Judas Priest books 2 nights at San Antonio's Tech Port Center — because SA is still a metal town

Judas Priest, one of the bands that pretty much invented heavy metal, will play two nights in San Antonio on the next leg of its 50 Heavy Metal Years Tour. Yes, that's the same tour that just hit the Alamo City in March.

Priest will play Tech Port Center + Arena Nov. 22 and 23 with Queensryche opening, marking the only two-night stand on a fall trek that will hit 28 U.S. cities.

For the uninitiated, San Antonio was one of the U.S. cities that helped break Birmingham, England-formed Priest in the United States, helping cement the city's reputation as the "Heavy Metal Capital of the World." The band got its first widespread radio airplay in the Alamo City and also headlined its first U.S. date here.

In his 2020 autobiography Confess, Priest singer Rob Halford spilled copious ink discussing SA's early embrace of the band, and in 2022 interview with the Current, bassist Ian Hill credited early support from pioneering local DJ Joe Anthony with the band's success.

"It did a great deal of good for us in the long run," Hill said. "If Joe hadn't been so great with playing our material, things might have been different in Texas, maybe elsewhere too."

Artist presale for the Tech Port Center shows runs Wednesday, June 22 at 10 a.m. through Thursday, June 23 at 10 p.m, while Tobin Center member presale begins Thursday, June 23 at 10 a.m. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, June 24 at 10 a.m.

$34.50 and up, 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22 and Wednesday, Nov. 23, Tech Port Center + Arena, 3331 General Hudnell Road, techportcenter.com.

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