Queensryche Concert at the House Of Blues

Queensryche in my opinion put out one of the best albums of my generation - Operation Mindcrime. It hit in 1988 and everyone I ran with love it. We had heard of the band before but really didn't pay too much attention. There would be the the occasional "have you heard of these guys" "Yeah their're ok". After Mindcrime everyone knew them, loved them and had their record/tape/cd in their collection.

Well last night was the first time I've got to hear them live. They were great! They once again played the entire Mindcrime album from beginning to end. Mindcrime was a "concept" album in that it was a "rock opera". So when they went on tour for this album they played the tracks from beginnig to end just as they appeared on the album and that was it - no other songs from any of their previous albums. They had a whole stage show to go with it. They recreated this last night and it is an awesome sight and completely different from any other concert I've been to. Part concert, part opera, all great. Unlike the '88 tour they played their hits (yes they had some) after performing Mindcrime. They played from 8 to 11 stopping only once for an intermission after Mindcrime. The leadsinger (Geoff Tate) is a classically trained singer and still has his chops from his younger days - I didn't hear him miss a note all night. (He has a completely different sound that you either love or hate not much middle ground - he doesn't scream or falsetto(?)) They guitars punched out the sound as poignantly as before and the drums never lagged. Truely great.

The venue helped as well. If anyone gets a chance to see a band at the House of Blues in Orlando at the Concert Hall jump on it. Bars everywhere! Small enough for that intimate feel but large enough that you don't feel your in your local bar. Two floors. Plenty of room for everyone. The stage is an actual stage with curtains and the whole deal so can get the feel of a play. Nice place.

I had a great time and would recomend that anyone who has not heard of this band download Operation Mindcrime and get a taste. Empire has more hits on it that you might recognize but Mindcrime is an album for the ages. I was going to add them to my Van Halen post as a band that got no love from future bands but I didn't feel that have enough great albums. Empire is good. Operation Mindcrime is great. The rest are average at best. I haven't heard Mindcrime II so maybe they recreated the magic there.

My two cents. www.queensryche.com