Sixteen musicians graced the stage of Resorts World Arena on Tuesday night and between them they shared a staggering number of miles travelled, gigs played, albums recorded and songs written. Each one of the bands have had their fair share of ups and downs, had huge hits and lesser moments, and seemingly lost integral members only to bounce back again stronger and more determined than ever. And if there was a nagging doubt that the vast arena may have been curtained off to allow for reduced numbers, it was heartening to witness all four corners rocking along at full capacity.

It was 6.40 when Uriah Heep emerged, and were allocated a thirty five minute set to try and fit in the best of twenty five studio albums spanning more than half a century. Still a vibrant live act and led by the unstoppable Mick Box, Heep got everyone in the mood for a long night of British rock and metal with perfectly balanced mix of latter day material and classic anthems. With Bernie Shaw in great voice and the unmistakable sound of Phil Lanzon’s Hammond at the forefront of the mix, Heep roared through ‘Save Me Tonight’, ‘Rainbow Demon’ and ‘Free ‘n’ Easy’, with Bernie even managing to get the crowd on their feet early in the night. ‘Gypsy’ was highlighted by the wonderful interplay between Phil and Mick and the forceful rhythm section of Russell Gilbrook and Dave Rimmer, and in the blink of an eye they took us back to 1972 for some ‘Easy Livin’. By now the arena was filling up with latecomers; “You missed it”, cried Bernie, before promising to come back next year for a headline tour.

Setlist:-

Save Me Tonight
Grazed by Heaven
Rainbow Demon
Hurricane
Free ‘n’ Easy
Gypsy
Easy Livin’

Although having seemingly been on tour forever, you have to go back to 2009 since Saxon last played a gig here in Birmingham, headlining the short lived Hellfire festival. And before that it was way back in 1991, at the much missed Hummingbird on the Solid Ball of Rock tour. A lot has changed in the Saxon camp since then, none being more significant than Paul Quinn stepping back and the band recruiting NWOBHM veteran and Stourbridge’s finest Brian Tatler to replace him. Although they could have opted for a relatively unknown young gun there is no doubt that Tatler was an inspired choice; his playing is still absolutely stellar and he looked right at home.

There is no doubt that Saxon remain one of the leaders of the old guard of Metal, with an ageless Biff never missing a note (even if he did get the set list mixed up). Again, it was a blend of old and new with the title track of Hell, Fire and Damnation kicking things off, followed by a frantic ‘Motorcyle Man’. Alien conspiracy homage ‘There’s Something in Roswell’ and the theatrical ‘Madame Guillotine’ rounded out the new material and from then on it is all about the classics – ‘Heavy Metal Thunder’, ‘Dallas 1PM’, ‘Denim and Leather’ and a rousing ‘Wheels of Steel’. With Biff’s commanding stage presence, Tatler reeling off one glorious solo after the next and having forged a muscular partnership with Doug Scarratt, Saxon have arguably never sounded better.

Setlist:-

Hell, Fire and Damnation
Motorcycle Man
Sacrifice
There’s Something in Roswell
And the Bands Played On
Power and the Glory
Madame Guillotine
Heavy Metal Thunder
Dallas 1 PM
747 (Strangers in the Night)
Denim and Leather
Wheels of Steel
Princess of the Night

After the excitement of Saxon’s set the gauntlet was well and truly thrown down to Judas Priest to deliver a captivating headline show, which is exactly what they did. The battle cry of ‘War Pigs’ preceded their entrance to the stage and the dramatic ‘Panic Attack’ ushered in a torrent of heavy riffing, blistering solos and energetic drumming, all topped off of course by Rob Halford’s earsplitting vocals. There have been plenty of accolades thrown around for Invincible Shield and rightly so; there are very few artists that have delivered an album this good some fifty years since their debut. ‘You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ and ‘Breaking the Law’ were thrown in early and were lapped up by the rabid audience, Rob prowling side to side across the stage with his usual vigour and menace. It is hard to believe that nine years ago Priest were playing the much smaller stage at the old Civic Hall, the intervening period having seen them inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and rightly recognised as one of the most influential Metal bands of all time.

The band had promised some surprises in the set and they duly delivered, with deeper cut ‘Sword of Damocles’ from Redeemer of Souls making its live debut on this run of shows and the snarling ‘Love Bites’ never having previously been played live in the UK. And anytime that a show includes ‘Turbo Lover’, ‘Victim of Changes’ and ‘Painkiller’ is reason enough to celebrate, the infectious enthusiasm of Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap as they reeled off wild solos and melting riffs being a joy to watch. When Rob took a breather and spoke about the bands early struggles during the recording of Rocka Rolla it was a nice touch, a moment of reflection on just how far Judas Priest have come across what has been an epic and remarkable career. There were even more surprises in store for the encore, Rob introduced the “living legend” Glenn Tipton to the stage for the dramatic ‘Metal Gods’, immediately followed by an inflatable bull with piercing red eyes taking centre stage for a sing-a-long ‘Living After Midnight’.

Tonight was the night that, after too long an absence, Judas Priest finally came home. For metal heads across Birmingham, the Black Country and beyond, this tour was the most eagerly anticipated of the year; and Priest gave us a gig that will live long in the memory.

Setlist:-

Panic Attack
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’
Breaking the Law
Rapid Fire
Sword of Damocles
Love Bites
Saints in Hell
Crown of Horns
Turbo Lover
Invincible Shield
Victim of Changes
The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)
Painkiller

The Hellion / Electric Eye
Hell Bent for Leather
Metal Gods
Living After Midnight