After checking into the Harrah's Casino we asked the lady at the front desk about the venue, and she proceeded to tell us that it was an outdoor venue. That was news to me, and considering it was only 50 degrees (about 10 Celsius for our European friends) and very overcast with a chance of rain, I was a bit worried about how the night would go.
Saxon went on right at 7:30 and played a blistering 11 song set over the next 55 minutes. The crowd was VERY into it. Even though this was a Priest headlining concert, the crowd knew they were hearing something great. Biff even made a comment about how the crowd was so good that it felt like they were back in England! Nigel was his usual amazing self behind the drums, I was very glad to see him back where he belongs and doing his usual perfect show! It was a very early 80s-centric set, as to be expected when playing as the opening band and in the US, checkout
www.setlist.fm if you want to see the set they played. After the concert, a guy behind me said that despite not being too familiar with Saxon, he was amazed at how great they were, I believe they really went over well with the crowd.
Priest was Priest, they played for about 1:50 and did a 17 song set (again, check setlist.fm if you want to see it). Rob sounds even better now than he did when I last saw Priest back in '09. Not only did he sound better, but it seemed like he moved better on stage too. I was glad to see the Metal God keeping himself in proper condition needed to deliver a great show. Richie Faulkner is a great addition to the band, he really engages the audience well and is an exceptional player. They really delivered a great set, Saxon set the bar high, and Priest was up to the challenge.
Overall, it was an amazing night of British metal, one well worth the nearly 6 hour drive!
Assuming the attachments upload correctly, one is of the Saxon shirts that were for sale, and one is of the band in action.
05-22-2015, 04:27 AM
Judas Priest/Saxon at Council Bluffs, IA, May 20th '15
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