He had it all except the motorcycle: the black glasses, the black leather vest, pants, boots, gloves, and wrist cuffs with lots of spikes and chains…and the whip. Just Like Priest’s singer Frank had Rob Halford’s gestures, strutting, and attitude down perfectly. And then there was the voice: Any of you who’ve tried to sing along to Judas Priest songs over the years know that Halford’s incredible pipes aren’t easily matched, but Frank pulled off and sustained the powerful vocals and high notes with mastery.
Of course, a good band is much more than just a talented frontman, and Just Like Priest is no exception. Most impressive is that they captured not just Judas Priest’s sound, but the feel, the essence of the real thing. In L.A.’s backwards, largely pay-to-play scene — where it’s mostly tribute bands that can count on making money for their time and efforts — the resulting plethora of tribute bands has widely varying degrees of competency (and that’s being generous). Just Like Priest soars above the masses with not just superior vocals, but exceptionally tight timing and guitar harmonies.
Bassist Ian Hill was well-represented by Vic’s steady and intense fingering. Kevin replicated Glenn Tipton, down to the bright red leather pants (and I do mean bright red). K.K. Downing was cloned by Brian, strumming the same kind of original Gibson Flying V (although in much better shape than Downing’s). And precision drummer Gare channeled both Dave Holland and Scott Travis.
The large metal-loving crowd — complete with hardcore Judas Priest fanatics full-body head-banging and gyrating like a tipped-over barrel of monkeys — was a testament to the set’s quality. Starting with “Screaming for Vengeance’s” “The Hellion/Electric Eye” was a given, and brought even the more hesitant patrons toward the stage. “Defenders of the Faith’s” “Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” was followed by the ever-popular “Breaking the Law” off “British Steel.” Creepy “Night Crawler” off “Painkiller” was next.
Fans of live album “Unleashed in the East” were thrilled, perhaps even overjoyed, to hear “Diamonds and Rust,” “Victim of Changes,” and “The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown).” In fact, the stage, costumes, and instruments looked a lot like the album cover. The set was wrapped up with “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” — and although that’s what the crowd wanted, another Judas Priest song like Kevin’s teaser of “Devil’s Child,” time was up.
What an excellent selection of songs you would only dream of hearing live! What a fun set! What fun! Could this really be Just Like Priest’s first show? If you’re an old-school Judas Priest fan, be sure to check out Just Like Priest’s web site to catch an upcoming show: www.myspace.com/justlikepriest. Rumor has it that “Painkiller” and “Sad Wings of Destiny’s” “The Ripper” are in the pipeline. Metal rules!
