Richie Faulkner describes being part of a guitar trio with Downing and Glenn Tipton as “an experience I'll never forget”
(Image credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)
Judas Priest reunited with K.K. Downing at this year's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the guitarist's first performance with the band in 13 years.
The group of musicians – also including vocalist Rob Halford, bassist Ian Hill, guitarist Glenn Tipton, drummer Scott Travis and former drummer Les Binks – were all inducted into the Rock Hall after receiving the Musical Excellence Award, bar guitarist Richie Faulkner, who replaced Downing in the British heavy metal institution in 2011. Late drummer Dave Holland was also inducted.
During the performance, which took place at LA’s Microsoft Theater on Saturday (November 5), and for which touring guitarist Andy Sneap sat out, the band played a medley of three of their biggest songs, You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Breaking the Law and Living After Midnight.
In a social media post following the event, Faulkner described sharing the stage with Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing at the same time as “an experience I’ll never forget”.
“One life, I’m gonna live it up,” he wrote. “What a night! I’m sure it was a flood of emotions for everybody involved and for all the fans, but to be up there with both [Glenn Tipton] and K.K. [Downing] as part of a guitar trio with Judas Priest was an experience I’ll never forget. A huge congrats to all the guys and to all the amazing artists who got inducted last night. It was truly surreal to be there.”
Said Alice Cooper, who inducted the British metal titans into the Rock Hall: “[Judas Priest] defined the sound we know of heavy metal and their sound is unmistakable. And what can you say about Rob Halford’s voice? Never have screams covered such a range. Is there any emotion that he can’t express?
“They’re electrifying on stage and one of the hardest-hitting live bands in the history of rock and roll. Priest [have] carried the flag of hard rock and heavy metal proudly for something like 50 years, never wavering or following trends or pretending to be anything but exactly what they are. They are flying high tonight. Much deserved and long overdue.”
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In his acceptance speech, Rob Halford addressed the subjects of inclusivity in heavy metal, and the band’s 50 years in the game.
“I’m the gay guy in the band,” he said. “We call ourselves the heavy metal community which is all-inclusive, no matter what your sexual identity is, what you look like, or what you believe in or don't believe in. Everybody's welcome.”
He continued: “We should get out another 50 years, but the joy about music is that it lives forever. And that's the reason why we're here. We live for heavy metal. We live for music. And we're living for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.”
Other inductees into the Rock Hall this year included Eminem, Dolly Parton, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, Eurythmics and Carly Simon.
It’s unclear yet whether Downing’s appearance with Judas Priest at the Rock Hall induction ceremony was a one-off, or whether it will spark future collaboration.
Last month, in conversation with the Detroit Metro Times, Ian Hill said that while “time is not on our side” for any such projects, Downing’s appearance at the 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony “might kickstart something”. “On the other hand, he might pull us apart,” Hill joked.
“It’s embedded in me,” he said. “It’s what I do. So it’ll be quite something to look forward to, just to get up there and crank the amps up and just do it once again, for that short moment in time.”
(Image credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Downing’s performance with his former bandmates was a landmark occasion, following years of tension. In a Guitar World interview back in February, Glenn Tipton fired back at K.K. Downing, saying: “His accusations have gotten sillier and sillier – and I deserve to respond.”
“I never wanted to get into a public argument after KK left,” he said. “I never said a word and I stuck to my guns for over 10 years, but there comes a point when you read things that have been said that are just crazy. It's time to say something, really because he's saying things that he really shouldn't be saying. They aren't fair.”
“He's insinuated that he was the driving force of the band,” he continues. “It just isn't true. Priest [is] made up of five guys working together. [There's] not just one person driving the band. He's said all these things that, I think, are meant to upset us and get us to say something in response and for a long time we didn't. But I've got a lot to say and enough's enough.”
Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.
