The outfit I used to wear for our first three or four songs was like carrying one of those huge military backpacks! I had to have an operation on my spine a year ago. Yet from Day 1, you’ve pushed the boundaries in your stage visuals, with all that leather and chains. People are a lot more open-minded now, whereas in those days it could have created a bit of push-back, maybe even some damage to our reputation. Our rendition of “You Are Everything” is just beautiful - it’s an ’80s megarock ballad, with big drums, big vocals, sweeping strings. I personally would love to release them, but there’s a different consensus within the band. Is Priest ever going to put out the tracks you guys did in ’88 with producers Stock Aitken Waterman, of Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley fame? We looked at each other and thought, “OK, there’s obviously a reason this song has been sent to us.” We rocked it up and now it’s probably just as famous for Judas Priest as it is for Joan. When we first heard “Diamonds & Rust,” we were a little bit shocked, actually. That was suggested by our record company at the time.

Priest has recorded some intriguing covers over the years, going back to Joan Baez’s “Diamonds & Rust” on 1977’s “Sin After Sin.” I sing “Nessun Dorma” when I warm up backstage. I’ve also always had a passion for some types of opera - I’ve got a massive Pavarotti collection. You’re definitely thinking outside of the metal box. I saw Streisand in Phoenix and that was mind-blowing. I’m drawn to singers who have something different to say vocally, and Adele would be in there. I feel the same way with Michael Feinstein or Ryan Adams.

When I listen to Michael Bublé, it’s exciting, it’s inspiring. You’re not afraid to talk about your love for Michael Bublé.Įven though I’m a metal singer, the fact that I’ve been able to appreciate other types of performers has probably paid dividends. The Post chatted with the gentlemanly, good-humored singer about his wide-ranging interests - Adele! Streisand! Studded jackets! - before Priest’s Redeemer of Souls tour stops by Barclays Center on Thursday He didn’t need to: Few performers can match the longtime frontman of influential British combo Judas Priest in terms of lung power and sheer showmanship. Rob Halford is a metal god - so much so that he tried to trademark that term in 2009.

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