K.K Downing Admits He'll Miss Touring One Day

Former Judas Priest guitarist KK Downing expects he’ll miss life on the road one day – but he doesn’t believe he’ll return to writing and recording new music.

He shocked fans by announcing his departure from the metal icons in 2011, then last year clarified that he’d quit rather than retired.

Now Downing tells Metal Talk (via Blabbermouth): “People say to me all the time: ‘Do you miss it? I know you miss it.’ My response is the fact that, after a 40-year, full-on career, I’m not going to miss it in the first week, month or even year.
“I just received a nice letter from a guy in Costa Rica, saying he misses me in Priest. When that happens it does become more and more difficult for me to take in the fact that I’m no longer a part of all that.

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“Who knows what the future holds? I don’t know.”

Downing insists he still has what it takes to tour again, and believes the music industry’s turmoil in recent years has lent more validity to doing so.

But he adds: “It would be difficult for me to go back into a songwriting and recording mode. The task of trying to get bigger, better and more unique becomes monumental.

“When I go and see a favourite band I want them to play the songs I know and love, not songs I haven’t heard yet. Will I grow to like them? Yes, maybe. But in a live performance you want to rock out and sing along.”

Judas Priest replaced Downing with Richie Faulkner and are working on what will be their 17th studio album.