As Judas Priest gears up for their upcoming “Faithkeepers” European tour, there have been speculations about what the heavy metal legends will include in their live set. With 2026 marking the massive 50th anniversary of their sophomore album, Sad Wings Of Destiny, and the 40th anniversary of the polarizing classic Turbo, many fans expected the trek to lean heavily on those specific milestones.
However, according to guitarist Richie Faulkner, the band is taking a much broader approach this time around.
During a recent interview with “Metal Pilgrim,” the guitarist was asked if the upcoming tour would focus on those specific album anniversaries. He clarified that after a string of highly themed tours, Judas Priest is ready to shake things up and celebrate their entire catalog.
“I think, from what I know at the moment, it’s not gonna be anything specific. I think it’s gonna cover all bases. The last tour we did, obviously, was the Invincible Shield tour, which ran into the ‘Shield Of Pain‘, which was very specific. It was [celebrating the 35th anniversary of the] Painkiller [album] and [promoting] Invincible Shield. So now I think it might be a celebration of all things. And we’ll touch on those areas, Sad Wings and Turbo and things like that. But I think, as far as I know at the moment, it’s gonna be less of a specific thing — more about Priest as a whole,” Faulkner explained.
While the setlist won’t be entirely dedicated to Sad Wings Of Destiny, the guitarist assured fans that the monumental half-century milestone of the 1976 record will not be ignored, even teasing some potential deep-cut requests from his bandmates.
“Because we’ve been so specific on the last couple of tours, it’ll be nice to just be a bit more free flowing. But as you said, we’ve gotta touch on those things. Sad Wings is 50 years [old], man. Incredible. 50 years — half a century [ago], they were making that stuff. So we’ve gotta do ‘Victim Of Changes‘. We’ve gotta do ‘The Ripper‘. [Priest touring guitarist] Andy [Sneap] wants to do ‘Island Of Domination‘, but we’ll see about that.”
Crafting a setlist for a band with over 50 years of history is notoriously difficult. Richie Faulkner expanded on the careful balancing act required to keep crowds energized while satisfying long-time diehards.
“You know what it’s like — you always gotta find that balance between the deep cuts… You don’t wanna lose the audience… That’s the thing. [The fans] span so many generations now… So you’ve gotta cater for everyone. So we we’re gonna try and do our best to cater for everyone. So, we’ll see. It could all change, though. We’ve got an idea, but when we get in rehearsals, that could all change. But I think that’s what it’s gonna be.”
Ultimately, the lack of a strict thematic anchor for the “Faithkeepers” run gives the band the freedom to pull from all eras of their legendary career.
“Fortunately, the last couple of years, we had an album tour. So that was gonna focused towards that. The other one was the ‘Shield Of Pain‘ [tour], so you know where your focus is gonna be. Now at this point, there’s no focus. So I think it’s gonna be a bit of everything. And then next album, it might be focused towards that. So at least we know kind of where we’re gonna be, and what we’re not gonna be, depending on what went before. So the other one was focused on Painkiller, Invincible Shield, so you know we don’t have to do that much [from those albums] again. So that’s how we work it out. But it is a challenge. So many songs,” he concluded.
“Faithkeepers” European Tour 2026 Dates:
- July 26, 2026 – Neu-Ulm, Germany – Wiley Sportpark
- July 28, 2026 – Warsaw, Poland – Torwar
- August 2, 2026 – Ostrava, Czech Republic – Ostrava Arena
- August 4, 2026 – Bratislava, Slovakia – Nepala Arena
- August 6, 2026 – Halle, Germany – Messehalle
- August 12, 2026 – Tilburg, Netherlands – O13
- August 16, 2026 – Carhaix-Plouguer, France – Motocultor Festival
- August 18, 2026 – Pamplona, Spain – Navarra Arena
- August 20, 2026 – Valencia, Spain – Roig Arena
- August 23, 2026 – Goarshausen, Germany – Loreley Amphitheatre
- August 25, 2026 – Pula, Croatia – Pula Arena
- August 28, 2026 – Belgrade, Serbia – Belgrade Arena
- August 29, 2026 – Sofia, Bulgaria – Vidas Art Arena
- September 1, 2026 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena
- September 3, 2026 – Pordenone, Italy – Parco S. Valentino
- September 5, 2026 – Brescia, Italy – Teatro Clerici
- September 7, 2026 – Bari, Italy – Fiera del Levante
- September 9, 2026 – Rome, Italy – Cavea Auditorium Parco della Musica
- September 11, 2026 – Bern, Switzerland – Festhalle
- September 12, 2026 – Strasbourg, France – Zenith
- September 14, 2026 – Lyon, France – LDLC Arena (Décines-Charpieu)
- September 15, 2026 – Bordeaux, France – Arkéa Arena (Floirac)
- September 17, 2026 – Paris, France – Arena Zenith
- September 18, 2026 – Brussels, Belgium – Forest National
