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Rob Halford Says Judas Priest Will Keep Andy Sneap on Guitar Since ‘Fans Love Him’
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Early last year, there was a bit of a kerfuffle in Judas Priest world, as it had been suggested that the band move forward as a four-piece band, leaving guitarist Andy Sneap in the dust. Understandably, fans were a bit pissed, as Priest had always been a five-piece band that traded heavily in harmonizing solos and killer guitar work.
Now, more than a year after that ill-fated consideration, Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford confirmed during an interview with SiriusXM’s Ozzy’s Boneyard host Mark Strigl (as transcribed by Blabbermouth) that Snap is sticking around for the foreseeable future.
“So, yeah, we’ve agreed that because the fans have so loving and supportive of taking Glenn’s idea, which is, ‘I wanna put Andy on that spot, on the stage where I’ve stood for decades, and Andy will be doing the work that needs to be done for me,’ that’s just really powerful, man. That’s so much love. And that really is Glenn’s love for this band in wanting this band to continue.
“So, yeah, we’ve agreed that Andy will still be with us as we go out again, and that’s great, man. That makes the great work he’s done with us since he stepped in at the beginning of where we are in Priest now, and it worked — it worked. The fans love him. He does great work on stage. He’s committed. He loves this band… He’s doing very important work.”
Sneap initially became part of Judas Priest after Glenn Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which left him unable to commit to the kind of touring Judas Priest has become known for.
Halford said that revelation still weighs on the band, citing that Tipton still comes out and plays with the band from time to time, but that it’s been a hard go of it.
“Glenn comes out when he’s able. Glenn’s still with us. Glenn’s still a very important, integral part of Judas Priest and all the decisions and moves that we make.
“This fucking Parkinson’s is horrible, the way it intrudes into your life and it takes away some of the things that made you as a person. Thank God we’ve got all these incredible things that Glenn has done. Listen to his lead break on ‘Painkiller’, listen to that beautiful solo in ‘Beyond The Realms Of Death’ and more. Glenn’s mark is indelible in JUDAS PRIEST music as a lead guitar player and a rhythm guitar player.”
Judas Priest had originally planned to tour Europe with Ozzy Osbourne this spring and summer, but those plans fell through after the former Black Sabbath frontman announced his retirement from touring altogether due to health issues. As a result, Judas Priest announced that they’d be looking into alternative solutions to make up those lost tour dates.
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