Judas Priest mounts U.S. tour with Halford at the helm

For the first time in more than 15 years, Judas Priest will embark on a U.S. headlining tour with original frontman Rob Halford.

The run kicks off June 1 in St. Paul, MN, and dates so far stretch through the end of that month. Details are shown below.

The group has tapped fellow rock vets Queensryche to hold down the tour's opening slot.

Judas Priest--Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis--is touring behind its latest album, "Angel of Retribution," which surfaced in early March. The set is the group's first with Halford at the mic since 1990's "Painkiller."

Halford bailed in the early '90s, and turned his attention to a number of solo projects. Meanwhile, Priest forged ahead with Halford's replacement, Ripper Owens, who previously was the lead singer in a Judas Priest cover band; the 2001 feature film "Rock Star," starring Mark Wahlberg, was loosely based on Owens' rise to fame.

In 2003, Halford collaborated with the other band members on the group's box set, "Metalogy." The collaboration led to Halford's reinstatement, and the band announced an amicable split with Owens.

The reunited group toured the U.S. last year as part of the annual Ozzfest outing.

Judas Priest emerged from the working-class steel town of Birmingham, England, and became one of the world's biggest rock bands in the '80s. Among the group's best-known tracks are "Breaking the Law," "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," and "Living After Midnight.

Seattle-based prog-rockers Queensryche released their most recent set, "Tribe," in 2003. Later this year, the group plans to issue "Operation:Mindcrime II," a follow-up to its critically acclaimed, 1988 concept album.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
 tour dates and tickets
June 2005
1 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
3 - Tinley Park, IL - Tweeter Center
4 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
7 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Six Flags P.A.C.
8 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
10 - Holmdel, NJ - P.N.C. Bank Arts Center
11 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
12 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center
14 - Scranton, PA - Ford Pavilion @ Montage Mountain
15 - Hershey, PA - Giant Center
18 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
19 - Bristow, VA - Nissan Pavilion
22 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre @ State Fairgrounds
23 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
25 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
26 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre

 tour dates and tickets
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