Judas Priest and Alice Cooper - A Night of Pure Nostalgia at the Ontario Place Forum... er... Budweiser Stage

jaybroderick
Oct 1
3 min read

By: Michael Drukarsh

Toronto, Canada - I was a little bummed that I didn't receive my meda accreditation for the Judas Priest/Alice Cooper show on September 29th here in Toronto at Budweiser Stage.

However, I was fortunate enough to be offered tickets from a very good friend and for the first time in a very long time I attended a major concert not as a representative of LoudTO but as a fan along with my buddies A.J. and Mitch.

The last time I was at Budweiser Stage was back in 2018 for one of Ozzy's last performances. Funny enough, it was also with A.J. The last time I saw Priest and Cooper together was at the infamous Operation Rock and Roll tour just across the Lakeshore at the CNE Grandstand. I say infamous because this was the night that Rob Halford knocked himself out coming onto the stage with his Harley. After a 10 minute musical interlude, he returned to finish the show and then promptly left the band for 11 years.

After picking up the boys, we grabbed a bite, drove downtown, and parked. As we left the car and made our way to the venue, nostalgia hit me. Walking over the GO tracks through the CNE grounds and over the bridge to Ontario Place, I was overcome with flashbacks of years ago getting off the subway at college and making my way to Maple Leaf Gardens. Hundreds of people around me, heading in the same direction, donning jean jackets adorned with patches and buttons of metal bands and wearing jerseys proudly displaying Priest or Cooper although I believe Ozzy jerseys outnumbered all the rest.

Joining the mob of metal heads once through the gate, we made our way to the lawns to stake our claim. Again, a wave of nostalgia rushed over me as I flashbacked to the days of Kingswood Music Theatre at Canada’s Wonderland. Reality hit though, as I realized I’m old and getting up and down from the ground ain’t that easy anymore. So it was standing only for both Priest and Cooper. Not that I would have sat anyway, but it was a kick in the gut to realize that option wasn’t there anymore.

I’ve gotten used to watching bands from in front of the front row. Having a media pass for photography has spoiled me in some ways. I’m up close and personal with the band and often separated from the crowd. Last night, that was definitely not the case. Standing what seemed like a million miles away and constantly shifting to try and see beyond the few heads in front of me, I have to say I really enjoyed the experience. Being surrounded by people who have the same passion for the bands as I do and hearing what appeared to be a sold out stadium sing along with Rob and then Alice was incredible. Beside us was a young fan of about 16 or so who was seeing Alice for the first time and her reaction when "Poison" was played was magical. After the song, still shaking and wiping away tears she turned to us and said she had been waiting her whole life for this moment. It made me realize what concerts were all about. While the privilege of the media pass is incredible, it will never overpower the feeling of community, of love, of a shared intimate moment between a fan and their 16,000 closest friends for the night.

P.S.: I did take pictures, from my shitty cell phone and they are shit and I love em!

The Shitty Concert Photo Gallery (all photos by: Michael Drukarsh)