QUEENSRŸCHE's MICHAEL WILTON Says Touring With JUDAS PRIEST Was A 'Mind-Blowing' Experience

In a new interview with Kati Rausch of Music Interview Corner, QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton was asked what it was like for him and his bandmates to complete a couple of different U.S. tours as the support act for JUDAS PRIEST. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  ”As a fan, I love it because I grew up listening to JUDAS PRIEST. When I was 16, 17, 18 years old, I was listening to ‘Sad Wings Of Destiny’. Those old JUDAS PRIEST albums, they were super cool, and, obviously, [PRIEST singer] Rob Halford had the most amazing voice. And then, in my future endeavor with QUEENSRŸCHE, to play with them, it’s mind blowing. But in touring with them, they’re professional, they’re great guys, and we hope to do — I think we are doing a show with them [in April] down in South America, so we’ll see them again… But it’s great. They’re still touring and we follow them on social media and really respect what they do… I mean, Rob Halford, he’s like the definition of metal. He’s awesome.”

After QUEENSRŸCHE completed its first tour with JUDAS PRIEST in the fall of 2022, Wilton told Sea Of Tranquility about the trek: “JUDAS PRIEST was one of my influences when I was [in my] late teens, early 20s. So I was gravitated to the two-guitar hard rock/metal bands. I was listening to these guys — all their old albums, I still have ’em, the LPs. And for me, since we’ve been able to tour with them, they’re just really nice guys; they’re super easy to work with, and they bring it every night. They kick ass. Rob has still got it. And for me, it’s a good package. And our music complements each other in some way. But for me, it’s just, like, ‘Yeah, I grew up listening to these guys, and now I’m on tour with them. It’s pretty damn cool.'”

Added QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre: “Yeah, it’s awesome. And thing is, too, anything can happen. We turn on the news or the Internet, and somebody’s passed away, something tragic happened. And to see a band that’s been around as long as JUDAS PRIEST has, to be on a tour with them, you’re, like, ‘How many more tours does anybody have?’ You don’t know. So to be able to get two tours with them was really awesome. And they changed the set up on both legs; it was totally different. And getting to know them, like Michael said… We’ll be going to our dressing room and we’ll hear them rehearsing in one of the little side rooms. Scott [Travis, PRIEST drummer] has a practice kit and they would all be in there and they’d be rehearsing a part to a song. And we’re, like, ‘Oh, yeah.’

“It was a lot of fun,” he continued. “[We have] so much respect for them. And the organization treated us so well. It was a real treat, and we’re very honored that they not only chose us one time, but I think that they saw we did deliver… And behind the scenes, our crew… There was a 10-minute changeover for us, so we had to have everything off — boom, boom, boom — and done. And adhering to that timeline and being professional and out of their way… We’re a totally self-contained unit, so we don’t rely on them for a bunch of stuff. We have all our own everything. And it was just a seamless thing. We couldn’t have asked for a sweeter situation.”

QUEENSRŸCHE kicked off the European leg of “The Origins Tour” on January 31 at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki, Finland.

Although QUEENSRŸCHE would score multi-platinum albums and hit singles over their career, their fans have developed an undeniable love for the group’s early releases, the 1983 EP and 1984’s “The Warning” album, when they helped trailblaze a style of rock that combined elements of metal and prog. And for the first time ever, QUEENSRŸCHE is performing both classic releases in their entirety as part of “The Origins Tour”.

Guitarist Mike Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band’s latest studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on “other business ventures.”

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album “Tribe” and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

For the past eight years, drummer Casey Grillo has been filling in for original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield, who stepped away from the band’s touring activities in early 2017 to spend time with his young son.

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group’s assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.