Show Review, Photos: Judas Priest, Alice Cooper Bring Heavy Metal To Life in Wheatland
Judas Priest
Alice Cooper
w/ Corrosion of Conformity
Toyota Amphitheatre
Wheatland, CA
October 15th, 2025
Review and Photos by Jared Stossel
When you think of the phrase heavy metal, a wide array of bands come to mind. Two of the most prolific titans in this genre, Judas Priest and Alice Cooper, have been thrilling audiences since the 1970s, Priest bringing a punishingly heavy sound that could knock down walls with the strike of a guitar chord, while Cooper has been shocking audiences with his brand of macabre showmanship and memorable songs. Both acts took the stage for a co-headlining performance at Wheatland’s Toyota Amphitheatre last night, a little under an hour outside of Sacramento. For several hours, in the middle of a barren field, heavy metal came to life.
Stoner metal act Corrosion of Conformity kicked off the night with a heavily distorted set that traversed their discography, dating back to the early 1980s. At times, their sound is eerily reminiscent of Black Sabbath, particularly the Master of Reality era of the band. The four-piece act worked their way through trippy guitar riffs, steady grooves, and enough headbanging sections to keep the crowd sufficiently warm.
Alice Cooper took the stage next, and wasted no time with putting together a captivating live show. Decades into his career, he’s one of the masters at it; there’s no denying it. Cooper has an extensive catalog of both band and solo work (totaling thirty albums) and this set brought forth some of his most memorable entries like “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Feed My Frankenstein”, “School’s Out”, and “Cold Ethyl”. Special mention should be given to the three-guitar circus that make up Cooper’s band, which includes Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen, and Nita Strauss - all three are wildy entertaining players to watch. At the same time, bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel do an excellent job of holding down the rhythm section, driving the band through song after song.
Fun sight gags are always present in an Alice Cooper performance - a giant Frankenstein-like creature flies around the stage, an LED backdrop with zany imagery fills the stage with every song, and yes, Cooper gets placed into a guillotine, his head chopped off and picked up, paraded around the stage in a rather neat visual effect. It still thrills audiences - including myself - all these years later.
Judas Priest closed out the night as only a band of their stature can - with outstanding showmanship, instrumentals, and a song catalog that could rival any artist. They are the loudest and most technically proficient heavy metal band I have heard to this day. Every riff that emanates from Richie Faulkner and Andy Sneap’s amplifiers is punishing and sweet at the same time. Rob Halford is a commanding frontman, and one of the most iconic heavy metal singers in history. It didn’t matter if Priest were playing songs from Invincible Shield (their nineteenth and most recent album) or headbanger classics like “Breaking The Law”, “Night Crawler” or “Pain Killer” - anything that they performed was wildly entertaining. A finale followed with Halford riding onto the stage on a motorcycle to signal the opening of “Hell Bent for Leather” before finishing with the sing-along-inducing “Living After Midnight”. “This night is all about heavy metal!” Halford declared from the stage halfway through the set, a roar of applause coming from the packed amphitheater audience. In times like these, nights that are all about music and heavy metal are welcome and well worth the drive out to the amphitheater in the middle of a field.
Judas Priest Set List
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
Electric Eye
Giants In The Sky
Painkiller
Hell Bent for Leather
Living After Midnight
Alice Cooper Set List
Who Do You Think You 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
(Guitar Solo)
Brutal Planet
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Cold Ethyl
Only Women Bleed
Going Home
Second Coming
School’s Out
