JUDAS PRIEST - Live at the US Festival (1983)

Throwback Thursday - where we revisit live classics !

At the peak of metal popularity, Heavy Metal Day at the US Festival kicked the crap out of New Wave, Country and Rock Days in terms of attendance. A total of 670,000 fans attended over the four day event, 375,000 of which witnessed the metal extravaganza.

Ruling the metal day was the mighty Priest riding the tail-end of their Screaming For Vengeance tour. Quiet Riot and Motley Crue, being the new kids on the block at the time, were still learning the ropes, while Ozzy's set was muted by some over-amplified keyboards. Meanwhile, Triumph was simply over matched. Not sure about how the Scorpions fared, since there's a lack of recorded evidence to judge by, but Van Halen's drunken, messy set was too little, too late. Priest had won the day.

Grab the Special 30th Anniversary Edition CD of Screaming For Vengeance and you'll find a DVD of this live event. This, my friends, is what I consider to be the greatest traditional heavy metal concert ever caught on tape. The picture and sound are immaculate, capturing Priest at their peak. I will watch this until they put me in my grave. Essential.