Queensryche

Beacon Theatre, New York City, NY

February 3rd , 2005

Queensryche has always been a band full of surprises, and tonight there was no shortage of excitement. With Operation Mindcrime, performed in its entirety this is a tour worth catching. The first set would be their hits over the years then to follow Operation Mindcrime in its entirety. In addition, a preview song from Operation: Mindcrime after the show.   

We arrived at the Beacon Theater at 7:10pm as the doors opened. Eddie Trunk (www.eddietrunk.com) was the host from Q104.3 Friday Night Rocks. At 8:15, the lights went down. A synthesized intro came over the pa and a few seconds later…. The first riffs to The Whisper! Michael Wilton and Mike Stone were front and center for those opening kick-ass riffs. Then Geoff Tate came from the side of the stage singing the “Whisper.” After that were "Empire" and many other Queensryche classics. While hoping for them to play  their best song Take Hold Of The Flame, and they didn't disappoint.

Geoff sang the song flawlessly hitting the first two high notes perfectly. Now I can die happy after yelling TAKE HOLD!. The light show this time around was much better then in the past and the stage presence was much tighter. Silent Lucidity ended the set with a few orchestra members adding a touch of classical music to it. After the song, Geoff told us to stick around for a short intermission. At 9:34, Ralph Sutton from the Tour Bus radio show came on stage. He announced that Chris Caffery from Savatage was in the house. Then out of nowhere,  someone from the crowd jumped up on stage, grabbed the Mic, and yelled, "You guys wanna see a show? How about America Fuckin lies" Then he bantered for a few more seconds until a cop grabbed him along with a doctor which injected him with something and they dragged him off stage.. This was the beginning to OP: Mindcrime. With a new set on stage. “I Remember Now” hit the Pa along with the same old animated video. The usual songs followed, but with actors on stage, like during the song Operation: Mindcrime Geoff came out with a trench coat with an X on the back. I'll let you guess what part he was playing. A nurse in black leather abused him and gave him an injection. The first change, which extended intro to “The Mission” with keyboards courtesy of Michael Igor Delassandra. The next few songs were filled with intensity as the story began to heat up. During a totally new version of “Electric Requiem,” we finally see who kills Mary….but I ain't telling! The lights and smoke made the entire theatre orange then came “Breaking the Silence,” nothing new.. The next change was with “My Empty Room,” which was similar to the Promised Land tour version. At the end of the song, a nurse and doctor came out to sedate Geoff and put him in a straight jacket. He sang the whole song with his microphone in his folded arms which was really cool

As the set ended, at 10:45 the band came out and bowed, introduced the actors and left. Shortly after the video screen began showing images and the new song, Hostage, was played over the pa. A very good song and once again totally different then anything Queensryche have ever done.

For my second time seeing Queensryche , this was very exciting . it was an amazing night from start to finish.

Band:

· Geoff Tate-Vocals

· Eddie Jackson-Bass

· Michael Wilton-Guitars

· Mike Stone-Guitars

· Scott Rockenfield-drums

Set list:
Act I

Act II