Description
Back in 1995 Queensryche were out on their Promised Land Tour a tour that seems to split the fan base in half. Looking back some say this was the pinnacle of the bands career while other says this felt like Queensryche on Broadway and they had gone over the top (those were the days when Geoff Tate wore a tuxedo and white gloves onstage). 1995 was the year when alternative music ruled the world, this double album was recorded live at San Jose on the 24th of May 1995, and the musical revolution had emanated from Queensryche own hometown, Seattle. However, that didn’t stop Queensryche at all and the fans who were clinging to the front of the stage proved that Queensryche’s tortured musical complexities still invoked as much passion as ever. Clearly, the band decided that attack is the best form of defence, opting to present a show that appears to be their most extravagant and theatrical to date. There’s no support band, and opening number ‘I Am I’ looks like something out of an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, with vocalist Geoff Tate’s arrival preceded by surreal video footage which shows him rather grandiosely walking through a hole in the cosmos. Having leapt through said spacey area he appears on stage dressed in a City gent’s suit and being pursued by a couple of fake reporters and one very real, very sweaty photographer. The rest of the band play on, seemingly in their own space, trying to avoid Tate’s flamboyant gestures as he acts out the lyrics of alienation. It’s an extremely impressive opening, culminating in a suitable climax where Tate rips off the suit and strips down to a pair of skimpy black shorts, obviously designed to help him hit those high notes. The rest of the set attempts to live up to such drama, and for the most part succeeds. The video and light show are spectacular, making a refreshing change in these minimalist days. The musicianship is every bit as polished as you might expect, with guitarists Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton locking into some heavenly duel lead work on the likes of ‘Eyes of a stranger’. Meanwhile, Geoff Tate is in posturing overdrive, eyes bulging, fists clenched, and chat kept to a minimum. A show like this makes it easy to remember why Queensryche were once considered to the most challenging and innovative band around. However, it’s also clear that the majority of songs from new album ‘Promised land’ go down like a lead balloon, although ‘Lady Jane’ and ‘Someone else’ draw passable cheers. As ever, it’s the chilling ‘Operation:Mindcrime’ section of the show which produces the most fervent crowd reaction, indicating that ‘…Mindcrime’ is seen by many as Queensryche’s finest hour. This show from San Jose was being live broadcast on FM radio, however Geoff was sick during this show, and his voice sometimes fails him (not being able to reach or sustain some of the higher notes, as well as cracking and breaking in random spots). The musical performance is otherwise stellar, and the audience seems to love the show. There are also three acoustic bonus tracks recorded a year earlier.
Track List:
1. 9:28 AM
2. I Am I
3. Damaged
4. Bridge
5. Screaming In Digital
6. NM158
7. My Global Mind
8. Neue Regel
9. I Remember Now
10. Anarchy X
11. Revolution Calling
12. Operation Mindcrime
13. Spreading The Disease
14. The Mission
15. I Don’t Believe In Love
16. Waiting For Room 22
17. My Empty Room
18. Real World
19. Eyes Of A Stranger
20. Empire
21. Jet City Woman
22. Promised Land
23. Dis-Con-Nec-Ted
24. Lady Jane
25. Out Of Mind
26. One More Time
27. Silent Lucidity
28. Take Hold Of The Flame
29. Someone Else?
30. Bridge-acoustic live-Milano, Italy 28th of October 1994
31. Silent Lucidity-acoustic live-Milano, Italy 28th of October 1994
32. The Lady Wore Black-acoustic live-Hilversum, Holland November 1994