Co-founding Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing originally thought he would refuse to participate in his former band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction this past fall, but he's happy he changed his mind.
"I have a lot of things on at the moment and initially I thought, 'It's a lot of fuss," Downing tells MetalTalk. "'Can I really be bothered with going all the way over to Los Angeles to play three songs and break the ice with the guys?' But when I reflected on it, it was the band I started 50 years ago, and I would probably regret it if I didn't go. So I accepted the invitation."
Not only did Downing reunite with his longtime bandmates, Les Binks, Rob Halford, Ian Hill, Glenn Tipton and Scott Travis, he also performed alongside the man who took his place in Judas Priest: Richie Faulkner.
Faulkner later called the performance "surreal," and thanked his bandmates for making the unique moment happen.
"It could have been awkward, but it wasn't," Downing acknowledged. "I've nothing but respect for [Faulkner], and I know he's working on other projects outside Priest, and I wish him well."
The evening provided a rare opportunity for Downing and his old bandmates to catch up and put some of the ugliness of their more recent interactions through the media to rest.