Ahead of Judas Priest's concert on May 8th at Atlanta's Fox Theatre, Rob Halford spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Kaedy Kiely of 97.1 The River. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

Q: Many of your peers have embarked on retirement tours. How are you feeling about the future?

A: "I don’t think we’ll ever say, 'This is the end.' If and when it happens, it will be a graceful exit. When you start thinking about (retirement) internally, you start to decompress. Glenn (Tipton) is back in England putting some new songs together right now."

Q: You sound as if you still really enjoy performing.

A: "It’s a joy. For as long as we’ve had Priest, it’s always been about the show. You always say you’re going to see a band not hear a band. From day one we tried to give fans something to remember visually - the bikes, the leather, the whips, the chains, they’re all the embellishments. But first and foremost it’s the music, and if you can wrap it up with these other dimensions, that just gives a kick to what you’re doing. … It’s a thrill, it’s a thrill. We’re having a blast. I tell you what’s great about this - I don’t even think about (age). Age is a number, that’s exactly what it is. It’s all about living your life to the fullest, sharing what you can with people, being grateful. What a privilege it is to be a musician and go around the world and share with our fans."

Read more and listen to the full interview at Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

In celebration of the release of their 25th studio album, Living The Dream, classic rock icons Uriah Heep join fellow British rock icons Judas Priest on an extensive North American tour. Kicking off tonight, May 3, in Hollywood, FL, the trek will run through June 29 in Las Vegas. The current itinerary can be seen below.

Tour dates:

May
3 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Casino
4 - Miramar, FL - Village Door Music Hall *
6 - Nashville, TN-Municipal Auditorium
8 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
9 - Kent, OH - Kent Stage *
10 - Kent, OH - Kent Stage *
11 - Kent, OH - Kent Stage *
12 - Washington, DC - Anthem
14 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater
15 - Huntington, NY - Paramount Theater
16 - Uncastville, CT - Mohegan Sun
18 - Albany, NY - The Palace
19 - Albany, NY - The Palace
20 - Sellersville, PA - ST94 *
22 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
23 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
25 - Chicago, IL - Rosemount
28 - Austin, TX - Moody Theater
29 - Austin, TX - Moody Theater
31 - Dallas, TX - Bomb Factory

June
1 - Little Rock, AR - Riverfest Ampitheatre
3 - St. Louis, MO - Stifel Theatre
4 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads *
5 - Colorado Springs, CO - Broadmoor World Arena
8 - Saskatoon, SK - Sasktel Centre
10 - Lethbridge, AB - Enmax Centre
11 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
13 - Dawson Creek, BC - Encana Events Centre
14 - Prince George, BC - CN Centre
16 - Kelowna, BC - Propera Place
17 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Centre
19 - Spokane, WA - Northern Quest Casino
21 - Seattle, WA - Showare Center
22 - Portland, OR - Moda Center
24 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield
25 - San Francisco, CA - Warfield
27 - Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater
28 - Ontario, CA - Citizens Business Bank Arena
29 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint

* Uriah Heep only