RICHIE FAULKNER: JUDAS PRIEST's Setlist For Fall 2022 U.S. Tour Will 'Reference' 'Screaming For Vengeance' Album For 40th Anniversary

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner spoke to the 96.1 KLPX radio station about the setlist for the band's upcoming fall 2022 U.S. tour which is scheduled to kick off on October 13 in Wallingford, Connecticut. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I can say it's around the 40th anniversary of [the] 'Screaming For Vengeance' [album], if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure the Internet will say it's not the right month yet, or not the right week, or I'm a week late or whatever. But, yeah, so we're gonna hit some moments from that record as like a tip of the cap to the album 'Screaming For Vengeance'. I know some people like to wait and see what the setlist's gonna be. I won't spoil anything, but we will reference 'Screaming For Vengeance' in a few places.

"There's a couple of things that I haven't played with the band [that we will play on this tour]," he continued. "I've been with the band for almost 12 years now, and we're playing a couple of songs that I haven't played with the band yet, which is exciting. We're digging out a few which we haven't played for a while, and then, as I said, there's a few that I haven't played with the band. So it's a refreshing setlist from our point of view as well, to be able to do some things that we haven't done, and then hopefully that kind of reflects with the fans as well, to hear something new."

Asked how JUDAS PRIEST comes up with a setlist, Richie said: "Well, it can be difficult. There's certain things we have to hit. We have a classic part of the set that we kind of have to acknowledge. PRIEST have had huge radio hits — 'Breaking The Law', '[You've Got] Another Thing Comin''; that kind of elements of the show — that we have to kind of acknowledge, as I said. If there's any moments like anniversaries of albums, we can kind of hit those moments. If there's anything we haven't done for a while that might be interesting to do… We don't wanna repeat too much from the last tour or if there's a new album, we're gonna hit a few [songs] from [that]. This being an anniversary tour, we kind of have free rein. And sometimes what we do is literally me and Rob [Halford, vocals], we'll write down songs that we think would be interesting on paper — literally cut them out, lay them all out on the table or whatever and position them and put them in the setlist, like old school. And we try to get a dynamic flow, so there's a start, like an impact, and then it kind of tapers a little bit, and there's a little bit of an ebb and flow. So we try and create a dynamic through the set, like I think the band have always done. But we literally do it with a pen and paper, cut them out into little rectangles. It sounds a bit 'Spinal Tap', but it works. We've been doing that for a little while. And then we kind of hone it as we go through [a tour]. So we might have a starting point — 16 songs — and we rehearse it, and if something doesn't feel right or it doesn't have that dynamic, we'll put another one in just to get that dynamic right."

PRIEST kicked off its spring/summer 2022 European tour with an intimate concert on May 31 in Berlin, Germany. For the gig, which was held at the 1,600-capacity Huxleys Neue Welt venue, Halford and his bandmates ditched their traditional leather-and-studs look in favor of a more stripped-down appearance.

Bassist Ian Hill is the sole remaining original member of PRIEST, which formed in 1969. Halford joined the group in 1973 and guitarist Glenn Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then came back to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Richie Faulkner.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease eight years ago after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier. Tipton announced in early 2018 he was going to sit out touring activities in support of "Firepower". He was replaced by Sneap, who is also known for his work in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

JUDAS PRIEST will receive the Musical Excellence Award at this year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which will honor Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

The induction ceremony will be held on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max. There will also be a radio simulcast on SiriusXM's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Radio channel 310.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the JUDAS PRIEST members that will get inducted include current members Halford, Hill, Tipton and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Downing, Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.