Credit: Alamy

Judas Priest’s Rob Halford reveals he won’t be retiring anytime soon: “It completes you”

Tue 10 September 2024 10:23, UK

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has asserted that he has no plans to retire, and that life on the road with the Birmingham metal legends is what keeps him going.

As the longtime vocalist of the ‘Breaking the Law’ band, joining them in 1973, Halford is one of metal’s foremost figures alongside the likes of Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne, Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan and the late Ronnie James Dio. He’s always been supportive of the genre’s cultural significance as well, and said earlier this year that Osbourne deserves a knighthood, a point that many music fans, not just metal heads, can get behind.

Halford’s hopes for Osbourne’s knighthood followed the news that his old friend would no longer be able to tour due to his deteriorating health. As it stands, Black Sabbath are no longer active, but due to Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler appearing in the Aston Villa kit video in July, the calls for a farewell show at Villa Park gained traction once more, with Butler also throwing his support behind them.

Despite Black Sabbath being currently inactive, Halford has revealed that he and Judas Priest aren’t shuffling off into retirement just yet. They released the acclaimed album Invincible Shield in March, which went to number two on the UK Albums Chart, their highest position on it to date. As well as the band being in a great place, Halford still has a great passion for his craft, too.

The Brummie outfit are kicking off a North American tour on September 13th in Montreal, which concludes on October 26th in Irving, Texas. In a new interview with Rock 108 in Iowa, Halford explained why he is refusing to retire.

“I think if your desire is still there,” Halford said. “If your passion is still there, if you can still deliver the [goods] — to quote a Priest song — if you’re moving along and the machine’s not too wobbly, you can still get from A to B on one wheel, as long as it looks good and sounds good and all the other pieces are in place, why would you want to retire?”

He continued: “I wouldn’t know what to do with my life if I suddenly couldn’t do this beautiful work. I need to do it. It’s part of me that I need to do to live as a person because I love it so much.” He then said he thought he was speaking for everyone in the band, stating that their love of the craft is the primary motivation that keeps them all pushing on.

Halford was also quick to highlight the importance of Judas Priest’s loyal fan base in the equation, as without them, the band would not be able to keep going. “We can’t do this alone,” he noted before stating that the band’s fans are “glorious”.

The frontman concluded: “You need people there. That’s part of the experience. It completes you. A live show completes the love of your band.”