Heartwarming / Judas Priest

• Check out any post-reunion interview with Rob Halford, and you will immediately see how much he cares about his music, his fans and his band. His dedication and passion for metal after more than four decades of working in the industry is wonderful to see.
• In this interview, the improvised heavy metal wedding vow is pretty hilarious, but it's also kind of touching; and, as most of the questions focus on the band's early days, at one point Rob makes sure that Richie gets a chance to talk about himself, too. Brothers in metal, indeed.
• Really, all of the respect and friendship between Richie and the others since he joined in 2011. Being a newcomer in an established act with a long history can be tough; but Rob and the others have made sure to show that Richie belongs in their group now, and constantly praise his talent when they talk about working with him. At one point, Richie has even described Judas Priest as a "band of brothers".
• Speaking of Richie, the outpouring of support for him after his heart episode was very touching. After he made a full recovery, fans had to admit that his heart rupturing after playing the solo to "Painkiller" onstage is kinda awesome, in a way (thankfully they were performing very close to a hospital).
• Do you know how Judas Priest refer to their fans? They call them the Priest family.
• Out of the current band members, both Richie and Scott had been fans of Judas Priest before they were asked to join. While things ultimately didn't work out with Tim "Ripper" Owens, who was in the same situation, these two seem to have found their place in the band. Scott in particular has actually been with Priest longer than any other drummer.
• Rob finally being able to come out of the closet in 1998. Even if it wasn't planned beforehand, it's obvious that it was a great relief for him; and he says that, since he was always afraid of the potential backlash, it was a very happy surprise to see the huge amount of love and support he received from the metal community.
• Speaking of support... While Glenn Tipton's announcement of his illness has been a massive Tear Jerker, it's still heartwarming to see him and the others talk about all the supportive and positive messages coming in for him from all over the world. In a message on the official website, Glenn has personally thanked the rest of the band for being there for him in such a difficult situation; and they have praised him for his hard work and determination in making Firepower, and for being able to make the painful decision to step back from touring.
  Before the band made the announcement, they'd even mentioned alternative solutions to Glenn so he could continue to tour with them, like using backing tapes or having a backup guitarist; but he rejected those, saying that he didn't want to compromise the band's performance. Talk about dedication - on both sides.
• Since Glenn's retirement from touring, his spot in the line-up has been taken up by Andy Sneap, the band's producer. He's been welcomed with open arms, and fans were vocally upset when he was briefly dismissed in 2022. Thankfully, the band quickly retracted their decision and Rob took full responsibility for it, publicly apologizing to Andy for the error in judgment.
• One thing fans and the rest of the band can be happy about is that Glenn will continue to record with them. His days of extensive touring may be over (it's possible he'll still make the odd live appearance as he did on the ''Firepower tour) but it's unlikely he has any intentions of retiring completely any time soon.