Judas Priest and Alice Cooper Rock Charlotte

Judas Priest and Alice Cooper at the PNC Music Pavilion with Corrosion of Conformity - Charlotte, NC - Saturday, Sept. 20

The sequel to Spinal Tap is in movie theaters now, some 40 years after the original straddled the line between stupid and clever. Who could have guessed many of the bands lovingly skewered by the original film would still be around, and vital, after 50+ years of the hard rock and heavy metal life.

Alice Cooper and Judas Priest had an answer for the question: Do they still got it? The evening started with a short set by a Pepper Keenan-led Corrosion of Conformity. You might describe when he fronts the band as Sabbath meets Skynyrd, which makes a lot of sense given the groove in the riffs of songs like "Albatross" and "Wiseblood" or the snarling "King of All the Rotten."

COC offered merely a taste before the sun went down and the spotlights went up on Alice Cooper.

Cooper's career veers from the psychedelic early Alice Cooper band records to the anthemic hits of that band's '70s heyday, then off to his deep jump into theatricality with his early solo work, a little new wave before finding his footing again in the late '80s with some more anthemic (and heavier) singalongs. In the past 25 years he has tread with a lively step back and forth on his whims. Bottom line, Cooper's game for just about anything.

Sharing a stage with Judas Priest, it makes sense that he'd lean into his big hits but also some of his heavier moments.

"Spark in the Dark" returned to the show after a few years on the sidelines, while "House of Fire," "Poison," "Hey Stoopid," "Dangerous Tonight" and "Feed My Frankenstein" lean heavy into his late '80s, early '90s hits where he was rubbing shoulders with Guns N' Roses and outclassing many of the hair bands who picked up their tricks from Billion Dollar Babies.

The industrial tinged "Brutal Planet" roared, leading into the classic Cooper show pyrotechnics of "Ballad of Dwight Fry" (Cooper wrapped in a straightjacket), "Cold Ethyl" (Cooper cavorting with a mannequin who turns into a real woman for "Only Women Bleed." Cooper's wife Cheryl joins the fun as the mannequin who comes to life to dance, get killed by the singer but returns to lead him to the guillotine for his own death. Alice Cooper Theater 101.

And then, "School's Out."

A tight, furious set with Cooper commanding the stage while his killer band swirls around him, each band member getting several opportunities to step up with the fiery guitar leads and solos that are a trademark of Cooper's sound. The guy knows how to put together a band.

The enthusiastic Charlotte crowd could have gone home happy and well fed, but waiting in the wings was a Judas Priest ready for action, but first:

The house lights turned down to the sound of the opening riff of Black Sabbath's "War PIgs" and an incredible singalong began with Ozzy. This was the first of a few moments in honor of the recently departed Osborne.

Priest's Rob Halford has carried the mantle, preaching the power of the heavy metal community for years now. His arrival to the stage was like the Pope descending from the drum riser in full black leather regalia, screaming the intro to "All Guns Blazing" from the Painkiller album. The band tore into five tracks from Painkiller, one of the band's most aggressive, thrashy albums. The title track alone is an absolute locomotive of metal with Halford in full flight vocally.

Judas Priest's big '80s hits were obvious crowd favorites with giant singalongs on "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight." The lone song from the band's new record Invincible Shield was a tribute to metal heroes who have passed away. "Giants in the Sky" is a great riff and a soaring Halford melody celebrating the power of music.

Priest has a few of their own theatrical tricks, the one getting the biggest response was Halford rolling out the Harley for "Hell Bent for Leather," a concert staple since 1978's album of the same name.

With a 14-song set, Priest ripped through a set of classics with unyielding intensity. Proof positive that heavy metal is the loud and rowdy fountain of youth. Alice Cooper and Judas Priest are only getting started on this tour (with assorted opening bands). This isn't one to miss as we need to appreciate and celebrate these legitimate legends while we still can.

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