Judas Priest Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cIron Maiden said, ‘Do you fancy doing a four-week tour of America this year?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, that sounds okay, a four-week tour of America, quick four weeks,’\u201d the bassist recalled. \u201cThen they pulled out. In the meantime, we’d put in Bloodstock in Britain, which is the festival in Britain. So you can’t tool up to do one show. So the next thing, ‘Oh, we’ll do one or two dates in Europe around Bloodstock.’ And nine weeks later… And that’s what did it. We did six shows in eight days. That was running up to Brussels, so that’s when the tendon snapped.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Hill explained it, the rigorous demands of constant gigging finally caused his body to give in. Even the occasional day off to recover didn\u2019t help things heal. \u201cYou go on stage and you aggravate it all over again,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n
When Ian Hill Realized He Was Done Performing<\/h3>\n
The moment Hill knew he was done came during a performance in Brussels.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight before the encores on the Brussels show, I just felt a snap and a real sharp, searing pain, and I thought, ‘That’s it. That’s the end of it,’\u201d he recalled. \u201cAnd for the encores, I had to actually get my elbow and rest it on my stomach and pull the bass back so I could get down to the bottom of the neck.\u201d<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Watch Ian Hill’s Final Judas Priest Concert<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\u201cI physically could not play the bass,\u201d Hill explained, noting that his shoulder pain was simply too severe. “So I had no choice, really, than to knock it on the head.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Hill explained it, the decision to retire wasn\u2019t just for his own wellbeing, but for the betterment of Judas Priest and the fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn’t put the rest of the guys in jeopardy and go out on another tour, and it happen all over again in the middle of a tour,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt’s not fair on anybody \u2014 the fans, the rest of the guys, the people have put money into us to get us out to these places, and suddenly you’re having to cancel shows and things. It’s not fair. So I decided to call it a day, and I have. I’ve neglected family life. It’s cost me two marriages over the years. So I decided to spend a bit of time with the folks.”<\/p>\n
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The Best Song From Every Judas Priest Album<\/h2>\n\n
Eighteen tracks that prove the British veterans never abandoned their core principles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Gallery Credit: Martin Kielty<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n