Concert preview: Judas Priest and Whitesnake at Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie (August 13)

by Justin Press of Justin Press: Dallas Rock Music Examiner

Here it is, Judas Priest and Whitesnake, the kind of double bill that used to fill Reunion Arena on any night of the week. Of course, that's when Dallas was a Top 5 Rock town, but now we sit somewhere below Billings and Tempe. Blame CC radio, who consolidated playlists and lost their balls somewhere along the highway or when Cumulus took a great thing in the Bone 93.3 and made it vanilla. God, I miss the days of Q102 and the KZEW. But this isn't about bullshit that now passes itself as cutting edge or even kick ass radio. This is about the Mighty Priest and the equally stellar Whitesnake.

On tour to celebrate the first truly noted metal album, the title says it all, and after a towering risk with Nostrodamus, the English Midlands' second-favorite sons are now back to deliver "the" album in full, opening with the head-grinding "Rapid Fire" and stomping on your larynx with "Steeler" many tracks later. Throw in some greatest hits moments including "Victim of Changes," "Green Manalishi," and "Electric Eye," and you have a burning hell of a rock show, all studs and leather. Next to Sabbath, Purple and Maiden, Priest are the true rulers of the genre, Metallica be damned.

Whitesnake may come from a more glittery and white hot direction but they are potent nonetheless. The self-titled record from 1987 sold a gazillion copies and some of it does get lazy but there's not a riff around that eclipses "Still Of The Night" for pure sonic, hip cracking action. And "Slow And Easy" is a call to arms for all carnal knowledge carnivores of the evening. David Coverdale is a legend and the album Burn with his former Deep Purple cohorts is still that band's pinnacle (sorry Machine Head-ists). Whitesnake's weapon of choice these days is Doug Aldridge, the former Dio guitarist who just exemplifies what a gunslinger on the six string should look and perform like. Along with Winger's Reb Beech, they flat out tear it up. Also, their 2008 release Good To Be Bad is just a solid rock album top to bottom and if some brain trust listened close enough, Coverdale and Aldridge scripted the best country rock ballad of the year with "Summer Rain" -- inadvertently of course.

So Dallas, here's two bands in a great sounding venue, Nokia Theatre Grand Prairie, in our backyard, and you have to ask yourself -- am I going to let a landfill in Montana top us in our Metal-Ness? It's Thursday, it's past hump day, the boss won't expect much of you come Friday anyway. It's not okay to live in the past, but it's okay to relive from time to time.