Judas Priest’s Glenn Tipton made a return to the stage. It was his first performance with the band since October 2023.
The guitarist has challenges since revealing his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2018. Tipton stepped back from touring full-time, and many thought his last show with the band was at last year’s Power Trip festival. But, the musician surprised everyone by coming back to perform again.
A Special Encore In Birmingham
On the night of March 19, 2024, during the ‘Invincible Shield’ tour’s stop at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena, Tipton joined his bandmates on stage for an encore. He performed two tracks, ‘Metal Gods’ and ‘Living After Midnight’ with the band.
Judas Priest’s frontman Rob Halford recently shared his thoughts on Tipton’s appearance at the Power Trip festival in a chat with Metal Hammer. The singer stated:
“[Power Trip] was a special moment for Glenn. It was almost like a complete cycle because – I won’t say this with my hand on my heart – but there’s a possibility that was the last time that you saw Glenn play live. It’s getting increasingly difficult for him. So, for him to find the strength to actually come out and play is a beautiful thing. Having said that, we’re about to start the big ‘Invincible Shield’ tour in the UK, and if I know Glenn, he’ll get in his car and drive to Glasgow, do the show, and then drive home. Ha ha!”
The Creative Force Of Tipton
In another interview, Halford also said Tipton is doing really well despite his condition. He praised Tipton’s strength and positive attitude, saying:
“He’s doing extraordinarily well considering that he’s been living with Parkinson’s for 15 years. He’s such a strong man. It’s like any of these challenges, a lot of it is borne by how you fight back, and he fights back all the time. I love that people still understand his importance in Judas Priest – his input on this new album, ‘Invincible Shield,’ is as it has been on all the records.”
Richie Faulkner also spoke about working with Tipton on their latest album. The guitarist said his creative input remains vital to the band’s sound. In ‘Invincible Shield,’ Tipton created the songs ‘Sons of Thunder’ and ‘Escape from Reality.’ He also contributed by playing guitar on some parts.
You can see video footage of Tipton’s appearance at the show below.