When Joe Perry and Aerosmith's management made it clear that their band would not be performing on the finale of American Idol, many wondered who would take their place. Well, wonder no more.
Legendary British metal band Judas Priest debuted their new lineup - featuring guitarist Richie Faulkner - on the show's Season 10 finale, which aired live from Nokia Theater in Los Angeles last night, May 26. The band were joined by former Idol contestant James Durbin for renditions of two British Steel classics, "Living After Midnight" and "Breakin' the Law."
A posting on the band's official website read: "No, your eyes did not deceive you – the one and only Judas Priest just debuted their new guitarist, Richie Faulkner, tonight on American Idol!"
Durbin, a 22 year-old singer from Santa Monica, California, had performed Judas Priest's "Livin' After Midnight" on an earlier episode of American Idol. He had already been voted off the show prior to last night's episode.
Check out a video of Judas Priest's American Idol performance below:
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Josh Hart is a former web producer and staff writer for Guitar World and Guitar Aficionado magazines (2010–2012). He has since pursued writing fiction under various pseudonyms while exploring the technical underpinnings of journalism, now serving as a senior software engineer for The Seattle Times.

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