Judas Priest Still 'Living After Midnight' -- Exclusive Video

Posted on May 10th 2010 5:00PM by Jon Wiederhorn Comments

It's not a very complex song, but it has become an absolute metal classic. It starts with four measures of a straightforward drumbeat, then launches into one of the catchiest, most influential mid-paced metal riffs of all time -- one that features just four power chords, but injects as much energy and excitement into the compact tune as a inside-the-park home run. And that chorus ... well, it's right up there with Queen's 'We Will Rock You' and Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It' for singalong value.

In the early '80s, Judas Priest's 'Living After Midnight' blared across FM radio stations nationwide and turned the leather-clad British quintet from one of the many new wave of British heavy bands into true metal gods. For its time, the song was cutting edge, overdriven and astonishingly loud for drive time programming. But when radio DJs played the tune, the request lines lit up and program directors had no choice but to blast the cut across the airwaves again and again over the course of the day.

Today, 30 years after it was originally written, 'Living After Midnight' still packs a punch and has become a mandatory Judas Priest live track. The new video for the song was recorded at a show on Aug. 17, 2009 at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena in Hollywood, Fla. During the concert, Judas Priest played their classic 1980 album 'British Steel' in its entirety from start to finish, along with other greatest hits, including 'You've Got Another Thing Coming,' 'The Ripper,' 'Victim of Changes' and 'Freewheel Burning.' The 30th anniversary 'British Steel' remastered CD and DVD package comes out May 11.

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