Rob Halford , vocalist of Judas Priest Classic Rock magazine how much guitarist Glenn Tipton is missed at the band's live performances. The guitarist has been living with Parkinson's disease since 2009 and gave his place in the band to producer Andy Sneap .
For the magazine, Halford stated: “It was very, very difficult for me when we first went out without Glenn. God bless Andy Sneap – he did a brilliant job, and no disrespect to him – but I really miss Glenn when we play live. So when he goes out to have fun, it’s like, ‘Oh my God!’ It’s so good.”
Glenn joined Judas Priest on stage at several shows during Saxon 's Metal Masters with Uriah Heep . His appearances are generally on more "calm" songs.
Detached but active
Guitarist Richie Faulkner , who joined the band in 2011, commented that having Glenn on the songwriting team is vital: “Rob, Glenn and I, we go into a room with ideas and we throw them out there. Whatever challenge Glenn has, that’s what he tackles. If he could play it, he would play it. If he couldn’t, then I would play it, I assume. We help each other out like that.”
Faulkner further adds that Tipton is like an older brother to him, and recalls how welcomed he was by the musician when he joined the band.
Glenn also gave his opinion to the magazine and recounted his contribution to the album Invincible Shield : “I played what I could and I’m very proud of the whole album. Richie helped a lot. I think his strongest attribute is his ability to adapt to different styles while maintaining his very strong character. Priest needs a guitarist who can shift from pure metal to more melodic tracks.”
He concludes by speaking about the disease: “Obviously, the disadvantage for me now is Parkinson’s, and I’ve had to shift a lot of work onto its shoulders. I keep striving because I believe in not giving up. This disease will not defeat me, and I will continue writing and playing as long as I can.”
READ ALSO : Rob Halford talks about Glenn Tipton's battle with Parkinson's disease.