JUDAS PRIEST to Perform as Four-Piece for First Time Since 1974

11 January 2022
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When JUDAS PRIEST hit the road again, they'll be down a member. The band has announced it will return to touring as a quartet without road guitarist (and co-producer of the 2018 album, Firepower) Andy Sneap, who is stepping down to focus on production work.

 
JUDAS PRIEST also confirmed that guitarist Glenn Tipton, who stopped touring in 2018 following a Parkinson's disease diagnosis, will still occasionally perform with the band, as he has done for the past several years.
 
This is the first time since 1974, before they recorded debut album Rocka Rolla, that JUDAS PRIEST have performed with only one guitarist. 
 
Judas Priest were originally scheduled to launch their 50th-anniversary tour in the fall of 2020, but the shows were postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. The band was forced to reconfigure its road plans again this past September when guitarist Richie Faulkner had to have emergency surgery for a cardiac condition. North American tour dates are now slated to resume on March 4. The band is also expected to participate in a rescheduled tour with Ozzy Osbourne in 2023.
 
 
 
Source: ultimateclassicrock.com