English heavy metal band Judas Priest is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its classic album “British Steel” with a lengthy summer tour. Since first announcing their plans in early spring, the self-proclaimed Metal Gods have added dozens of concerts to their itinerary, which now stands at roughly 40 dates.

Eight weeks of the summer will be dedicated to the trek, from Judas Priest’s solo opening show on June 29 at Murat Center in Indianapolis, IN, through the tour closing concert on August 23 at Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion in Gilford, NH.

Highlights of the summer trek include a July 7 concert at Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA, a July 9 performance at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto, ON, a July 31 show at Sleep Train Pavilion in Concord, CA, an August 11 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, CO, and August 22 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD.

Whitesnake will appear on most dates of the tour as a special guest. The lineup will also feature Pop Evil as an opener for both bands on 26 dates. Details about the tour’s nightly lineup can be found at the official Judas Priest Web site.

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On tour, Judas Priest will be performing their 1980 album “British Steel” from cover to cover, in addition to playing a set of other material from the band’s catalogue. The group’s most recent studio album is the June 2008 release “Nostradamus.”

A new live album, “Judas Priest: A Touch of Evil,” is also scheduled to hit store shelves in July. According to a statement, the record was recorded from 2005 to 2008 during Judas Priest’s world tour dates.


Judas Priest & Whitesnake itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)

June 29 Indianapolis, IN Murat Center *
July 1 St. Charles, MO Family Arena
July 2 Milwaukee, WI Summerfest
July 3 St. Paul, MN Taste of Minnesota
July 5 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre
July 7 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
July 8 Canandaigua, NY CMAC
July 9 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre
July 11 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Pavilion
July 12 Wantaugh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
July 14 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Cable Amphitheater
July 15 Clarkston, MI DTE Energy Music Theater
July 17 Walker, MN Moondance Jam
July 18 Chippewa Falls, WI Rock Festival *
July 19 Chicago, IL Charter One Pavilion
July 21 Cincinnati, OH PNC Pavilion
July 22 Nashville, TN Nashville Municipal Auditorium
July 24 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless Theater
July 25 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
July 26 Corpus Christi, TX Concrete Street Amphitheater
July 29 Paso Robles, CA California Mid-State Fair
July 31 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion
August 1 Marysville, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
August 2 Universal City, CA Gibson Amphitheatre
August 4 San Diego, CA SDSU Open Air Theatre
August 5 Costa Mesa, CA OC Fair
August 7 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
August 8 Las Vegas, NV Thomas & Mack Center
August 10 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Resort & Casino *
August 11 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 13 Grand Prairie, TX Nokia Theatre
August 15 St. Augustine, FL St. Augustine Amphitheatre
August 16 Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum
August 17 Hollywood, FL Seminole Hard Rock Live
August 19 Estero, FL Germain Arena
August 20 Alpharetta, GA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 22 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 23 Gilford, NH Meadowbrook U.S. Cellular Pavilion

* only Judas Priest