JUDAS PRIEST launched its 2026 "Faithkeepers" European tour on Saturday, July 25, with a headlining set at BOBfest, held at SparkassenPark in Mönchengladbach, Germany.
The show marked a notable moment for longtime fans: JUDAS PRIEST played "The Ripper" and "Delivering The Goods" live for the first time since March 21, 2019, working both 1970s deep cuts into an extensive 17-song set that also included staples such as "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," "Breaking The Law," "Turbo Lover," "Victim Of Changes" and "Painkiller," closing with an encore of "The Hellion / Electric Eye," "Hell Bent For Leather" and "Living After Midnight."
The European leg follows JUDAS PRIEST's 22-city North American co-headlining run with ALICE COOPER in fall 2025, and continues the band's touring support behind its 19th studio album, "Invincible Shield." That record has performed strongly worldwide since its release, debuting at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. and reaching No. 2 in the UK, held off the top spot only by Ariana Grande's "Eternal Sunshine." The album topped the charts outright in Germany, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, and reached No. 5 in France, No. 8 in Italy and No. 16 in Australia. The UK placement marked JUDAS PRIEST's fifth Top 10 album in the country and its highest chart position there since 1980's "British Steel" peaked at No. 4.
The BOBfest performance also builds on the momentum of the band's 2025 "Shield Of Pain" European tour, during which JUDAS PRIEST performed seven tracks from 1990's "Painkiller" to mark that album's 35th anniversary. With "Faithkeepers" now underway and rare deep cuts back in rotation, the tour gives European audiences a broader cross-section of the band's five-decade catalog than recent outings, reinforcing JUDAS PRIEST's stated commitment to treating its extensive back catalog as living material rather than a fixed hits package.