Judas Priest
Iron Maiden
New Haven Coliseum
New Haven, Connecticut
December, 1981
Imagine this – you’ve got an upstart Iron Maiden touring on the release of arguably their best album ever in “Killers”, and Priest promoting their most accessible release in “Point of Entry”. While Priest was slowly becoming stars in the US, Maiden was out for blood and taking no prisoners.
As the Paul Dianno-fronted Maiden prepared to hit the stage, “The Ides of March” intro tape was blaring through the PA. Before you knew it, a tattoo-less Steve Harris ran on stage and burst into “Wrathchild”. Dave Murray and new guitarist Adrian Smith locked in and away we went. I’ve always preferred the punkish Maiden to the glossed over progressive outfit of today, and Dianno epitomized that punk attitude. Imagine picking from the band’s debut and “Killers!” We got “Phantom of the Opera”, “Prowler”, “Charlotte the Harlot”, “”Killers”, “Sanctuary”, and other metal marauders. How would Priest fare after such an onslaught…
Priest has always been class personified. While the likes of “Hell Bent for Leather” and “Stained Class” were raw and unbridled, “British Steel” was a bit more commercial with one eye focused on America. Well, if Priest had one eye on the US with “British Steel,” both eyes had America in their sight during the writing of “Point of Entry.” The metal-heads hated it because it was far too commercial for a band like Priest, but in retrospect, I love it nowadays!
The band promoted “Point of Entry” appropriately while mixing in classics such as “Hell Bent for Leather”, “Living After Midnight”, “Breaking the Law”, “Tyrant”, “Victim of Changes”, “Genocide”, etc. Sadly, there was no “Stained Class” or “The Ripper”. And that, in part, was the problem. Classics were pushed aside in favor of “Troubleshooter”, “Heading out to the Highway”, and “Turning Circles.” Great now, but back then they sere seen as dreadful.
Nonetheless, a great double bill that we’d never see again!
