Judas Priest co-founder and bassist Ian Hill is looking forward to the band's reunion with co-founding guitarist K.K. Downing next month at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Downing confirmed last week that he plans to take the stage with his former band at the induction ceremony. It would be his first performance with Judas Priest in about 12 years.
In a subsequent interview with the Detroit Metro Times, Hill was optimistic at the prospect of getting everyone back on the same page, though he added it could also go horribly wrong.
"I think time is not on our side for [a full-scale reunion with Downing], you know? Never say never, put it like that," Hill said. "{Downing's] going to be there at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anyway. He's gonna get up and play some songs with us there. It might kickstart something; I don't know. On the other hand, he might pull us all apart [laughs]."
Halford, Hill and guitarist Glenn Tipton have all traded barbs in the press with Downing over statements made in his 2018 memoir and in interviews surrounding the book. While Downing did issue one apology, tension between himself and his former bandmates — especially Tipton — has remained.
Halford suggested in the spring, however, that the public spat between the two parties would not spill over onto the Rock Hall stage. He said that all parties involve would be committed to celebrating Judas Priest for their loyal fans.
Downing, in his recent comments to Ultimate Classic Rock, seems to agree.
"The main thing is to represent the attitude and hopefully the legend of what Judas Priest is and has become and what it means to everybody who's been on that very long journey through the decades with the band," he said. "And hopefully, it will just kind of remind people and bring back some cherished memories of the heavy metal parking lots all around the world."
Downing added that former Judas Priest drummer Les Binks (1977-1979) would also join the band for the ceremony.
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