Judas Priest
The bad news is the last of Priest's two pioneering guitarists, Glenn Tipton, had to bow off the group's current tour due to Parkinson's disease. The good news is new guy Andy Sneap of the British metal band Hell has reportedly fit right in, and Tipton did help the group muster its best album in years to tour behind, "Firepower." Another big plus: The metal vets' first Twin Cities show in nine years is in a venue literally meant to host heavy metal, the Armory, which earned a favorable reception during Super Bowl week. Saxon, with original singer Biff Byford, and Black Star Riders open. (7 p.m. Mon., the Armory, 500 S. 6th St., Mpls., $63-$118, ticketmaster.com.)
Soccer Mommy
Twenty-year-old Nashville rocker Sophie Allison's many appearances with her band at the South by Southwest music fest two weeks ago lived up to the buzz surrounding her debut album for Fat Possum Records, "Clean," a No. 1 favorite locally on U of M station Radio K's playlist. She writes with a Morrissey-like mix of melodrama and jagged romance, which she wraps in melodic hooks and sometimes stormy climaxes. She's also due back in town opening for Liz Phair in June. (9:30 p.m. Sat., Bryant-Lake Bowl, Mpls., sold out.)
Chris Riemenschneider
