Tim “Ripper” Owens Would Love to Have KK’s Priest Meet-And-Greets, But K.K. Downing’s “Not a Big Fan”
It’s no secret that one of the most common ways bigger bands supplement their tour income is through the sale of special VIP “meet-and-greet” packages where fans pay a whole lot of extra cash to get some face time with the band. It’s a win-win situation, really, since it’s not merch that venues can take cuts out of and people get some real human interaction with the musicians they enjoy.
With a U.S. tour coming up next year, K.K. Priest and ex-Iced Earth/Judas Priest vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens said during a recent interview with 99Rock WKSM in Florida (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), that he’s a big fan of meet-and-greets, but a certain someone in the band isn’t, so it’s not happening.
“We usually don’t do meet-and-greets. I know it’s the big thing to do nowadays. And I would be all right doing meet-and-greets, but I know K.K.’s [Kenneth Downing, KK’s Priest guitarist and leader] not a big fan of ’em. He likes to get in, do the show and get out.”
Honestly, at 72 years old and as many miles traveled as K.K.’s got, it’s no surprise he just wants to play a gig and fuck off. Still, I bet people would pay a pretty penny to meet a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and a part of Judas Priest’s legacy.
Still, Owens said he’s tried to sway Downing’s mind, to no avail.
“Well, absolutely. And I’m all for that. [Laughs] Listen, I tried to talk [K.K.] into it. I said, ‘Listen, we should do ’em. And we get some good money out of this and we can see the fans.’ Listen, that’s all I’ve been getting on social media is people asking, ‘Is there gonna be meet-and-greets?’ And I think everybody does it. I mean, it’s a different era. You don’t sell records like you used to and everything’s so expensive and everybody takes a giant merch cut out of your merch. So it’s ways to make extra money.”
And while the rest of the band could certainly do a meet-and-greet, Owens admitted that doing one without the guy who’s name is literally in the band’s name would “kind of defeat the purpose….[since] most of the people seem to want K.K. and myself” at such an event.
Next year’s tour will feature L.A. Guns and Burning Witches as the supporting acts. You can find the full list of dates where you likely won’t meet Downing, below.
KK’S PRIEST Return Of The Sinner USA Tour 2024
Featuring Special Guests: L.A. Guns & BURNING WITCHES
March 7 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
March 9 – Destin, FL – Club LA
March 10 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theater
March 12 – Baltimore, MD – Rams Head Live
March 13 – Buffalo, NY – Riverworks
March 15 – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theatre
March 16 – Columbus, OH – King Of Clubs
March 17 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage Ae
March 19 – Newport, KY – Megacorp Pavilion
March 20 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theater
March 22 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
March 23 – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theatre
March 24 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
KK’S PRIEST 2024 FESTIVAL DATES:
May 18 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany – Rock Hard Festival
June 15 – Zamora, Spain – Z! Live Festival
July 14 – Vizovice, Czech Republic – Masters Of Rock Festival
August 4 – Rasnov, Romania – Rockstadt Extreme Fest
August 24 – Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom – Stonedead Festival
