Judas Priest on plans for 50th Anniversary

Judas Priest on plans for 50th AnniversaryRob Halford said Judas Priest were talking about ways to mark their 50th anniversary in 2019. The British icons have notched up more than 50 million album sales since their foundation in 1969, with bassist Ian Hill the only member who’s been there since the start.

“We are, yes, yes,” Halford replied when asked by WMMR Radio Station if they were going to mark the anniversary. “We're already having these discussions every now and again in the band and with our label and with our promoters and management. We have some ideas, and when we get close to solidifying something, we'll let you guys know. It's going to be a great year. What a celebration – another incredible milestone for Judas Priest that we're looking forward to sharing with everybody.”

The band will soon start a U.S. tour with Deep Purple. Asked about the music fans would hear on the road, Halford joked that “we all put our boxing gloves on." "There are certain songs that are vital to any band with longevity," he said. "These songs are so important to your lives and to your fans’ lives. So, there’s a little bit of everything. We’re going to mix the set list up.”

Earlier this year, the veteran singer said the band’s longevity has been "just a glorious journey." "Judas Priest was born in 1969, and that just seems inconceivable," he noted. "I cherish the fact that as a musician, I came from a whole different time of music. The people that inspired me really kind of set the tone and the template for me as a musician. But then you can fast-forward over four decades, and I meet bands all the time, and young metal bands reference bands like Priest 'I heard that song when I was at school, and I picked up a guitar,' or, 'I grabbed a mic,' so we're all kind of passing the torch, so to speak."

Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary Tour Continues in 2019

Jethro Tull, which toured in celebration of their 50th anniversary in 2018, will continue to celebrate the half-century landmark by extending that trek into 2019

Frontman Ian Anderson explained to Rolling Stone Magazine, “We continue to present the 50th Anniversary concerts in many countries and regions not visited in 2018, and also many Tull repertoire shows in Europe. There will be, of course, my usual charitable cathedral and church concerts in December. In the USA, many would argue 2019 is really the 50th Anniversary for US fans since we first visited in early 1969.”

Anderson is the only longtime member of Jethro Tull in the current band. So officially the tour is dubbed Ian Anderson’s 50 Years of Jethro Tull.

The anniversary shows will feature a career-spanning set list, from 1968’s This Was to 2012’s Thick As a Brick 2 and all the British band’s hits in-between. The new slate of 50th anniversary dates begin March 9th in Atlantic City, NJ and currently run through September 15th in Uncasville, New Jersey. For tour dates, check out

YES 50th anniversary, possible plans for new music

Fans of the progressive rock group Yes, are well aware that there are two active editions of the band. There’s the one that’s continuously been called Yes, now led by the guitarist Steve Howe. It also includes the long-tenured drummer Alan White among its members. Then there’s vocalist Jon Anderson, guitarist Trevor Rabin and keyboardist Rick Wakeman. The latter launched in 2016 with a well-received North American tour.

In 2018, they announced a 100-show world tour to commence on June 3 in Warsaw, Poland, and feature shows in Scandinavia, Germany, U.K. and North America in 2018, going on to South America, Central and Southern Europe, ending in Japan and the Far East in 2019. They’re just finishing up in Japan.

The latest news is that Yes frontman Jon Anderson is releasing a solo album with the help from his bandmates Alan White and Chris Squire. The album “1,000 Hands” was a music project that started 30 years ago and is now finally seeing the light of day on 3/31/19. He is also planning on hitting the road as a solo act to promote it. “I’m looking forward to putting on a great show,” Anderson said in a statement. “We’re going to do a lot of Yes music and some songs I haven’t sung in a while, and we’re going to do some songs from 1,000 Hands. We promise everybody a really special evening.”

His touring band will include Michael Franklin (keyboards), Tim Franklin (bass), Matt Brown (drums), Tommy Carlton (guitar), Jocelyn Hsu (percussion), Antonio Esposito (keyboards) and Chris Charles (saxophone).”

Little Feat celebrates their 50th anniversary with their fans!

Little Feat has promised that they plan to tour more in 2019 than in recent years to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The latest fulfillment of that promise is the announcement of the second leg of Little Feat’s 50th Anniversary Tour. Despite the ups and downs with this band, they still endure by the commitment of the band members to keep playing for their fans. ”

While the band will focus on the eastern half of the U.S. in March, the second leg brings the legendary group to the West Coast. Little Feat kicks off the second leg of their 50th Anniversary Tour at Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay in San Diego on May 24. The swing of California dates also includes stops in Beverly Hills, Avila Beach, Oakland and Redding. From there, Little Feat heads to the Pacific Northwest for concerts in Portland, Oregon on May 30; Seattle, Washington on June 1 and Missoula, Montana on June 3. The tour ends with visits to Salt Lake City on June 5 and Denver on June 7.