IAN HILL Confirms Most JUDAS PRIEST Live Shows Are Being Recorded: "It's Good For Posterity, We'll See Where It Leads"

In a recent chat with Mexico's OsvAlex Comunicación, Judas Priest bassist Ian Hill offered a rundown of what’s in store for the band's spring 2025 Latin American tour. The trek includes a highly anticipated stop on May 4th in Mexico City with Swedish prog-metal outfit Opeth. While the setlist will mostly feature fan favorites, Priest fans can expect a taste of the band’s latest material.

“Yeah, there'll be three or four songs from the new record (Invincible Shield), which is really unfortunate, but it's all we have time for,” Hill admitted (via Blabbermouth). “Because you've only got a certain amount of time you can play and, obviously, for every new song you've gotta drop potentially somebody's favorite. So it gets difficult, with the more material that you have.”

Balancing new tracks with classic material is always a challenge for a band with as deep a catalog as Judas Priest. Hill explained how they try to walk that line: “We try and do our best to keep it fans’ favorites – obviously, we like to keep the singalong songs. But for the other back-catalog songs, we try and keep them familiar, so everyone knows the songs. And then the three or four new ones. And we do our best to get a good blend of those three things. And I think we've done well.”

With the band having toured this current set for about a year now, fans attending the Mexico City show can expect a performance that’s been polished over time. “We've been playing pretty much this set for a year now, 'cause we started about this time last year, actually – a little bit earlier, in February – so it's well played in,” said Hill.

And of course, Priest is known for more than just the music. Their signature over-the-top live production will be in full effect. “The production goes along with the songs as well, which will be typical Priest things – lots of sound, lots of lights, things that move around, the motorcycle, what have you, the big screens at the back. It'll be a typical Priest mega show. [Laughs] And, yeah, that's what we're bringing to Mexico. And we're looking forward to doing that.”

As for whether the band might record a live album during their time in Mexico? Hill didn’t rule it out. “Maybe. We'll see. I mean, it's just easy to do these days. And we take recording equipment with us all the time, and I think most of the nights are recorded. So you never know – if you do a live album, at least part of it might be from Mexico. [Laughs] So, we'll see where it leads.”

He added, “We've been doing that now for quite a few years. It is just good for posterity. We don't keep it all, obviously – you can't keep it all. But, yeah, we record most shows.”

The buzz around Invincible Shield continues to grow, especially after it debuted at No. 2 on the U.K. album chart – just behind Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine. Priest have been around for more than five decades, but I think we can all agree they have been enjoying a massive resurgence in the last years, and their last two albums have cemented their already legendary status in the metal realm.