British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST were reunited with guitarist K.K. Downing and drummer Les Binks for a performance at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony Saturday night (November 5) at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
PRIEST received the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which honored Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.
The JUDAS PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Rob Halford (vocals),Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, Binks and late drummer Dave Holland.
Halford, Hill, Tipton and Travis were joined by Binks, Downing and current guitarist Richie Faulkner for three-song medley consisting of “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'”, “Breaking The Law” and “Living After Midnight”.
PRIEST was inducted into the Rock Hall by fellow rock legend Alice Cooper, who described them as “the definitive metal band.” He added: “They defined the sound we know of heavy metal and their sound is unmistakable. And what can you say about Rob Halford‘s voice? Never have screams covered such a range. Is there any emotion that he can’t express?
“They’re electrifying on stage and one of the hardest-hitting live bands in the history of rock and roll. PRIEST has carried the flag of hard rock and heavy metal proudly for something like 50 years, never wavering or following trends or pretending to be anything but exactly what they are,” Cooper said. “They are flying high tonight. Much deserved and long overdue.”
In his acceptance speech, Halford told the crowd: “I’m the gay guy in the band. We call ourselves the heavy metal community which is all-inclusive, no matter what your sexual identity is, what you look like, or what you believe in or don’t believe in. Everybody’s welcome.”
Halford also addressed the fact that PRIEST recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, saying: “We should get out another 50 years, but the joy about music is that it lives forever. And that’s the reason why we’re here. We live for heavy metal. We live for music. And we’re living for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.”
Last month, Hill was asked by the Detroit Metro Times if he thought there was any chance of ever reconciling with Downing and him rejoining PRIEST. Hill responded: “I think time is not on our side for that, you know? Never say never, put it like that. [Downing‘s] gonna be there at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame anyway. He’s gonna get up and play some songs with us there. It might kickstart something; I don’t know. On the other hand, he might pull us all apart. [Laughs]”
Earlier last month, Downing confirmed to Ultimate Classic Rock that his goal with the Rock Hall performance was “to represent the attitude and hopefully the legend of what JUDAS PRIEST is and has become and what it means to everybody who’s been on that very long journey through the decades with the band. And hopefully it will just kind of remind people and bring back some cherished memories of the heavy metal parking lots all around the world.”
Downing added that performing with PRIEST again would be like riding the proverbial bicycle, more than a decade after the guitarist last played with the band. “It’s what I’ve done so many times,” Downing said. “It’s almost like cracking a beer, let alone riding a bike. It’s embedded in me. It’s what I do. So it’ll be quite something to look forward to, just to get up there and crank the amps up and just do it once again, for that short moment in time.”
Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.
In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band’s 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.
In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as “a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music,” while the second was “angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties.”
Downing later said that he believed the second letter was “a key reason” he wasn’t invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton‘s decision to retire from touring.
JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year’s class.
Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.
The 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
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