K.K. Downing-Judas Priest Reunion "On The Table," According To Rob Halford

2006 VH1 Rock Honors - Show

Judas Priest front man Rob Halford said this summer he wouldn't rule out a possible reunion between the band and guitarist K.K. Downing.

Now, Halford has gone a step further, suggesting in a recent interview with Hudson Valley New York's Z93 FM that the band may be up to something as far is Downing is concerned.

"That's a cool question," he said when asked about Downing's prospects of returning to Judas Priest. "It's like anything in rock 'n' roll. I love the kind of chaos that surround rock 'n' roll. That's to me what it's al about. There should be no laws, regulations or restrictions. Anything can happen with Priest. So, just keep an eye out and a lookout, especially when we play live. ...It's all on the table."

Downing retired from Judas Priest in 2011 and remained relatively quiet about his status with the band until his 2018 memoir ignited a series of spats with his former band mates, Halford in particular.

Downing expressed discontent when the band didn't approach him about returning when it was announced that Glenn Tipton would no longer tour full-time with Judas Priest due to his advancing Parkinson's disease.

The sparring took an uglier turn when Downing mistakenly suggested that Tipton did not perform all of his guitar parts on the band's acclaimed Firepower album, due to his neurological disease. Downing retracted the comment, but not before being publicly scolded by Halford and many fans for speaking out of turn.

After conceding that he was growing restless in retirement, Downing began performing live again this past summer. Around that same time, Halford changed his tune about the possibility of the guitarist coming back to the band to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2020.

Halford has said previously that he would consider a one-off reunion with Downing. With the possibility of an eventual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction becoming more tangible, the front man has been careful to rule anything out, noting that he was once out of the band for 11 years.

Downing joined Judas Priest in 1970 at the same time as bassist Ian Hill. The pair's tenure in the band pre-dates that of Halford or Tipton, with Hill the band's longest-continuing member.

Photo: Getty Images


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