sort of an MRI technique, a scanning technique."
Q: What’s the latest you can tell us about Judas Priest’s upcoming album?
Tipton: "We’re fortunate — or unfortunate, whichever way you want to look at it — that we’ve created a niche for ourself, and I think the fans would be disappointed if we strayed too far away from it. But we’ve always wanted to try and go down new paths. So really, it’s a bit experimental. There will be some tracks on there that people will either like or … I wouldn’t say 'hate,' but they might not be their favorite tracks. We haven’t finished it yet. We did some before the pandemic, then that put a halt to that, and then we’ve continued — and will continue — since. But it’s very strong, very good material. I think that all in all, the kids are really going to like it."
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.
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
