Ahead of Judas Priest's shows at The Warfield in San Francisco, CA on June 24 and 25, bassist Ian Hill spoke with Riff Magazine about the band's current tour, their resurgence, and the future. A couple of excerpts follow.

Q: You’ve been playing with Andy Sneap for a while now. What’s it like having him in the band, and will he be an official member?

Ian Hill: "That’s pretty much up to Andy. His first calling really these days is as a producer. But he’s always going to be welcome. He’s done a tremendous job so far, stepping in for Glenn. We would’ve been in deep trouble if he hadn’t have been there. He pulled a rabbit out of a hat there by learning so many songs in such a short period of time. He’s done a great job. As time goes on, he’s getting a bit more confident on stage, and what have you. And we’ll go to the end of this run, with him in the States. And then we’ll see where we want to go after that. Whether he wants to carry on with his production career—well, he’s going to do that anyway. But whether he wants to go back to doing it full time, or whether he’s prepared to give that up for a while and be part of Judas Priest; we’ll wait to see. It’s something to be discussed, really. And it will be mutual all the way. We’ll understand if he wants to go back to his production. He’s more than welcome to stay."

Q: Will Glenn Tipton be involved when you’re back in the studio, working on your next album?

Ian Hill: "That’s the plan, yeah. In fact I’m sure he’s coming up with ideas, chord sequences, riffs and what have you, as we speak. It’s sad that he can’t get out on the road, but there’s nothing wrong with his brain. And he’s still as creative as he was, so we’ll be waiting to see what he comes up with, and we’ll get to work on it."

Read the full interview at Riff Magazine.

Upcoming Judas Priest tour dates:

May
6 - Nashville, TN-Municipal Auditorium
8 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
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
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
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

(Photo - Travis Shin)