Judas Priest has postponed the remainder of their U.S. tour after lead guitarist Richie Faulkner was hospitalized due to his “major medical heart condition.”
“It is with deep regret that we have to postpone the rest of our U.S. tour. Richie Faulkner has major medical heart condition issues which have landed him in the hospital where he is being treated,” read a statement from the band sent to Billboard. “In the meantime, we are all sending love to our Falcon to wish him a speedy recovery… As soon as we have any updates from the doctors on when we can reschedule the dates, we will of course announce them – Tickets will be valid.”
According to their official website, the English heavy metal band’s next show was scheduled for Wednesday at Denver’s Mission Ballroom. Their 50 Heavy Metal Years North American Tour would have concluded in November with a three-show run in Canada, before the European leg would resume Jan. 26, 2022, in Berlin’s Mercedes Benz Arena. It remains unclear if their European dates are impacted by Faulker’s hospitalization.
The 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour is the belated celebration of Judas Priest’s 50th anniversary featuring songs from their last studio album from 2018, Firepower, which went No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 — the British metal legends’ highest-charting effort on the all-genre albums tally to date.
On Oct. 15, Sony Legacy will release the Judas Priest 50 Heavy Metal Years of Music limited-edition box set, including remastered versions of every one of the band’s official live and studio album, new artwork, memorabilia, collectible items and a photo book.
