Judas Priest Bring Metal Majesty to Scarborough, Honour Ozzy Osbourne in Powerful Tribute

★★★★★ (5/5)

**JUDAS PRIEST PERFORMING AT TK. MAXX PRESENTS… SCARBOROUGH OPEN AIR THEATRE**
**PHOTOCREDIT: JOHN HAYHURST**

Last night in Scarborough, heavy metal legends Judas Priest delivered a blistering, emotionally charged performance that will linger long in the minds of those who witnessed it.

Taking the stage at the Scarborough Open Air Theatre, the band brought fire, ferocity, and a poignant tribute to their late friend and fellow icon, Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away just the day before.

Before a single member of the band appeared, the tone was set. As Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” played through the speakers, the crowd roared their approval and joined in with the lyrics, turning the pre-show playlist into a spontaneous and heartfelt tribute. Thousands of voices sang as one, fists or horns in the air, grieving and celebrating the life of one of metal’s founding fathers. It was raw, emotional, and communal—a true heavy metal wake.

When the lights dropped and Judas Priest hit the stage with the searing “All Guns Blazing,” the atmosphere detonated. Rob Halford, the enduring voice and presence of the band, stormed the stage dressed in a gleaming leather jacket, metal studs catching the lights as if forged from lightning. His voice soared, screamed, and shrieked in defiance of time, every note delivered with the same conviction that defined the band in their ‘80s heyday.

The set leaned heavily into their 1990 powerhouse Painkiller, with seven songs from the album tearing through the night like a freight train. “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” pounded with biblical weight, while “Night Crawler” and “A Touch of Evil” dripped with menace and theatrical power. But it was “Painkiller” itself that truly stunned—Scott Travis’s drumming was a relentless assault, Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap’s twin guitars slicing through the night, and Halford unleashing a vocal barrage that few singers half his age could match – How exactly does a 73 year old man hit those high notes?

The rest of the set pulled no punches either. “Electric Eye” was delivered with machine-precision ferocity, the crowd nearly drowning out Halford during the chorus. “Breaking the Law” had the entire arena chanting in ecstatic unity, a song so deeply embedded in the DNA of metal fans that it barely needed the band at all. Ian Hill stood steady at the back and was as solid as ever, the quiet engine of the group, his bass lines the hidden pulse behind every explosive moment.

What made the night even more special was the emotional weight it carried. Just before “Giants in the Sky,” Halford stepped to the mic, his voice quieter but resolute. “I think you will all agree it’s been a rough 24 hours” he said. “Ozzy would have wanted this, a party to celebrate, and the show must go on”.

The song is about the giants of music that have been lost and the normal backdrop features the likes of Lemmy, Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury etc. As the song reaches its climax tonight, two images of Ozzy filled the screens—one of him in his wild, ‘Bark at the Moon’ days, the other showing the laughing elder statesman he became. It was an emotional moment in a night of thunder and lightning, and it hit hard. Fans cheered and chanted “Ozzy...Ozzy”, some holding horns aloft, others wiping away tears. It was reverent, beautiful, and deeply human.

Throughout the set, Halford was a vision of ever-shifting metallic elegance—seemingly changing into a different coat for nearly every song. Each one was some new iteration of black leather or gleaming silver, dripping in studs, chains, or chrome. He looked every inch the Metal God, commanding the stage with theatrical flair and cold-fire intensity.

Then came the encore. As the crowd begged for more, the familiar rumble of a motorcycle echoed out—and there he was: Halford astride his bike, leather gleaming, crop in hand, launching into “Hell Bent for Leather” to riotous cheers. The performance was pure spectacle, theatrical and triumphant. The final song, “Living After Midnight,” saw Halford crooning with a sly smile, the whole crowd shouting back every line. It was celebratory, defiant, joyful—a perfect ending to a night that honoured both the enduring power of Judas Priest and the monumental loss the metal world had just suffered.

Scarborough shook with metal last night. Judas Priest didn’t just play a concert—they held a ceremony of remembrance and rage, mourning and celebration. It was loud, emotional, unforgettable. A night for the history books, and a fitting tribute to the life and legacy of Ozzy Osbourne.