Why You’ll See a ‘Gigantic and Huge’ Bull at Judas Priest Shows
Rob Halford has revealed why the current Judas Priest show features a “huge and gigantic” inflatable bull appearing on stage towards the end.
The singer explained that it was a nod to the British band’s hometown of Birmingham and a well-known monument that may date back to the 12th century. A video of the bull making an appearance in Virginia Beach can be seen below.
In a recent interview with LifeMinute, Halford said Priest’s 50 Heavy Metal Years tour was an opportunity to reflect on the band’s past. “When I was a child, when we were children growing up in the [English] Midlands, we were surrounded by heavy industry, steel mills, iron factories and everything, ”he said. “So we kind of take you to what we call the Judas Priest metal factories, where the metal is made. And so that’s what we surround ourselves with.
He continued, “We have a spectacular lighting show that we have always focused on, great things happening on the video screens, what we are wearing… And a few crazy things – like this gigantic giant inflatable bull that is half the size of the stage. … Where we come from in Birmingham, it is famous for this arena, as it was called. And the bulls that was being sold down there in trade and so forth, kind of synonymous with that. So we have this thing happening at the end of the show, and people [say] ‘Oh my God! Is it real?'”
In the 18th century, Birmingham’s “bullring” was where animals were baited before being slaughtered. In the 1960s, a shopping center was built there which also took the name “Bull Ring”. It was replaced by a new “Bullring” shopping center in 2003, which houses the full-scale bull statue on which Priest’s inflatable appears to be based.
“It’s just a great, great night and a celebration of everything you know and love,” Halford said of the tour. “But music leads the way. We’ve always said that you can’t build all of this stuff around songs that don’t match. So we did it, we did it over and over again. So we have a great set list, a really cool set list. It’s like a time machine. … You can’t miss this show… you celebrate a 50th birthday only once in your life. So come see. “
Judas Priest’s inflatable bull on stage
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