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Judas Priest guitarist Richie Faulkner says the band's performance over the weekend at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame could not have gone any better.
The heavy metal legends welcomed surviving former members K.K. Downing and Les Binks to the stage to perform a medley of Judas Priest classics "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight" during the ceremony.
That meant the current Judas Priest lineup of Faulkner, Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford, Ian Hill and Scott Travis were joined by a third guitarist in Downing and a second drummer in Binks.
While Faulkner, who joined the band in 2011 after Downing's departure, was the lone member onstage who was not being inducted into the Hall of Fame, he counted the experience as a career highlight.
"...To be up there with both [Tipton] and [Downing] as part of a guitar TRIO with Judas Priest was an experience I'll never forget," Faulkner wrote via Instagram. "A HUGE congrats to all the guys and to all the amazing artists who got inducted last night. It was truly surreal to be there."
Downing and Tipton's twin-guitar approach in Judas Priest defined the band's signature sound and inspired countless bands that followed in their footsteps, like Metallica, Megadeth, Testament and others.
But a three-guitar configuration is something of a Judas Priest anomaly.
In fact, it was only 10 months ago, when Halford openly considered reducing the band's touring lineup to a four-piece, with Faulkner to be occasionally joined by Tipton (who can't tour full-time due to Parkinson's disease).
The band's Rock Hall performance apparently came together in only a couple of weeks, with both Downing and Binks confirming in October that they planned to perform with their former bandmates during the celebration.
Hill, who cofounded the band with Downing in 1969, said in October that he was hopeful the Rock Hall reunion with Downing would go well. He added that it was possible the evening could "kickstart something" more for the future.