Recall 2000, a time when Ebay all but sanctioned the sale of bootleg recordings. Despite what you think of the Ripper Owen’s days in Judas Priest, no one can argue with the fact the Halford band’s debut (if not the "Crucible" follow-up too) outstripped the studio Priest output of the same era (perhaps even the Rob Halford re-enlisted "Nostradamus").

Painkiller Part II was the view at the time and I can remember "purchasing" several Halford live shows via the Internet, eager to hear the Metal God back in form, after disappointing forays into experimental sounds. In fact, there’s probably already a soundboard recording from this same ’03 Anaheim set in my archives. Essentially the audio portion to the forthcoming (August 24th) DVD of the same name, these two discs sample the man’s history (disc #2 begins with a half dozen Priest classics, most of which, truthfully, pale in comparison to his original material). Oddly (despite the moniker), that second platter concludes with four tunes from Japan, of which ‘Sun’ and ‘One Will’ are the only ones not already aired on the introductory slab. Speaking of numero uno, there are thirteen cuts, the opening duo of classic Priest (‘Painkiller’ and ‘Rapid Fire’), ‘Into The Pit’ (from Fight), four from "Crucible", a pair off the "Resurrection" debut, another Priest trio (White Heat, Red Hot’, ‘Breaking The Law’ and the "Rocka Rolla" rarity ‘Never Satisfied’) and the Buffy The Vampire Slayer soundtrack contribution, ‘Light Comes Out Of Black’, music for which was originally recorded by Pantera!

A thick CD booklet includes all the lyrics and small stills lifted from the live action. A very European styled concert, fans screaming/clapping along from the opening notes. Judging from the audio, it was a big, boisterous crowd! Pretty quick moving set (‘Golgotha’ is the lone slowdown in the initial six-pack), minimal time between tracks, but Halford does address the "metal maniacs" occasional.