I saw Queensrÿche three times: in 2000, 2003 and again in 2005. And when Geoff Tate and the band split, I was firmly a member of the QR camp. The divorce was ugly and neither side looked good, however, I never really enjoyed Tate’s solo material and as the years passed, even the band’s continuation failed to inspire much passion. I was fine ending my journey with all of it, especially considering I’d seen all of Operation: Mindcrime during the last of my three concerts.
Now, it should be said that I don’t have a full recollection of that evening, with Doug fully to blame. And as Tate announced a goodbye to one of my top-20 albums ever, playing the entire record, I felt no hesitation plunking down a few bucks and driving yet again up to Silver Spring. Before we get to this night, however, I’d like to reminisce some decades.
I walked all the way to Looney Tunes to purchase Operation: Mindcrime and another record (maybe an Anthrax tape). The two-mile walk, which Google tells me takes 45 minutes, was a common occurrance in subsequent years, but at the time, I was a mere 12 years old. On the way back, I stopped at my school and some kid stole my money. What odd memories we retain. And as it came out before I was 16, I still remember a majority of the lyrics. Thus, tonight, I sang much far more than normal. I was not alone. Even the taped intros had the crowd reciting from memory, “Dr. Hamilton, Dr. J. Hamilton.” “Sleep well, you bastard.”
The band has its own light system and immediately I was impressed by the absolute clarity of things. They sounded utterly fantastic. All three (!) guitarists played rhythms, leads and interludes perfectly – almost astonishingly so. The production was reminiscent of Def Leppard or Ghost, virtually-perfect recreations of the studio creations. Unfortunately, it loses all that punch that I love about live shows and it felt manufactured – meticulously crafted for authenticity and not the gritty live performance. Tate’s vocals were phenomenal, but often buried lower in the mix with loud backing vocals lifting it all up. It’s hardly dismissive, it’s far better than some of the botch jobs I’ve seen online by Jon Bon Jovi or David Lee Roth, etc. We’re all getting older, but he did a remarkable job.
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Spying on t-shirts from recent tours and it’s evident: this band plays a LOT of shows. I estimated about 100 in 2024 alone. City upon city. Geoff Tate mentioned he’s played in 66 countries. Say what you will, but that’s dedication.
He kept the between-song banter limited and played the role as frontman well, sporting a no-sleeved jacket, black cowboy hat and his trademark, thick-framed glasses. It almost felt like Mindcrime was rushed through, and Tate appeared to enjoy the Mindcrime 2 songs more, the three chosen truly showcased his skills, perhaps more than them being the best selections. But make no mistake, seeing a great rendition of the concept album that shaped my youth was just awesome.
The two songs with keyboardist/vocalist were fantastic, and the entire choreographed evening did what it intended: offer a strong sense of nostalgia presented in a lengthy and highly-curated package.
There were three songs from Mindcrime’s sequel, another trio from Empire and a pair of classics rounded out the night. None hit the highs of the main draw. The sound of Empire felt more than ever like that transitional, early ’90s time period. The classics were solid and the evening as a whole was fun. Unless Queensrÿche comes back with something worth seeing – and with a more-authentic live experience – I’m happy closing this chapter of my top-20 record…a mere 37 years after I first got into the band.
