Queensryche performed at the Meadows on August 3rd in support of their latest release, Hear In The Now Frontier. Geoff Tate (lead vocals) got the crowd into it early with his waving and pointing at the audience. Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton traded guitar leads all night and really complimented each other. Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums) rounded out the group with their pounding rhythm section.
They opened the night with Inside from the new album. This live version was much heavier than the studio recording. Next up was Walk In The Shadows which is a song they’ve been saving for the encore on earlier shows this tour. Other highlights included Della Brown, The Mission, Take Hold Of The Flame, and Bridge. They also played a slowed down version of The Lady Wore Black which was interesting but not as rocking as the original.
The stage set was simple compared to last year’s tour for the Promised Land album. Gone were the theatrical scenes, changing of costumes, and extras hanging around drinking coffee. The emphasis this time was where it should be -- on the music. There were two large video screens which were used primarily to project the players so the audience could see better. They were used intermittently for the band’s visions of songs including the usual political stuff. One screen was a giant ear turned sideways -- Geoff commented that it was a left-over from the Tyson/Holyfield fight.
The guys seemed happy to be on stage together and really made an effort to keep the audience involved. Although the size of the audience has dwindled over the years, they still played their hearts out. Chris DeGarmo spoke recently to Heavy-Metal.com and when asked about the lower attendance he replied, “Many of the shows on this tour were held in outdoor venues which were enormous where it might have been better off in a smaller venue. As for future shows, we will probably do theatres rather than arenas.”
Check out our review of Hear In The Now Frontier.
Photo by John Perry
Review by Stephanie Perry
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