JUDAS PRIEST's IAN HILL Doesn't Have 'The Slightest Idea Of What To Expect' At ROCK HALL Induction Ceremony

In a new interview with Dig Boston, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked how he feels about the band's upcoming induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: "These things come along every now and then and it's very flattering when they do. If you've been recognized by your peers, this is going to sound terrible but it means more than being recognized by other people because they're your peers and they've gone down similar paths you have. It's very flattering and it's always nice when it comes along, especially at this late stage in the game. I don't think it'll make that big of a difference to our career now one way or another, but we're there and it's another proud moment. I think we'll all be proud to be part of it and I'm looking forward to seeing what it's all about, I don't have the slightest idea of what to expect. I have to get there at a certain time, I know that."

JUDAS PRIEST will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next month. PRIEST will receive the Musical Excellence Award at the event, which will honor Eminem, Dolly Parton, DURAN DURAN, Lionel Richie, Pat Benatar, EURYTHMICS and Carly Simon in the Performers category.

According to the Hall Of Fame, the JUDAS PRIEST members that will get inducted include current members Rob Halford (vocals),Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members K.K. Downing (guitar),Les Binks (drums) and late drummer Dave Holland.

The 2022 Rock Hall induction ceremony will be held on November 5 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It will air at a later date on HBO and stream on HBO Max. There will also be a radio simulcast on SiriusXM's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Radio channel 310.

Earlier in the month, JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis told the "Rocker Morning Show"'s Mark Frankhouse of the 107.7 RKR radio station that he and his bandmates will perform "a medley" of PRIEST classics at the Rock Hall induction ceremony.

JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for Rock Hall induction in 2020, but failed to receive enough votes to make that year's class.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, PRIEST was also on the ballot for the 2018 class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but was ultimately left out of the inductee list.

This past May, just days after it was announced that PRIEST would be inducted into the Rock Hall this year, Downing was asked which song or songs he would like to perform with PRIEST at the induction ceremony. He responded: "Oh, wow. I don't really know what the setup would or could be — whether Glenn" — who's battling Parkinson's disease but was on the road playing during the encores of PRIEST's latest North American tour, performing "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight" — "would be there and we all would… I know Glenn is just playing some of the more shorter kind of songs. And if that's the situation, then I'm sure the songs would be whatever Glenn would be able to feel comfortable with. And that's okay, and that's fine. But I don't think it's about, really, what the repertoire would be; I think it's just about would this and could this happen in the way that people want to and expect it to happen. We'll have to see. But it's [early days], and it's over six months away, so anything could happen between now and then. And it depends what people want to happen, myself included. I'm gonna have a good think."

Downing reiterated that there were still a lot of unknowns about how the induction ceremony will go down and whether PRIEST will be expected to perform at the event.

"I don't know what's gonna happen, mate," he said. "The ceremony's some time in November. I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know how everybody feels. Like I said, up until [last week], it was just a thought in the back of the memory. But now the hurdle of being inducted has been jumped, so we're on the other side of that now. Obviously, it remains feasible and possible, but I don't know. Anything could happen between now and then. We'll see what happens. But it is, I suppose, for all intents and purposes, a kind of celebration of everything that's been achieved over many, many decades, and do we all wanna be a part of that celebration just for one night. We'll see how everybody feels about that. But certainly, like with the Grammy achievement and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, once we get into those rocking chairs, whenever that might be [laughs], at some point in the future, it'll certainly help us to rock a bit faster than everybody else around us, I think, really."

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance.

In 2019, Downing said that he reached out to JUDAS PRIEST about taking part in the band's 50th-anniversary tour but that their response was that they were not interested in including him in the celebrations.

In 2018, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

In February, Hill and Halford told Billboard that they would be happy to stand alongside Downing at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction later this year. "It's not a problem to us, no," Hill said. "Ken was an integral part of this band for a very, very long time. He deserves to be there along with the rest of us." Halford predicted that, "It won't be as awkward as Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss with KISS's Rock Hall induction]. I don't think it'll be awkward at all. I think you have to let all of that go because it's the night that matters. It's the moment that matters — but, again, the proverbial saying, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."