{"id":332353,"date":"2025-10-25T21:11:12","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T21:11:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/332353\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T21:11:12","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T21:11:12","slug":"rock-titans-alice-cooper-judas-priest-bring-sonic-assault-to-san-diego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/332353\/","title":{"rendered":"Rock titans Alice Cooper, Judas Priest bring sonic assault to San Diego"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Alice<\/a>Alice Cooper at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre.. (Photo by Donovan Roche\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

While they take on disparate personas \u2014 Alice Cooper<\/a> as the \u201cGodfather of Shock Rock\u201d and Judas Priest<\/a> frontman Rob Halford as the \u201cMetal God\u201d \u2014 the pair are complementary co-headliners on their current Shield of Pain tour, and they proved it to an enthusiastic crowd on Oct. 18 at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following a short but electric opening set from Southern metal veterans Corrosion of Conformity<\/a>, Cooper and his five-piece band took the stage first.<\/p>\n

The master of macabre still reigns<\/p>\n

Emerging from the shadows like a creature of the night, Cooper immediately set the macabre tone for the night with \u201cHello, Hooray\u201d and \u201cWho Do You Think We Are.\u201d Dressed head to toe in black \u2014 from top hat and raccoon eyes to leather pants and boots \u2014 the spry 77-year-old prowled across the stage as if presiding over a carnival sideshow.<\/p>\n

One of rock\u2019s most theatrical showmen for more than 50 years, Cooper used numerous props to bring his sinister songs to life. He shook shrunken-head maracas during \u201cMuscle of Love,\u201d brandished a fencing sword on \u201cSpark in the Dark,\u201d and impaled a pesky paparazzo with his mic stand in \u201cHey Stoopid.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it only got darker and bloodier from there. During \u201cBallad of Dwight Fry,\u201d Cooper struggled in a straitjacket before being decapitated by guillotine, after which a woman (his real-life wife, Sheryl Cooper) gleefully paraded his severed head around the stage. Moments later, he was back onstage and dancing with a female corpse during \u201cCold Ethyl.\u201d It was all deliciously twisted.<\/p>\n

Fittingly timed with Halloween around the corner, \u201cFeed My Frankenstein\u201d featured a giant Alice-faced monster, while Cooper donned a black cape to become Dracula for \u201cDangerous Tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

Circuslike as his shows are, Cooper\u2019s razor-sharp bandmates are no clowns. Fueled by three exceptional guitarists \u2014 Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen, and \u201cHurricane\u201d Nita Strauss (think Xena the Warrior Princess if she went blonde and traded in her sword for a six-string axe) \u2014 and a fierce rhythm section in bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel, 1970s hits like \u201cI\u2019m Eighteen\u201d and \u201cNo More Mr. Nice Guy\u201d sounded as vital today as they did five decades ago.<\/p>\n

Changing into white tails and top hat, the Shock Rock pioneer \u2014 who released his latest album, The Revenge of Alice Cooper<\/a>, in July \u2014 closed his 80-minute set with his biggest hit and 2015 Grammy Hall of Fame selection, \u201cSchool\u2019s Out.\u201d Cleverly weaving in Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cAnother Brick in the Wall Pt. 2\u201d as he stabbed giant confetti-filled balloons, Cooper bid farewell with: \u201cMay all your lovely dreams become nightmares.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The metal god ascends<\/p>\n

\"Judas<\/a>Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford. (Photo by Donovan Roche\/Times of San Diego)<\/p>\n

On the way to the venue, this reviewer hoped Judas Priest would perform their recent charity cover<\/a> of Black Sabbath\u2019s \u201cWar Child\u201d as a virtual duet with Ozzy Osbourne. When the track started playing right before the band came out, it seemed inevitable\u2026but no such luck.<\/p>\n

Instead, the Birmingham heavy metal legends launched into \u201cAll Guns Blazing\u201d and \u201cHell Patrol,\u201d two of five songs from their 1990 Painkiller album they\u2019d perform tonight. Halford, clad in his signature leather and studs, reminded the crowd that Judas Priest always comes back (they last played here in 2018).<\/p>\n

At 74, Halford\u2019s voice remains astonishing. He can still pierce the heavens with his shrieking highs \u2014 as on \u201cA Touch of Evil\u201d and the set-closing \u201cPainkiller\u201d \u2014 and sustain lung-busting long notes, like he did twice during \u201cNight Crawler.\u201d<\/p>\n

When not attacking the mic, Halford hyped his twin guitarists, Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap, praising them as they unleashed chunky riffs and fiery solos throughout the night, while longtime bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis anchored the sonic assault with a relentless, thumping drive.<\/p>\n

Judas Priest\u2019s production was simpler than Cooper\u2019s, focusing instead on visuals from their 19th studio album, 2024\u2019s Invincible Shield<\/a>, and the band\u2019s iconic trident cross, while a \u00a0side curtain allowed Halford to periodically slip out for a breather during extended jams.<\/p>\n

Their 75-minute, 15-song set leaned heavily on Painkiller but also featured classic hits, including multiple songs from 1982\u2019s Screaming for Vengeance (crowd-pleasers \u201cYou\u2019ve Got Another Thing Comin\u2019\u201d and \u201cThe Hellion\u201d \/ \u201cElectric Eye\u201d) and 1980\u2019s revered British Steel (\u201cBreaking the Law\u201d and the singalong encore-saver \u201cLiving After Midnight\u201d).<\/p>\n

Halford didn\u2019t address the audience much, but about three-quarters through he thanked fans for 56 years of support. \u201cThis is us,\u201d he said. \u201cOur little heavy metal community.\u201d The crowd roared.<\/p>\n

A poignant tribute followed with \u201cGiants in the Sky,\u201d from their latest album, honoring fallen rock heroes like Ronnie James Dio, Lemmy Kilmister, Eddie Van Halen, and Chris Cornell \u2014with Ozzy\u2019s image drawing the loudest cheers. It wasn\u2019t the hoped-for \u201cWar Child\u201d duet, but it was a proper salute to rock\u2019s beloved madman.<\/p>\n

Riding into their encore, Halford made good on his trademark stunt and rolled out on his Harley-Davidson for the biker anthem \u201cHell Bent for Leather,\u201d revving up his chrome beast and legion of metalheads before declaring, \u201cThanks for keeping the faith. We always come back. We are f&@king Judas Priest!\u201d<\/p>\n

Donovan Roche is a regular music and culture contributor to Times of San Diego.<\/p>\n

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