Judas Priest will perform their upcoming tour as a four-piece due to live guitarist Andy Sneap turning his focus back toward studio production. Sneap has been filling in with Judas Priest since 2018 when longtime guitarist Glenn Tipton announced he wouldn't tour anymore due to his worsening Parkinson's disease. Judas Priest also confirmed in their statement that Sneap will be a part of the team working on the new album.
"Hello maniacs! We are chomping at the British Steel bit to return to world touring… celebrating 50 years of Judas Priest as an even more powerful, relentless four piece heavy metal band – with Glenn coming out on stage with us here and there as before," said Judas Priest in a statement. "Big thanks to Andy for all you've done and continuing to be in the production team for our new album… See you all soon headbangers!"
Judas Priest will hit the road with Queensrÿche this March. It's also worth noting that Tipton will appear on the new Judas Priest record, according to vocalist Rob Halford.
"There's ways of doing this. Glenn can still play the guitar. He plays it differently, but he can still play. He walked out with us on Bloodstock recently [and played] 'Metal Gods', 'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight', I think it was. He can play. So he'll be on this next album. Whatever work he does, he's valuable — really important.
"He's a member of Judas Priest. He's still there. He's still an important component of this band and what this band represents, particularly in the writing sense. He made a massive contribution to the songs that we have so far. And we'll still keep writing — we'll still keep putting together the ideas. 'Cause you can never not stop writing. The calendar tells you, the label says, 'We would like a record blah blah,' because it takes months to prepare and then months of promotion. And the clock is ticking.
"So, yeah, he's good, man. He's still a fighter. He never lets anything stop him. He's a great force for people that are living their lives actively and productively with Parkinson's. So he's still very much [like] that 'No Surrender' song — a heavy metal hero."
3/4 – Peoria Civic Theatre – Peoria, IL [Tickets]
3/6 – Mission Ballroom – Denver, CO [Tickets]
3/7 – Maverik Center – West Valley City, UT [Tickets]
3/9 – Angel Of The Winds Arena – Everett, WA [Tickets]
3/10 – Moda Center – Portland, OR [Tickets]
3/12 – Fox Theater – Oakland – Oakland, CA [Tickets]
3/13 – Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood – Las Vegas, NV [Tickets]
3/15 – The Shrine – Los Angeles, CA [Tickets]
3/16 – Arizona Federal Theatre – Phoenix, AZ [Tickets]
3/18 – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory – Irving, TX [Tickets]
3/20 – H-E-B Center at Cedar Park – Cedar Park, TX [Tickets]
3/21 – Freeman Coliseum – San Antonio, TX [Tickets]
3/23 – Nashville Municipal Auditorium – Nashville, TN [Tickets]
3/25 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre – Alpharetta, GA [Tickets]
3/27 – Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center – Charleston, WV [Tickets]
3/29 – The Met Philadelphia – Philadelphia, PA [Tickets]
3/30 – Prudential Center – Newark, NJ [Tickets]
3/31 – The Theater at MGM National Harbor – National Harbor, MD [Tickets]
4/2 – Foxwoods Resort Casino – Mashantucket, CT [Tickets]
4/4 – Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell – Lowell, MA [Tickets]
4/7 – Scotiabank Centre – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada [Tickets]
4/10 – Videotron Center – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada [Tickets]
4/11 – Place Bell – Laval, Quebec, Canada [Tickets]
4/13 – FirstOntario Centre – Hamilton, Ontario, Canada [Tickets]
