# Metal Conqueror Tour

The Metal Conqueror Tour was a concert tour by English heavy metal band Judas Priest in support of the album Defenders of the Faith. It ran from 20 January until 13 September 1984.
Following the tour, the band took a one-year hiatus from touring, apart from a brief performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert in Philadelphia.

## Recordings

The 2015 release of Defenders of the Faith's 30th anniversary edition features the concert from 5 May 1984 in Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, California in its entirety. Prior to this release, select tracks from the same concert were featured as bonus tracks on the 2001 remasters of Sin After Sin, British Steel, Defenders of the Faith, Priest...Live! and Ram It Down.

## Production

The stage production featured a large drum riser prop in the shape of the Metallian that adorns the Defenders of the Faith album cover. During the concert, the band members would enter the stage through the prop's mouth, or under either of its raisable legs. Halford's staple live stunt of riding a motorcycle on stage also had him emerge from under one of the legs.

## Europe warm-up leg

A special pre-Defenders of the Faith mini tour took place in the United Kingdom and Germany, which went from 12 to 22 December 1983 with support act Quiet Riot. They would also perform at the Rock Pop Festival at Westfalenhallen in Dortmund on 18 December with Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Ozzy Osbourne, Def Leppard and Quiet Riot.

### Tour dates

| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| 12 December 1983 | Newcastle | England | Newcastle City Hall |
| 13 December 1983 | Glasgow | Scotland | The Apollo |
| 15 December 1983 | Manchester | England | Manchester Apollo |
| 16 December 1983 | London | England | Hammersmith Odeon |
| 17 December 1983 | London | England | Hammersmith Odeon |
| 18 December 1983 | Dortmund | West Germany | Westfalenhallen |
| 20 December 1983 | Leicester | England | De Montfort Hall |
| 21 December 1983 | Birmingham | England | Birmingham Odeon |
| 22 December 1983 | Birmingham | England | Birmingham Odeon |

## Setlist

The setlist varied throughout the tour. The European setlist consisted of:
"The Hellion" (Taped intro)
* "Electric Eye"
* "Riding on the Wind"
* "Grinder"
* "Metal Gods"
* "Bloodstone"
* "Breaking the Law"
* "Sinner"
* "Desert Plains"
* "The Ripper"
* "Heavy Duty" (Added on 2 February 1984)
* "Defenders Of The Faith" (Added on 2 February 1984)
* "Freewheel Burning"
* "Screaming For Vengeance" (Replaced by "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll" after 28 January 1984)
* "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
* "Victim of Changes"
* "Living After Midnight"
* "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (Fleetwood Mac cover)
* "Hell Bent for Leather"
The U.S. setlist consisted of:
* "Love Bites"
* "Jawbreaker"
* "Grinder"
* "Metal Gods"
* "Breaking the Law"
* "Sinner"
* "Desert Plains"
* "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll"
* "The Sentinel"
* "Rock Hard, Ride Free"
* "Night Comes Down"
* "Electric Eye"
* "Heavy Duty"
* "Defenders of the Faith"
* "Freewheel Burning"
* "Victim of Changes"
* "The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)" (Fleetwood Mac cover)
* "Living After Midnight"
* "Hell Bent for Leather"
* "You've Got Another Thing Comin'"
"Heading Out to the Highway" was also played on 9 June.

## Tour dates

The band toured with Ted Nugent and Raven on the European leg and Great White and Kick Axe on the North American leg.
On 18 June 1984, at Madison Square Garden in New York City, several riots broke out, and the crowd also brawled with venue security and arriving NYPD officers - some in full riot gear - which prompted the venue to ban Priest.
"Madison Square Garden banned us for life", recalled Glenn Tipton. "The audience went berserk and ripped all the seats out. They cost more than a quarter of a million dollars to replace. Me and Ken [KK Downing] went back there to see a tennis match which John McEnroe was playing in. We went incognito, wearing hoodies so no one would recognize us, but the ushers came up to us and said, 'Thanks for the new seats, guys.'"
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
| Europe ||||
| 20 January 1984 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Falkoner Center |
| 21 January 1984 | Stockholm | Sweden | Hovet |
| 23 January 1984 | Gothenburg | Sweden | Scandinavium |
| 25 January 1984 | Nancy | France | Parc des Expositions |
| 26 January 1984 | Le Grand-Quevilly | France | Parc des Expositions de Rouen |
| 27 January 1984 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Edenhall |
| 28 January 1984 | Brussels | Belgium | Forest National |
| 30 January 1984 | Clermont-Ferrand | France | Maison des Sports |
| 31 January 1984 | Clermont-Ferrand | France | Maison des Sports |
| 1 February 1984 | Barcelona | Spain | Palau dels Esports de Barcelona |
| 2 February 1984 | Madrid | Spain | Raimundo Saporta Pavilion |
| 3 February 1984 | San Sebastián | Spain | Velódromo de Anoeta |
| 4 February 1984 | Toulouse | France | Palais des Sports |
| 5 February 1984 | Marseille | France | Unknown |
| 7 February 1984 | Nice | France | Théâtre de Verdure de Nice |
| 8 February 1984 | Grenoble | France | Alpexpo |
| 9 February 1984 | Lyon | France | Palais d'Hiver |
| 10 February 1984 | Strasbourg | France | Hall Tivoli |
| 11 February 1984 | Paris | France | Éspace Ballard |
| 13 February 1984 | Offenbach | West Germany | Stadthalle |
| 14 February 1984 | Neunkirchen am Brand | West Germany | Hemmerleinhalle |
| 15 February 1984 | Kaunitz | West Germany | Ostwestfalenhalle |
| 17 February 1984 | Böblingen | West Germany | Sporthalle |
| 18 February 1984 | Winterthur | Switzerland | Eulachalle |
| 19 February 1984 | Munich | West Germany | Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle |
| 20 February 1984 | Eppelheim | West Germany | Rhein-Neckar-Halle |
| 21 February 1984 | Düsseldorf | West Germany | Mitsubishi Electric Halle |
| 22 February 1984 | Hanover | West Germany | Eilenriedehalle |
| North America ||||
| 16 March 1984 | Niagara Falls | United States | Niagara Falls Convention Center |
| 18 March 1984 | Springfield | United States | Springfield Civic Center |
| 19 March 1984 | Portland | United States | Cumberland County Civic Center |
| 21 March 1984 | Uniondale | United States | Nassau Coliseum |
| 22 March 1984 | New Haven | United States | New Haven Coliseum |
| 23 March 1984 | East Rutherford | United States | Brendan Byrne Arena |
| 25 March 1984 | Providence | United States | Providence Civic Center |
| 26 March 1984 | Worcester | United States | The Centrum |
| 27 March 1984 | Glens Falls | United States | Glens Falls Civic Center |
| 28 March 1984 | Montreal | Canada | Montreal Forum |
| 30 March 1984 | Quebec City | Canada | Colisée de Québec |
| 31 March 1984 | Ottawa | Canada | Ottawa Civic Centre |
| 2 April 1984 | Toronto | Canada | Maple Leaf Gardens |
| 3 April 1984 | Rochester | United States | War Memorial Auditorium |
| 4 April 1984 | Syracuse | United States | Onondaga War Memorial Auditorium |
| 6 April 1984 | Richfield | United States | Richfield Coliseum |
| 7 April 1984 | Kalamazoo | United States | Wings Event Center |
| 9 April 1984 | Pittsburgh | United States | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
| 11 April 1984 | Baltimore | United States | Baltimore Civic Center |
| 12 April 1984 | Hampton | United States | Hampton Coliseum |
| 13 April 1984 | Roanoke | United States | Roanoke Civic Center |
| 14 April 1984 | Louisville | United States | Louisville Gardens |
| 16 April 1984 | Knoxville | United States | Knoxville Civic Coliseum |
| 17 April 1984 | Huntsville | United States | Von Braun Civic Center |
| 18 April 1984 | Memphis | United States | Mid-South Coliseum |
| 20 April 1984 | Jackson | United States | Mississippi Coliseum |
| 21 April 1984 | BIloxi | United States | Mississippi Coast Coliseum |
| 22 April 1984 | Baton Rouge | United States | Riverside Centroplex |
| 24 April 1984 | Shreveport | United States | Hirsch Memorial Coliseum |
| 25 April 1984 | Little Rock | United States | Barton Coliseum |
| 27 April 1984 | Houston | United States | The Summit |
| 28 April 1984 | San Antonio | United States | HemisFair Arena |
| 29 April 1984 | Austin | United States | Frank Erwin Center |
| 30 April 1984 | Dallas | United States | Reunion Arena |
| 2 May 1984 | Albuquerque | United States | Tingley Coliseum |
| 3 May 1984 | Phoenix | United States | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
| 5 May 1984 | Long Beach | United States | Long Beach Arena |
| 6 May 1984 | Long Beach | United States | Long Beach Arena |
| 7 May 1984 | Long Beach | United States | Long Beach Arena |
| 9 May 1984 | San Diego | United States | San Diego Sports Arena |
| 10 May 1984 | Fresno | United States | Selland Arena |
| 12 May 1984 | Sacramento | United States | Cal Expo Amphitheatre |
| 24 May 1984 | Portland | United States | Portland Memorial Coliseum |
| 25 May 1984 | Spokane | United States | Spokane Coliseum |
| 26 May 1984 | Tacoma | United States | Tacoma Dome |
| 28 May 1984 | Vancouver | Canada | Pacific Coliseum |
| 30 May 1984 | Edmonton | Canada | Northlands Coliseum |
| 31 May 1984 | Calgary | Canada | Stampede Corral |
| 2 June 1984 | Regina | Canada | Regina Agridome |
| 4 June 1984 | Winnipeg | Canada | Winnipeg Arena |
| 6 June 1984 | La Crosse | United States | La Crosse Center |
| 7 June 1984 | Ashwaubenon | United States | Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena |
| 9 June 1984 | Madison | United States | Dane County Coliseum |
| 11 June 1984 | Saint Paul | United States | Saint Paul Civic Center |
| 13 June 1984 | Detroit | United States | Joe Louis Arena |
| 14 June 1984 | Rosemont | United States | Rosemont Horizon |
| 16 June 1984 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre |
| 17 June 1984 | Landover | United States | Capital Centre |
| 18 June 1984 | New York City | United States | Madison Square Garden |
| 20 June 1984 | Binghamton | United States | Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena |
| 22 June 1984 | Bethlehem | United States | Stabler Arena |
| 23 June 1984 | Philadelphia | United States | Spectrum |
| 26 June 1984 | Greensboro | United States | Greensboro Coliseum |
| 27 June 1984 | Charlotte | United States | Charlotte Coliseum |
| 28 June 1984 | Atlanta | United States | Omni Coliseum |
| 30 June 1984 | Jacksonville | United States | Jacksonville Coliseum |
| 1 July 1984 | Pembroke Pines | United States | Hollywood Sportatorium |
| 3 July 1984 | Lakeland | United States | Lakeland Civic Center |
| 6 July 1984 | Johnson City | United States | Freedom Hall Civic Center |
| 7 July 1984 | Nashville | United States | Nashville Municipal Auditorium |
| 9 July 1984 | Trotwood | United States | Hara Arena |
| 10 July 1984 | Indianapolis | United States | Market Square Arena |
| 13 July 1984 | Cedar Rapids | United States | Five Seasons Center |
| 14 July 1984 | St. Louis | United States | Kiel Auditorium |
| 15 July 1984 | Bonner Springs | United States | Sandstone Amphitheater |
| 17 July 1984 | Valley Center | United States | Kansas Coliseum |
| 18 July 1984 | Norman | United States | Lloyd Noble Center |
| 20 July 1984 | Denver | United States | McNichols Sports Arena |
| 21 July 1984 | Casper | United States | Casper Events Center |
| 22 July 1984 | Pueblo | United States | State Fairgrounds |
| 24 July 1984 | Las Vegas | United States | Thomas & Mack Center |
| 25 July 1984 | Reno | United States | Lawlor Events Center |
| 27 July 1984 | Daly City | United States | Cow Palace |
| 28 July 1984 | Daly City | United States | Cow Palace |
| 29 July 1984 | Irvine | United States | Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre |
| 31 July 1984 | Salt Lake City | United States | Salt Palace |
| 2 August 1984 | Sioux Falls | United States | Sioux Falls Arena |
| 3 August 1984 | Bismarck | United States | Bismarck Civic Center |
| 5 August 1984 | East Troy | United States | Alpine Valley Music Theatre |
| 7 August 1984 | Harrisburg | United States | City Island |
| 8 August 1984 | Columbus | United States | Battelle Hall |
| 9 August 1984 | Saginaw | United States | Wendler Arena |
| Japan ||||
| 6 September 1984 | Sendai | Japan | Miyagi-ken Sports Center |
| 7 September 1984 | Tokyo | Japan | Shibuya Public Hall |
| 8 September 1984 | Nagoya | Japan | Nagoya Civic Assembly Hall |
| 10 September 1984 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Festival Hall |
| 11 September 1984 | Osaka | Japan | Osaka Festival Hall |
| 13 September 1984 | Tokyo | Japan | Nippon Budokan |

## Boxscore

| City | Venue | Tickets sold/available | Gross revenue (Adjusted for inflation) |
| Springfield | Civic Center | 5,300/6,000 (88%) | $136,069 |
| New Haven | Coliseum | 8,340/10,000 (83%) | $250,534 |
| East Rutherford | Brendan Byrne Arena | 17,446/17,446 (100%) | $520,540 |
| Providence | Civic Center | 8,687/9,826 (88%) | $244,417 |
| Worcester | The Centrum | 9,494/11,200 (85%) | $281,747 |
| Toronto | Maple Leaf Gardens | 13,081/13,081 (100%) | $343,170 |
| Rochester | War Memorial Auditorium | 10,200/10,200 (100%) | $285,965 |
| Pittsburgh | Civic Arena | 8,330/12,000 (69%) | $258,337 |
| Baltimore | Civic Center | 12,969/12,969 (100%) | $389,002 |
| Houston | The Summit | 11,898/12,600 (94%) | $340,524 |
| San Antonio | HemisFair Arena | 11,893/11,893 (100%) | $333,338 |
| Austin | Frank Erwin Center | 7,085/12,096 (59%) | $193,263 |
| Dallas | Reunion Arena | 13,443/13,443 (100%) | $388,665 |
| Albuquerque | Tingley Coliseum | 7,257/12,636 (57%) | $223,817 |
| Phoenix | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | 12,884/13,000 (99%) | $388,644 |
| Sacramento | Cal Expo Amphitheater | 10,000/10,000 (100%) | $363,461 |
| Regina | Agridome | 6,310/6,500 (97%) | $161,750 |
| Winnipeg | Arena | 12,328/12,500 (99%) | $327,855 |
| Madison | Dane County Coliseum | 5,425/10,000 (54%) | $156,000 |
| Detroit | Joe Louis Arena | 12,514/13,714 (91%) | $410,774 |
| Rosemont | Horizon | 12,379/12,379 (100%) | $307,146 |
| Landover | Capital Center (2 shows) | 16,189/31,200 (52%) | $531,406 |
| New York City | Madison Square Garden | 16,757/16,757 (100%) | $559,956 |
| Lakeland | Civic Center | 9,846/9,846 (100%) | $298,106 |
| Nashville | Municipal Auditorium | 6,039/9,900 (61%) | $174,896 |
| Indianapolis | Market Square Arena | 5,513/15,000 (37%) | $144,949 |
| St. Louis | Kiel Auditorium | 6,748/10,532 (64%) | $193,380 |
| Bonner Springs | Sandstone Amphitheater | 7,464/16,000 (47%) | $186,523 |
| Denver | McNichols Sports Arena | 10,011/18,553 (54%) | $332,712 |
| Daly City | Cow Palace (27th) | 14,500/14,500 (100%) | $489,481 |
| Irvine | Meadows Amphitheater | 15,000/15,000 (100%) | $482,674 |