The Mercenaries of Metal Tour was a 1988 concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest, in support of their most recent release, Ram It Down. Unlike their other tours of the 1980s, no official Judas Priest release includes any live recordings from this tour. It was the final tour the band did with longtime drummer Dave Holland. The week before the tour started, the band visited Stockholm, Sweden for full production rehearsals at Hovet. Before the official tour start, the band played a few warm-up shows including one in a club in Amsterdam, Netherlands in early April 1988, where the footage for the Johnny B. Goode video was shot. On 24 September 1988, just before the band was about to perform a show in Dallas, Texas, they were greeted backstage by the sheriff with a subpoena, leading to the infamous subliminal message trial in the summer of 1990.
| Tour by Judas Priest | |
| Associated album | Ram It Down |
|---|---|
| Start date | 7 May 1988 |
| End date | 23 October 1988 |
| No. of shows | 105 |
| Judas Priest concert chronology | |
Setlist
editThe average setlist for the tour is as follows,[1] though it varied, such as the addition of "Johnny B. Goode" at several shows in Europe,[2] "Turbo Lover" at several shows in North America,[3] and "Beyond the Realms of Death" at various shows.[4][5] The setlist also saw the return of "Sinner", which had been a live staple since 1977, but had been dropped like all other pre-Killing Machine songs, except for "Victim of Changes", during the Fuel for Life Tour.[6]
- "The Hellion / Electric Eye"
- "Metal Gods"
- "Sinner"
- "Breaking the Law"
- "Come and Get It"
- "I'm a Rocker"
- "The Sentinel"
- "The Ripper"
- "Beyond the Realms of Death"
- "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll"
- "Turbo Lover" (added on July 20, 1988)
- "Ram It Down"
- "Heavy Metal"
- "Victim of Changes"
- "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)"
- "Johnny B. Goode" (dropped after May 26, 1988)
- "Living After Midnight"
- "Hell Bent for Leather"
- "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
Tour dates
editThe venues and events for the tour were located in Europe and North America.[7][8] They were supported by Bonfire on the European and British legs, Cinderella on the British and North American legs and Slayer on the North American leg.[7]
Personnel
edit- Rob Halford – lead vocals
- Glenn Tipton – guitar
- K. K. Downing – guitar
- Ian Hill – bass
- Dave Holland – drums
- Jim Silvia – tour manager
References
edit- ^ Judas Priest Average Setlists of tour: Mercenaries of Metal | setlist.fm Archived 19 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ Judas Priest Covered Songs and Artists – Mercenaries of Metal | setlist.fm Archived 19 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ "Judas Priest – Turbo Lover – Live in New Haven 1988" Archived 16 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. YouTube, 26 June 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "Judas Priest – Beyond the Realms of Death, San Diego 1988" Archived 15 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. YouTube, 29 January 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "Judas Priest – Beyond The Realms of Death Live Edinburgh 1988" Archived 27 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine. YouTube, 1 September 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ Krannila, Ville. The Fuel of the Furnace Part 1 – Sinner Archived 3 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ a b Tourdates From The Past Archived 27 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine on jugulator.net. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
- ^ The French Metallian – 1988 tour dates Archived 2 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d chmetal bootlegs – Judas Priest Tour Dates 1988. 26 September 2008 (last updated). Retrieved 8 January 2012.