Away Team

Queensryche
30th Anniversary Tour
Tuesday 8NOV11
Lincoln Theatre
Raleigh, NC



I think I’ve said on here once or twice that I am a huge Queensryche fan. If not, here ya go. That being said, I have tried to like their newer albums. American Soldier actually was a good album, their best since Promised Land, but the rest just fall a little flat for me.

I have listened to Queensryche since I first heard the EP in 1984. I first saw them in 1988 when the opened for Metallica on the Damaged Justice Tour in San Francisco. Loved the music but thought they were lost on stage in an arena (I was really high that night too, so it could have just been me).

I wouldn’t have the chance to see them again until Building Empires Tour in 1992 where they blew me away by performing Mindcrime in its entirety! They filled the arena and performed like they deserved to be there too.

Many years have gone by and Queensryche has released several albums that the fans (me included) have debated whether they were Ryche worthy or not. But one thing Queensryche has always done well (at least since 92 for me) is perform well live.

They have made sure that they always have a reason for you to come see their show, whether it’s performing suites (large sections of albums) or albums in their entirety, they always give you a reason to see their next tour (besides being a tremendous live band now).

For their 30th Anniversary Tour they have actually reverted back to the old fashioned tour dogma of playing a little something from everything. And I do believe every album was represented (other than their recent covers album) in the set they performed here in Raleigh.

The band in their infinite wisdom didn’t just come out and perform ‘The Lady Wore Black’ and run through their hits chronologically, they mixed it up, Starting the set with the latest ‘Get Started’ and moved on to a brilliant version of ‘Damaged’. The sole representation of Promised Land was a real treat for me and live was great and no small feat to pull off in my opinion!

‘Desert Dance’ off of Tribe was actually a great tune live. And maybe that’s what their latest studio albums need to bring them to life or more favor to their fans, to be performed live. You can always tell the newer tunes (anything after Promised Land in my opinion is the ‘newer’ stuff) when they’re performed because they just seem to be a little less… connected maybe? It is very difficult for me to describe, but my girlfriend was with me at the show (her third Queensryche show thanks to me) and she would even turn to me during the newer stuff and remark that it must be a newer song because it was missing something. It wasn’t as ‘rich’ as the other tunes and this is from someone who only hears them when I play them and live she can even tell the difference between pre-Promised Land and post-Promised Land material.

The highlight of the night for me had to be ‘The Real World’. I have never seen it performed live and never thought I would considering it was a cast off from the soundtrack to Last Action Hero. And I wasn’t sure they could pull it live considering the heavy string arrangement by the late Michael Kamen (RIP Sir) but it sounded fantastic and had half the crowd shaking their head wondering where the song was from and the other half drooling over it.

Queensryche‘s run from NM 156 to Screaming In Digital was a stroke of brilliance and I’ve often wondered why they haven’t done it before. Geoff Tate’s voice hasn’t lost a step over the years, he may not be able to hold the higher notes as long as he used to, but he still puts on a hell of a show and sings his ass off and does himself and the band proud. In the age of all these 80’s bands trying to sing their old stuff after 30 years of vocal abuse and simple age and mangling their legacy doing so (see Joe Elliot of Def Leppard, Stephen Pearcy of Ratt, Joey Belladonna of Anthrax, etc, etc, etc) it is great to see someone able to still sing their material correctly and not just that, but very well done!

The Ryche may not be headlining arenas anymore but based on their live shows they should be. The theaters we’re seeing them in today makes for an intimate setting but the sound that the band generates should be filling arenas around the world. A live Queensryche show is always something to behold and they always come up with a new reason to go see them, and see them you should. The band has been around for 30 years for a reason, and their live show says everything you need to know about them. Michael Wilton is a great guitarist and Parker Lundgren holds his own with Michael and the band. Eddie Jackson has always been a beast at the bass and there may only be one or two people better on the drums that Scott Rockenfield. The man can certainly go step for step with Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart. And as I’ve already stated, the showmanship and vocals of Geoff Tate are nothing short of spectacular 30 years on!

For more QUEENSRYCHE click here.

QUEENSRŸCHE has released Get Started the video for their first single off their new album Dedicated To Chaos.









QUEENSRŸCHE are currently touring in support of the 30th Anniversary of the band.

Confirmed QUEENSRŸCHE tour dates:
07/27/11 Lisbon Atlantico Pavilion Portugal
07/29/11 New York, NY Irving Plaza United States
07/30/11 Hartford, CT Webster Theater United States
07/31/11 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance United States
08/02/11 Allentown, PA The Croc United States
08/03/11 Morristown, NJ Mayo PAC United States
08/04/11 Westbury, NY Capital One Bank Theater United States
08/05/11 Hampton Beach, NH Hampton Beach Casino & Ballroom United States
08/06/11 Boston, MA House of Blues United States
08/07/11 Rochester, NY Nola’s Outdoor Concert United States
08/09/11 Washington DC 930 Club United States
08/10/11 Englewood, NJ Bergen Performing Arts Center United States
08/11/11 Glenside, PA Keswick United States
08/12/11 North Tonawanda, NY Molson Canal Concert Series United States
08/13/11 Pittsburgh, PA Palace Theatre United States
08/14/11 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore United States
08/16/11 St. Louis, MO The Pageant United States
08/17/11 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room United States
08/18/11 Cleveland, OH House of Blues United States
08/19/11 Detroit, MI The Fillmore United States
08/20/11 Chicago, IL Congress Theater United States
08/21/11 Milwaukee, WI The Rave United States
08/25/11 Palmer, AK Alaska State Fair United States
08/27/11 Auburn, WA White River Amphitheatre United States
08/28/11 Hillsboro, OR Washington County Fairgrounds United States
09/06/11 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory United States
09/07/11 Missoula, MT Wilma Theater United States
09/08/11 Boise, ID Knitting Factory United States
09/09/11 Reno, NV Knitting Factory United States
09/10/11 Chico, CA Senator Theater United States
09/11/11 Sacramento, CA Ace of Spades United States
09/14/11 Tucson, AZ Rialto United States
09/15/11 Phoenix, AZ The Foundry United States
09/16/11 Albuquerque, NM Hard Rock Hotel & Casino United States
09/17/11 Denver, CO Ogden Theater United States
09/19/11 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom United States
09/20/11 San Antonio, TX Majestic Theater United States
09/22/11 Dallas, TX House of Blues United States
09/23/11 Biloxi, MS Hard Rock Hotel & Casino United States
09/24/11 Houston, TX House of Blues United States
09/25/11 Austin, TX Emo’s East United States
09/28/11 Anaheim, CA House of Blues United States
09/29/11 San Diego, CA House of Blues United States
09/30/11 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues United States
10/01/11 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues United States
10/02/11 San Francisco, CA The Regency Ballroom United States
11/04/11 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade United States
11/05/11 Myrtle Beach, SC House of Blues United States
11/06/11 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy’s United States
11/10/11 Ponte Vedra, FA Ponte Vedra Concert Hall United States
11/11/11 Ft Lauderdale, FL Revolution Live United States
11/12/11 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues United States
11/14/11 – 11/19/11 Cozumel Shiprocked Cruise United States
11/20/11 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckard Hall United States

For more QUEENSRŸCHE click here.

Yes I love Queensryche. Yes I have the TriRyche tattooed on my bicep. Yes I have every album. Yes I still go to every show I can. Yes I still promote them as much as I can. But they haven’t put out a good album since 1994′s Promised Land in my opinion. It sucks, I hate that they apparently can’t write a decent song or album without Chris DeGarmo.

Hear In The Now, Q2K, Operation: Mindcrime 2, and even American Soldier (which was ALMOST a good album)… I can’t listen to them… I want to, I try every couple of years to go back to them and see if they improve over time or my taste changes enough to enjoy/love those albums. But alas its not to be.

Again I still go to every show because they sound great, when the newer stuff get played I kind of tune out and just focus on Geoff singing or Scott killing the drums. All though on their last tour they did a suite from 3 albums, Empire, Rage For Order, and American Soldier, the American Soldier stuff was really good live, just not on CD.

I so badly want them to put out a good album, I so badly want to love whatever they do… But I can’t. The music without Chris is just missing…. Emotion, depth, something.

I am all for bands changing, maturing, stretching, etc… I mean I can’t listen to the last 5 AC/DC or Aerosmith albums because they are indistinguishable between the previous 5 they’ve each done. They’re stuck in a writing formula that works for them, and sells records, but it doesn’t make for good music to me.

Listen to Queensryche‘s EP. Then Empire. Then Promised Land. Listen to the vast difference in sound and songwriting between those three albums. Then listen to the last 4 albums. Worlds apart in songwriting. It isn’t about stretching and failing.. it’s about crappy songwriting.

And so now we have Dedicated to Chaos, Queensryche‘s new album and Get Started, the first single off that album. Geoff Tate has said in the press recently that this is a departure for the band, that sound wise it is something they have never done yet. That is is a ‘headphone’ album, best heard/experienced with headphones on. So when I read that I got excited. For he has said that before about Promised Land. In fact for the premier listening party of Promised Land they had everyone sitting in chairs with headphones on listening to the album.

So if Geoff is somehow comparing Dedicated To Chaos to the sonic quality of Promised Land, then color me All In!
Sadly, I received the single Get Started today. And as I listen to it for the 10th time or so (yes with my headphones on), I’m afraid this is no Promised Land, this is more of the same, more of the last 4 albums instead of the first 4.

And sonically, I don’t see the ‘need’ for headphones, where Promised Land was a rich sonic texture that still unveils new layers 16 years later, Get Started is well produced, but not sure it has any layers that reveal themselves upon multiple listens.

Here’s hoping that Get Started is just that… The band getting started, and that the rest of the album is truly a departure from the last 15 years of recorded Queensryche.

You can pre-order the single Get Started here and pre-order Dedicated To Chaos here.
For more QUEENSRYCHE click here.

QUEENSRŸCHE‘s new digital single, for the Dedicated To Chaos album track ‘Get Started‘, will be available at usual digital platforms on June 5th.

Queensrÿche have confirmed more US tour dates in support of their new album, Dedicated To Chaos, which will be released in Europe via WEA/Roadrunner on June 27th and by Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud on June 28th in North America.

QUEENSRŸCHE live dates:
July
29 – New York, NY – Irving Plaza
30 – Hartford, CT – Webster Theater
31 – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance
August
2 – Allentown, PA – The Croc
3 – Morristown, NJ – Mayo PAC
4 – Westbury, NY – Capital One Bank Theater
5 – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino & Ballroom
6 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
7 – Rochester, NY – Nola’s Outdoor Concert
9 – Washington DC – 930 Club
10 – Englewood, NJ – Bergen Performing Arts Center
11 – Glenside, PA – Keswick
12 – North Tonawanda, NY – Molson Canal Concert Series
13 – Pittsburgh, PA – Palace Theatre
14 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore
16 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
17 – Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room
18 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
19 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore
20 – Chicago, IL – Congress Theater
21 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
25 – Palmer, AK – Alaska State Fair
28 – Hillsboro, OR – Washington County Fairgrounds
September
16 – Albuquerque, NM – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
17 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theater
19 – Tulsa, OK – Cain’s Ballroom
21 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theater
22 – Dallas, TX – House of Blues
23 – Biloxi, MS – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
24 – Houston, TX – House of Blues
28 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
29 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
30 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
October
1 – Los Angeles, CA – House of Blues
2 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom









For more QUEENSRŸCHE click here.