I was certainly shocked and saddened when I saw the news a couple of days ago. I never thought that KK would quit the Priest until they ALL called it a day. I’ve been waiting for the US tour dates to be announced and I see the reason for the delay now. They’ve been trying to talk him out of retirement for a few months now but he’s made up his mind. I think we need to respect his decision. The way I see it is all a performer owes me or any fan is the best performance they can give. If KK wasn’t in a position to give 100% then he did the right thing and stepped down. A half-assed effort would have been a rip-off. It’s unfair to compare Richie Faulkner to KK Downing but Richie can play guitar just fine and he WANTS to be there. It’s better to see Richie Faulkner giving 100% effort than KK going through the motions.

I want to thank Mr. Downing for all the years of great music and I certainly wish him well in retirement – the man has earned it. So while it will be strange to see Priest without KK Downing on guitar I will be going to the show when they come to Minneapolis.