Rob Halford Suits Up for British Steel Tour

"I know, I know I created my own Frankenstein," Judas Priest's siren Rob Halford told Noisecreep when discussing the weight of his stage attire, which consists of several pounds of leather that he dons during the dog days of summer. "When I go on stage with that gear, it looks good, makes me feel good and I know fans want to see it. It's part of what we've done for three decades and we love it, too. When you walk out in a shed venue, the outside temperature is 100 degrees and it's 120 degrees on stage with the lights, plus humidity, it can be hard. But when the lights go down and the crowd roars, you just want to play. It's really no different than an NFL player suiting up to. For me, the thrill is still there."

Priest will recapture the thrill all summer when they tour with Whitesnake in tow. "We had a wonderful time with Metal Masters last summer, with Testament, Motorhead, Heaven & Hell," Halford said. "Dave Coverdale is a good friend of the band and he is about to celebrate the anniversary of the 'Slide It In' record, like we are with 'British Steel.' We're in that realm with Whitesnake, with good moments that make us want to relive songs from the past, since they are still potent and valued all these years later."

As for the tour's non-'British Steel' set list, Halford teased with a little information, saying, "Back in the day, you had 20 minutes, at most, on each side of vinyl, before CDs, before the Internet, and all of the wonderful advancements and the mixed blessings that have come with technology. I don't know how we will transition to other material during the set, but we will. We're into double digits with albums and we have hundreds of songs. We will do some of the other songs that we are famous for, like 'Painkiller' and 'Turbo Lover.' It's like multiple choice for the fan, like having two shows in one with the 'British Steel' set and including other songs!"