Judas Priest Album: “Live Vengeance '82 [DVD]”

You simply won't get a better performance by Priest recorded on video.

This is the real deal, Priest at their best. The guitar attack of Tipton and Downing is amazing, the sound is great, Halford is also singing like never and the set list is very good. The only downside is, of course, Dave Holland's drumming. Funny thing, that guy played greatly in Trapeze, but in Judas Priest his drumming was dumbed down to a laughable point. (probably, following orders from the produceer, Halford, Tipton, etc).

You can't get wrong with this one.

Judas Priest recorded at Mid South Coliseum, Memphis, TN, 12/12/82. This DVD was previously released as part of the

box set and originally released on VHS as "Judas Priest Live". This was also shown on MTV back in 1983, when MTV had soul! Drawbacks - the show appears to have been transferred from VHS onto DVD without any sort of digital re-mastering, this is evident with tracking lines being visible at the bottom of the screen a couple of times. Other than that, the picture is stellar and the audio is perfect. There is NO PROBLEM with Glenn's sound at all, his guitar playng is heard in all it's glory! Now onto the show!

The concert starts with the taped recording of "The Hellion" and then the band blasts into "Electric Eye". Rob is perched on the top of a lighting tower singing: "Up here in space. Looking down at you. My lasers trace, everything you do." Rob is decked out in his classic black leather and spikes attire, also adorned with sunglasses, faux 3rd Reich cap, whip and red bandana tied around his left leg (red bandana tied around leg. Wha?) Oh well, Rob pulls it off as only Rob can! Hey, I thought it was butch at the time! LOL! Rob has to be in the best physical shape of his life. He looks dare I say, almost buff! Marshall amps are stacked all around the stage. Blue colored lasers are encircling Glenn and K.K. while the fog machine works overtime blanketing the stage. All you Dave Holland (ex-Trapeze) bashers, Dave is fantastic here! I do not want to hear how monotonous he is. Unfailingly keeping the tempo/rhythm on every tune, he is spot on throughout! Ian Hill, what can I say? He is the spine for JP. Methodically swinging his bass back and forth in time to his playing and head banging, he is a pillar of metal!

Highpoints on a perfect performance are tough to single out, but I will try. "Riding On The Wind" is awesome. Rob's singing is tremendous, he hits the high notes without falter. "Metal Gods" gets high marks for Rob's theatrics and singing during this tune. Seeing "Bloodstone" live was great! Rob's singing really stands out on this tune, as he belts out his vocals. K.K.'s solo during "Sinner" is psychedelicly smoking! K.K. really works over the wammy bar on his Fender! Rob's intro for "The Ripper": "Here's a little Victorian melodrama for you with a slight surgical incision here and there" and then his proceding performance is perfect! "Hell Bent For Leather" is the icing on the cake. Rob goes maniacal, pushing over his "hog" and then whipping it relentlessly!

WOW, THIS is the Priest I fell in love with, worshiped and soldiered for in my not so innocent youth! This show is absolutely a gem! The band was a well rehearsed and oiled (pun intended) metal machine, and they are firing on all cylinders! The band is in high energy throughout,and the Memphis crowd goes nuts over JP! And you will too after witnessing this performance!

Hey, It's Judas Priest at the hight of their prowess touring for the "Screaming For Vengeance" album. It's Rob in leather and spikes, it's when lasers, explosives and smoking were allowed inside auditoriums. It's the '80's at it's heavy metal best!

P.S. Iron Maiden was the opening act during the tour, as they were introducing their new vocalist Bruce Dickinson and showcasing their new album "The Number Of The Beast" > Damn, what a freakin' lineup!

BUY THIS NOW! JU-DAS PRIEST! JU-DAS PRIEST! JU-DAS PRIEST!

Running time: 95min.

Set list:

1)The Hellion/Electric Eye

2)Riding On The Wind

3)Heading Out To The Highway

4)Metal Gods

5)Bloodstone

6) Breaking The Law

7) Sinner

8) Desert Plains

9) The Ripper

10) Diamonds And Rust

11) Devil's Child

12) Screaming For Vengeance

13) You've Got Another Thing Coming

14) Victim Of Changes

15) Living After Midnight

16) The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)

17) Hell Bent For Leather

The sound and picture are excellent on this dvd considering when it was shot "1982". This dvd shows a young Judas Priest. You will notice all the guitarists running around stage alot more then they did on Rising In The East. You will also notice that Rob Halford hits his notes higher and longer. The introduction starts with Electric Eye just like they did on Rising In The East, on this dvd though the song sounds more like the studio version. Some of my favorites are on this one too such as Devil's Child, Screaming For Vengence, The Green Manalishi (with the two pronged crown), and Sinner was amazing. Like I titled this, it is a MUST buy for any Priest fan.

Well,I haven't seen this filmed concert in over 20 years when it was on MTV......since then I've grown up and got into playing guitar.......I've been loyal to the Halford fronted Priest through thick and thin......From an old-school metal guitarist's perspective,this is TOTAL EYE CANDY......MARSHALL STACKS LIKE YOU WON'T BELIEVE!! K.K. playing his Gibson flying V for the most part,ocassionally breaking out a Fender Strat...and Glenn playing a Gibson SG,one that he recently put up for charity auction,for the most part and breaking out a Fender Strat for a few numbers. ....MOST GUITARISTS KNOW THAT GIBSON GUITARS AND MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION...GO TOGETHER LIKE PEANUT BUTTER AND GRAPE JELLY........This is Judas Priest before Glenn and K.K. went to custom made Hamer guitars...not that Hamer is bad,but Gibson and Fender are better....this is before Turbo(1986)and there experiment with glam/hair metal which hardcore Priest fans hated...this is before an even worse badly written, filler infested Ram It Down (1988).....This is before an already jaded Priest with Painkiller(1990),the Tim "Ripper"Owens era,and the recent reunion,(minus drummer Dave Holland)which is cool but they're in thier mid-50's now and past thier prime........This is Judas Priest on the Screaming For Vengeance tour 82-83 in December 1982 in Memphis,probably thier best selling album and they were the reigning champs of metal....Rob Halford's voice is in top form and its prime at age 31....they all looked great......This show blows away the Fuel for Life concert filmed in Dallas in May 1986 for the Turbo album.........if you want Priest playing thier awsome classics like "Sinner" "The Ripper" "Victim of Changes" cranked on Fender and Gibson guitars through a massive Marshall stack set .......then this is it!!!!