WOUB’s Nicholas Kobe recently interviewed KK’s Priest / former Judas Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens. The band is currently on tour in the US for the first time.

Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Q: Looking at the tour’s setlist so far, there’s a mix of new and old stuff. Do you have any particular philosophy behind what tracks you choose to put on a set list and why?

Owens: "I think a lot of this setlist was originally put together for the festivals last summer. We will probably put more of my Judas Priest-era songs in the set eventually. Obviously we’re going to be playing more KK’s Priest songs coming up, but right now we’re still playing off of that setlist. When you make a festival setlist, you have to try to do it for a wider audience because a lot of the festival crowds aren’t there for you. You’ve got to make a setlist that’s got a little bit of everything.

Some people complain that they don’t want to hear 'Breaking the Law' again; and to be honest, I don’t want to hear 'Breaking the Law' either, but when you’re on stage and you play that song - the diehard KK Priest fans and Judas Priest fans, they’re sick of that song - but the weirdest thing is that when you’re on stage and you go into that song, the people, in general, just go crazy. So you have to make a setlist that’s going to make everybody happy. We’re doing half KK’s Priest songs and half classic Priest songs that K.K. wrote."

Q: You were just touching on it, about your two records with Judas Priest and incorporating that more into the set list. How do you look back on those records, especially within the context of KK’S Priest?

Owens: "They were great records and it’s funny, one of the biggest complaints I seem to get from fans is that they want to hear more of my Judas Priest-era songs. I think one song that will go in the set in the future is 'One-on-One', which is one of my favorites off Demolition. It’s a great fit for everything and it’s nice that the fans want to hear those songs."

Read the complete interview here.

KK's Priest's first ever US tour kicked off on March 7 in Fort Lauderdale, FL and featurs support from special guests L.A. Guns and Napalm Records label mates Burning Witches. This tour is scheduled to be the first of at least a two leg US tour, planned to continue later in 2024.

Tickets for this monumental tour are on sale now. Check local venues or visit kkspriest.com to buy yours.

Tour dates:

March
15 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre
16 - Columbus, OH - King Of Clubs
17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage Ae
19 - Newport, KY - Megacorp Pavilion
20 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Theater
22 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
23 - Patchogue, NY - Patchogue Theatre
24 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre

KK's Priest is:

Tim "Ripper" Owens - Vocals
K.K. Downing - Guitar
A.J. Mills - Guitar
Tony Newton - Bass
Sean Elg - Drums

(Photo - Mind Art Visual)