Judas Priest and Alice Cooper
Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View
October 14, 2025
Photos by Raymond Ahner
It’s a rare thing when two musical legends share the same stage, especially when the likes of Alice Cooper and Judas Priest have over 100 years of combined time in the music industry.
But taking a listen to both bands last Tuesday night at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, you would never guess you were listening to artists who are well into their fifth decade of performing.
Judas Priest took the headlining slot on this evening (they’ve been switching off headlining slots for most of the tour) to deliver a rousing 14-song set that included plenty of fan favorites that had not been performed in a long time. Dubbed the Shield of Pain tour, Judas Priest pulled most of their set from 1990’s monumental Painkiller album to celebrate its 35th anniversary.
The band opened with the furious “All Guns Blazing,” which saw frontman Rob Halford nail a screaming a cappella intro before everyone else kicked into high gear. Lead guitarist Richie Faulkner had no trouble ripping through the song’s epic guitar solos, and touring guitarist Andy Sneap has finally found his footing in filling in for Glenn Tipton. Sneap has clearly been honing his lead guitar skills as he nailed Tipton’s parts for the entire set.
A few songs later, Judas Priest played an inspired version of “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” before transitioning into the rocking “Freewheel Burning.”
After that was the iconic “Breaking the Law,” which had the entire crowd singing along to every word. Following were two deep cuts from Painkiller: “A Touch of Evil” and “Night Crawler.” The latter, anchored by Ian Hill’s driving bassline, was one of the big highlights of a night that included many.
As the set drew to a close, Sneap got another chance to shine on lead guitar during “Electric Eye,” doing a masterful job of playing Tipton’s iconic mid-song solo.
To close out the evening, Judas Priest ripped through an inspired version of “Painkiller” before Halford rode onto the stage on a motorcycle to sing “Hell Bent for Leather” and then a rousing version of “Living After Midnight.”
Even now, 55 years after their initial formation, Judas Priest still delivers the goods on the stage.
Alice Cooper brought his Alice’s Attic tour to open up the evening. Plenty of old and new songs from Cooper’s legendary catalog made it into the setlist. With the guitar trio of Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen backing him, Cooper had plenty energy to power him through classics like “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “I’m Eighteen.”
As one of the first rock stars to lean heavily into theatrics, Cooper has continued to up his game in 2025, with all sorts of animatronic monsters, special effects, and eye-catching moments. Whether it was the large monster that strode onto the stage during “Feed My Frankenstein,” or his iconic guillotine execution before “School’s Out,” Cooper has figured out the art of the live performance.
Bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel kept the rhythms steady throughout, letting Cooper and the rest of the band run wild.
Strauss and Roxie had plenty of chances to show off their incredible guitar work, trading off blistering solos throughout the night.
It would be easy for someone at Cooper’s age to hang it up and call it a career, but the master of theatrics has no intention of retiring.
Here’s a slideshow with more photos of both bands by Raymond Ahner:
Judas Priest Setlist: All Guns Blazing | Hell Patrol | You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ | Freewheel Burning | Breaking the Law | A Touch of Evil | Night Crawler | Solar Angels | Gates of Hell | The Hellion | Electric Eye | Giants in the Sky | Painkiller | Hell Bent for Leather | Living After Midnight
Alice Cooper Setlist: Hello, Hooray (Judy Collins cover) | Who Do You Think We Are | Spark in the Dark | No More Mr. Nice Guy | House of Fire | I’m Eighteen | Muscle of Love | Feed My Frankenstein | Dirty Diamonds | Caught in a Dream | Hey Stoopid | Dangerous Tonight | Poison | Brutal Planet | Ballad of Dwight Fry | Cold Ethyl | Only Women Bleed | Second Coming | Going Home | School’s Out
