Judas Priest played 14 of their classic heavy metal hits. In short: they kicked ass! While some fans may be disappointed at lead guitarist and founding member Glenn Tipton’s recent departure, they can take solace in the fact that his replacement on this tour Andy Snead played the role well. The recent addition of guitarist Ritchie Faulkner added both a shredder and a showman to replace former guitarist K.K. Downing. Easily the better of the twin-leads, Faulkner is clearly the better of the two had most of the memorable solos of the evening. The band rarely took breaks to talk to the crowd, giving Mount Pleasant a non-stop onslaught of heavy metal power!

Ben Suddendorf | Staff Photographer

Judas Priest guitarist Ritchie Faulkner showing off on Aug. 25 at the Soaring Eagle casino.

Then we get to the Metal God, vocalist Rob Halford. Towards the end of then set, he told the crowd that it was his 67th birthday, which surprised me. You see, I never knew Halford and the concept of aging had ever met, because with the way he was singing he might as well have been celebrating his 30th birthday. He was pulling off those high-powered screams like it was just breathing to him. He was hitting notes that other metal singers I could only dream of reaching. He nailed every song of the set, with the exception of “Painkiller,” which, let’s face it, he’ll never fully recreate his iconic performance on the 1990 record.

Ben Suddendorf | Staff Photographer

Rob Halford taking control of the stage on Aug 25, at the Soaring Eagle Casino& Resort.

Ben Suddendorf | Staff Photographer

Rob Halford interacting with the crowd on Aug. 25 at the Soaring Eagle casino.

But apart from the black magic Rob uses to keep aging at bay, the most interesting thing about their live set was hearing how new songs played old songs. It’s no secret that Priest has become a much heavier band since the 70s, and early 80s. Hearing songs from that era played live today almost provides a heavier, more modern interpretation. Songs like “Grinder”and “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin” have more punch than on the 1980s records. “Metal Gods” is a sinister track to begin with, but when they play it live now, it sounds downright apocalyptic. Even the dreaded “Turbo Lover” is a digestible song live, since there’s heavy guitars in place of cheesy 80’s production.

If there’s one gripe I had, it was the setlist. There was a good array of older songs spanning their career, along with a few choice tracks from the new “Firepower” album. They also played all the hits (“Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight”) along with notable fan favorites (“Sinner”, “Freewheel Burning”) but there seemed to be something missing. Some notable tracks omitted from the set were “The Ripper”, “Heading Out to the Highway”, and “Electric Eye.” Seriously, what kind of world do we live in where “Electric Eye” is excluded from a setlist that includes “Turbo Lover”?

Deep Purple were by far the best sounding band of the night: bright keyboards, loud guitars, and thumping bass. The band sounded phenomenal, and played really tight. While they aren’t playing twenty-minute jam sessions in the middle of "Child of Time" anymore, they still allowed songs to breath and flow very well. “Lazy” was by far the best performance of the night.

Everything seemed almost perfect. Let's talk about Ian Gillan’s vocals.

By no means did the 73-year-old Gillan put on a bad performance. He was hitting highs notes where needed and his voice sounded smooth soulful – but on this night his voice lacked the power we all expect from his 1970s heyday. On the ballad, “Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming,” which required more subtle vocals he pulled out a beautiful performance.

As far as the setlist goes, it’s probably one of the best you could make from Gillan-era Deep Purple. Most of the songs were pulled from their legendary “Machine Head” album, with the show-starter being a blistering “Highway Star.”

In short, if they roll back around through Michigan go and see Judas Priest. I guarantee they are a sight to behold live. Deep Purple is something I would really only recommend to those who are hardcore fans.