The Summary Judgment Reviews:

Halford and Testament Rating: 4.5 Skulls
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Death's Review (6/6/03, House of Blues Sunset Strip, Hollywood, CA):
Halford and Testament had already been through town in the last couple of months at this very same venue - only last time, they had Vio-lence and Death Angel in tow. We saw them twice on that tour too - LA and Anaheim. Anyway, how could I not go see those two metal giants again, on a Friday night no less? So there we were, Friday night upon us, and we were off to see the Metal God once again.

Halford
Photos by Hel except where noted.

Believe it or not, this show started wicked early, with Testament taking the stage at 7:30 p.m.! Of course, we found that out after we got there at 8:00! I can't be sure they really started at 7:30 but, if they did, they sure played a long set. I walked in during "Trial By Fire". I got a beer while they started "True Believer," and by the time I had ventured down onto the floor they were playing "Three Days in Darkness". I love that fucking tune, and I have to say that Testament was on fire this night - the bnd was a well-oiled ass-kicking machine, and Mssrs. Billy, Peterson, Smyth and DiGiorgio were joined by John Tempesta on drums, resulting in a killer live sound.

Testament

Next came an invitation to stage dive from the band which incited the crowd to get a bit more participatory while Testament delivered some a pair of old classics ("Over the Wall" and "Disciples of the Watch") that had the crowd going nuts. Circle pits are still in full-effect in LA, and watching the one that took over the floor during "Over the Wall" this night, you'd have thought it was 1987. By the time the band came back for an encore of "Dog Faced Gods," I was convinced that despite having missed half of the set, this was one of the better Testament gigs I had seen in some time.

Testament invites riot

Soon the Metal God took the stage to the perfect opener - "Painkiller". That was followed up by the classic "Rapid Fire" ("pounding the world - like a battering ram"). Cool - I could tell that Rob had mixed up the set list a bit and we therefore had a fun night in store. I am always in search of the obscure Priest tracks, and I was not disappointed - we were treated to "White Heat, Red Hot" off of Stained Class and, my favorite tune of the night, "Never Satisfied" from way back on Rocka Rolla. The evening was capped by a second rendition of "Rapid Fire" - this time Chuck Billy joined Halford on vocals, which was definitely a metal meeting that I felt privileged to see.
All in all, a kick ass night, hindered only by the early start time (the whole thing was over by 10:30 on a Friday night), the absence of all the Metal Gods Tour bands we were originally supposed to see, and the fact that I had seen these same bands recently. Still merits four skulls though.

Halford

Hel's Review (6/6/03, House of Blues Sunset Strip, Hollywood, CA):
Once again I find myself on Sunset Strip at the House of Blues. Tonight the lines were much shorter, but we still arrived to find the band we most wanted to see already onstage. After scurrying through the lines, I dashed to the photo pit, only to be denied since it was past the third song. But I doggedly persisted, trying to be sneaky by lurking in the crowd.

Testament

Throughout all this, Testament proceeded to put on an intense performance that proved they are truly back to form. Chuck Billy is back to his old self, and both the crowd and the band enjoyed themselves immensely the entire time. Their set was a long one, considering I came in after the third song and still caught about seven. Chuck invited everyone up onstage at one point, mentioning that there were barely any security guards up front and encouraging the fans to get up there and join them. Many took him up on his offer, and chaos ensued. Shortly thereafter, Chuck jokingly pointed out that suddenly there were a lot more security people up front. After a satisfying set, the House of Blues pulled the curtain closed, cutting us off from more Testament.

Halford

Since we'd already managed to miss Leatherwolf, and I don't even know if anyone else played, it was clear the evening would be ending early. Still, there was a set full of Halford ahead, and a long lull beforehand. I decided to go down front after waiting around for half an hour or so, and then spent fifteen incredibly boring minutes staring at the curtain, willing it to open. It did at long last.
Rob Halford emerged, as always, a figure clad all in leather and silver studs that flashed in the bright white lights. Always the consummate showman, Rob proceeded to command the audience with the deft grace of a professional. Running through a selection consisting mostly of older and newer Halford material and classic Judas Priest songs, the Metal God and his band of merry men thrilled the crowd with their enthusiastic performances. As a very special treat, Chuck Billy came out and performed one song with the Metal God, damned if I can remember which Priest classic it was, but it was an incredible duet.

Rob and Chuck
Photo by Death

All in all, it was another entertaining night of metal on the Sunset Strip. Death has even mastered the secret art of getting your car back from the valet quickly afterward, so beyond the fact that Testament was already onstage when we arrived at 7:30, I don't have a lot to complain about. Kudos to both these bands for teaming up in the aftermath of the Metal Gods tour collapse, and coming to play these dates anyway.

Testament

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