Latest news with #Halford
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Iconic Metal Band's Singer Reveals Why They're Not Playing Ozzy's Final Show
It seems every metal and rock legend will be at Black Sabbath and 's final show—except one. So far, the July 5 farewell event, dubbed Back To The Beginning, features performances by Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Soundgarden, Wolfgang Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, and many other A-list rock stars. But, Rob Halford and Judas Priest aren't involved. What gives? Both Priest and Sabbath come from Birmingham, England. Both bands pioneered heavy metal in the 1970s. And Halford has sung with Black Sabbath in the past (subbing in for other singers). So why is Judas Priest not playing? Blame it on a scheduling conflict. 'I had no idea it was happening!' Halford told Metal Hammer. Judas Priest was already committed to play the 60th anniversary show of hard rockers Scorpions when Black Sabbath announced their farewell show. 'It all got announced and was a big deal – Scorpions and Priest – and suddenly I get this phone call [from Sharon Osbourne]: 'Robbie, I know you've got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys, he'd love to see you,'' Halford tells Metal Hammer. The Scorpions show takes place in Hannover, Germany. It's possible that Priest could play, fly over to England, and play Ozzy's last show. But Halford thinks it's too risky. 'Even with a private plane, there's a word called 'technical', where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems,' said Halford. And after realizing he'll miss Black Sabbath's final show, the singer said he was 'absolutely gutted.' Halford said that Judas Priest's founding guitarist, K.K. Downing (who left the group in 2011), would play the show and represent 'the spirit of the band.' 'All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,' he added. 'It's a wonderful and epic moment for Sabbath and heavy metal – it re-emphasises that Birmingham is where metal came from.'
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judas Priest's Rob Halford is 'gutted' to not be playing Black Sabbath's final show: 'I had no idea it was happening!'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Rob Halford has commented on Judas Priest missing the last Black Sabbath concert later this year. Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer, the venerated Metal God explains that he and his band are committed to play the 60th-anniversary show of German hard rock legends Scorpions, taking place in Hannover on July 5. The celebration falls on the same day as Sabbath's swansong, which is taking place more than 600 miles away at Villa Park in Birmingham. The clash means that Priest will be one of very few veteran metal bands not appearing on Sabbath's bill, with the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Guns N' Roses, Slayer and many others having been confirmed. Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne will also host his final-ever solo show at the event. Halford tells Hammer: 'I had no idea it was happening!" "We've known this guy Ossy Hoppe - he's like god in Germany for metal," Rob explains. "He came in to see me at one of our last shows and says, 'Would you consider doing something really special and important? I'm putting on the Scorpions for their 60th anniversary, in their hometown. Would you work with the band?' And I was just like, 'Done! We've got no plans it's all good.'" 'It all got announced and was a big deal – Scorpions and Priest – and suddenly I get this phone call [from Sharon Osbourne]: 'Robbie, I know you've got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys, he'd love to see you.'' Halford goes on to explain that Sharon even offered to fly Rob back to Birmingham on the day of the show to make a guest appearance. "My mind went to Phil Collins when he did Live Aid, where he got on the Concord from London to Philadelphia to play two gigs in two places," Rob says. "He was there before he left, thanks to the timezones!" The singer adds that, as much as he'd love to play Sabbath's farewell, rushing between Germany and the UK to make both performances happen would be 'dangerous'. 'Even with a private plane, there's a word called 'technical', where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems… I was absolutely gutted,' he says. Though no current Priest member is slated to play Sabbath's show, Halford highlights that founding guitarist K.K. Downing, who departed the lineup in 2011, will be there and represent 'the spirit of the band'. 'All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,' the frontman continues. 'It's a wonderful and epic moment for Sabbath and heavy metal – it re-emphasises that Birmingham is where metal came from.' Sabbath and Priest are both long-serving Birmingham bands who've had an enduring impact on heavy metal music. Priest concerts often feature a large, inflatable bull, paying tribute to their hometown and its historical 'Bull Ring' area. Priest wrapped up the touring cycle for their 2024 album, Invincible Shield, in Monterrey, Mexico, on Wednesday (May 7). However, the band will play numerous festival dates in the summer, as well as the Scorpions show and a handful of headliners celebrating the 35th anniversary of their Painkiller release. Then, from July until October, the metal legends will co-headline dates in Europe and North America with shock rocker Alice Cooper. See all details via the Judas Priest website.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judas Priest's Rob Halford ‘Absolutely Gutted' To Be Missing Final Black Sabbath Show: ‘I Had No Idea It Was Happening'
When you look at the bonkers hard rock roster for the upcoming final Black Sabbath show in Birmingham, U.K. on July 5 at Villa Park, there is definitely one name that is conspicuously absent: Judas Priest. The masters of British leather-and-motorcycle metal simply are nowhere to be found among the head-banging roster of greats lined lined up for the Back to the Beginning show that includes Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Alice in Chains, Pantera, Lamb of God and many more. Apparently, there is a very good explanation for their absence, according to singer Rob Halford: they're double-booked. Speaking to Metal Hammer, Halford explained that his band is slated to join the Scorpions in Hanover, Germany on that date for a 60th anniversary celebration of the German rock group. More from Billboard PinkPantheress Drops 'Fancy That': Stream It Now 'It's a Happy Time': Counting Crows Return With 'The Complete Sweets!' It's No Secret: Gracie Abrams Hits Three Non-Consecutive Weeks at ARIA No. 1 'I had no idea it [the Sabbath show] was happening. It all got announced and was a big deal,' he said of the Scorpions and Priest concert taking place more than 630 miles away from fellow Brummie Ozzy's show. 'Suddenly I get this phone call [from Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne], 'Robbie, I know you've got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys. He'd love to see you.'' But Halford said as much as he'd like to be on hand for the last run with Ozzy and the gang, trying to pull double-duty would be too difficult. He said Sharon Osbourne even offered to fly him back to Birmingham on the day of the show to make an appearance a la Phil Collins' legendary Concord flight from London to Philadelphia to play two sets at Live Aid in July 1985. And though Collins' whirlwind flights, technically, got him to the U.S. before he left due to the timezones he crossed, Halford said as much as he'd like to double-down he thinks it might be 'dangerous… Even with a private plane, there's a word called 'technical', where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems… I was absolutely gutted [to miss the show],' he said. The Sabbath swan song, which will also be Ozzy's final solo show, has the 76-year-old metal legend pushing himself to deliver a curtain call worthy of his nearly 60-year career. 'I do weights, bike riding, I've got a guy living at my house who's working with me. It's tough – I've been laid up for such a long time,' Osbourne said of his workout regimen to get pumped for his first full set since New Year's Eve in 2018 in the wake of a series of health issues and surgeries that have laid him low for several years and kept him off stages. 'I've been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It's like starting all over again,' he said. 'I've got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs. I'm used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don't think I'll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down.' Though Halford will not be on hand, former longtime Priest guitarist K.K. Downing will perform at the show alongside members of Limp Bizkit, Smashing Pumpkins, Living Colour, Megadeth, Halestorm, Faith No More, Sleep Token, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Megadeth, Ghost, Soundgarden and Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler. 'All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,' Halford told Metal Hammer, saying that Downing's appearance will represent the 'spirt' of Priest. 'It's a wonderful and epic moment for Sabbath and heavy metal — it re-emphasizes that Birmingham is where metal came from.' Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rob Halford Explains Why Judas Priest Are Missing Black Sabbath's Farewell Megaconcert
Judas Priest found out too late that Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath would be playing a star-studded farewell concert this summer to join in on the festivities, frontman Rob Halford recently told Metal Hammer. A talent agent in Germany recruited the band to perform at the 60th anniversary concert for another venerated metal band, the Scorpions, on July 5, and despite Sharon Osbourne offering to fly the band to and from Birmingham, England for Ozzy's final bow in time to honor their Scorpions commitment, Judas Priest declined. 'It all got announced and was a big deal — Scorpions and Priest — and suddenly I get this phone call [from Sharon Osbourne]: 'Robbie, I know you've got this gig with Scorpions, but could you consider coming over to do a thing with Ozzy and the guys, he'd love to see you.'' More from Rolling Stone Ozzy Osbourne Shares Health Update Ahead of Final Concert: 'I'll Do the Best I Can' Judas Priest and Alice Cooper Plot Heavy Co-Headlining Tour Les Binks, Former Drummer for Judas Priest, Dead at 73 Halford mulled over Sharon's offer to ferry the band via private jet between the concerts, but the singer didn't want to leave anything to chance. 'Even with a private plane, there's a word called 'technical', where something could go wrong, or the weather that time of year could cause problems… I was absolutely gutted,' he said. He nevertheless said that he was excited for the concert, even Judas Priest would be there, since it reinforces Birmingham's status as the birthplace of heavy metal. Like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest formed in the city. (And incidentally, ex-Priest guitarist, K.K. Downing, will be performing at the event. In addition to Osbourne and Black Sabbath, the concert, dubbed Back to the Beginning, will feature sets by Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, and many others. It will take place at Birmingham's Villa Park. 'All my mates are going to be there though, great bands and artists,' Halford told Metal Hammer. 'It's a wonderful and epic moment for Sabbath and heavy metal.' Halford may be missing out on Black Sabbath's farewell, but he should take some comfort that he was actually one of the few headbangers to have been there at the actual beginning. In 2020, he told Rolling Stone what it was like to see Sabbath's early club gigs in Birmingham. 'I have vague memories of seeing them as Earth in an obscure club in Birmingham, and they were in a sort of heavy-blues, jazzy-prog mode musically,' he said. 'I can only recall the very first Sabbath songs like [Crow's] 'Evil Woman,' which was a cover. There was still some freeform noodling going on when they played live, but essentially the heaviness was dominating.' He was also present for the first time when the original Black Sabbath lineup said goodbye at the conclusion of Osbourne's No More Tours tour in 1992. At the time, Osbourne had been worried about his health and decided to take a final bow, before reversing course a couple of years later with the Retirement Sucks tour. Black Sabbath had reunited with Ronnie James Dio. When the idea of Black Sabbath opening for Osbourne's final shows came up, Dio quit, and Halford became their frontman for two shows. The rest of the band — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward — then joined Osbourne for encores later in the evening. Halford also fronted Sabbath for a short set in Camden, New Jersey, in 2004 when Osbourne fell ill.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man shot in neck by boy's father during custody exchange at Publix: affidavit
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A man is accused of shooting a man in the neck during a custody exchange of an 8-year-old boy at a West Palm Beach Publix. According to an affidavit, 28-year-old Joseph Halford was waiting in the parking lot on Friday for his 8-year-old son to be dropped off by the child's mother, Brittany Ferguson, and her boyfriend, Carlton Matthews. Road rage may have led to shooting at Florida Publix, deputies say Ferguson told officers with the West Palm Beach Police Department that her boyfriend parked their vehicle next to Halford's, and got out to meet Halford, who was already standing next to his car. Halford claimed that the boyfriend used his index and middle finger to make a gun gesture and pressed it into his head. He told officials that he was only there to get his son and not deal with the boyfriend. When the suspect's son, Jacob, got out of the mother's vehicle, he grabbed the child and put him in the back of his car. That's when the boyfriend told him, 'I spared you because of your son,' according to the affidavit. Child finds mother dead in home after ex-husband flees: deputies That's when Halford pulled a semi-automatic 9mm Taurus out from his left armpit and fired a single shot, striking the man in the neck. The affidavit said the gunshot struck the front of his throat and exited the rear of his neck. Meanwhile, Halford claimed the firearm was pointed at his head and chest area and that he did not intend to kill him. Halford's cousin told authorities that he called her, appearing to be 'in a panic,' asking her to come to the Publix. He told her he fired the gun after the boyfriend reached toward his belt line. When police arrived, the victim was found with a gunshot wound and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Halford was arrested on a charge of attempted felony murder with a firearm. He is being held without bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
