Written by Abdiel Ortega / Photos by Abdiel Ortega
Saturday night at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista offered a rare chance to see two living rock-metal legends together: Alice Cooper and Judas Priest, who delivered a large-scale performance as part of their U.S. co-headlining tour.
The night opened with Alice Cooper, an icon of shock rock whose stage productions combine theater, characterization, and more than five decades on the road. He performed a set of classics such as “I’m Eighteen,” “Feed My Frankenstein,” and a closing “School’s Out,” which incorporated excerpts from “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2.” The show stood out for its elaborate production and the drive of his band, led by guitarist Nita Strauss alongside Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen.
Judas Priest followed with “All Guns Blazing” and “Hell Patrol,” both from “Painkiller,” which marks its 35th anniversary this year. Vocalist Rob Halford, joined by guitarists Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap, included a tribute segment to figures of the genre such as Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, and Lemmy, and closed with the anthems “Hell Bent for Leather” and “Living After Midnight.”
Both acts showed a level of professionalism grounded in decades of activity. Cooper sustained his characteristic energy and theatrical approach, while Judas Priest delivered a precise set with clear, powerful execution. The double-headliner format allowed the audience to experience, in one night, two distinct styles that have shaped generations within heavy metal.
The concert’s value lay in bringing two key figures of the genre to the same stage for an evening accessible to audiences in Southern California. It was an occasion to revisit classic material and confirm that both artists remain active with high-level performances.
For live-music audiences, the event combined stagecraft and musicianship in a format that is not common.
