Yes, it's true, British heavy metal outfit Judas Priest turns 50 this year and is celebrating with a U.S. tour in the autumn that will stop in Milwaukee at just about the halfway point of the jaunt.
The band performs at the Milwaukee’s Miller High Life Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave., on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m., with Sabaton opening.
While the band is working on its as-yet-untitled new album, it is still riding high on the success of its 18th studio set, "Firepower," released in 2018 and, believe it or not, giving Judas Priest its highest Billboard album chart position ever, at No. 6. (Even 1982's double-platinum "Screaming for Vengeance" only reached 17.)
In announcing the tour, the band issued a statement, saying, "Judas Priest are primed and ready to deliver the goods with our 50 Heavy Metal Years anniversary celebration stage show spectacular! Performing a blistering cross section of songs from our lives in metal – we can't wait to raise horns with you again at this once in a metal lifetime event!"
Tickets for the 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour are $42-$152 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 28 at the Miller High Life Theatre box office and Ticketmaster.com.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
