Classic Rock October 2001

Mind over matter

Moore Theatre, Seattle 27/7/2001

Local heroes Queensryche celebrated their 20th anniversary and crowned a new Sanctuary Records deal via a pair of shows at the 1200 capacity Moore Theatre, capturing both nights for their imminent 'Live Evolution' double album and DVD. Sadly, still minus guitarist Chris DeGarmo, they nevertheless succeeded in putting the horror of 1999's 'Q2K' album behind them to deliver a vintage performance on this, the first night

Centre-piece of a well-planned set was a huge chunk from their seminal 'Operation:Mindcrime', although it was magical to hear them plundering their first album, 1984's 'The Warning', for the likes of 'NM 156' and '86's 'Rage for order' for 'Screaming in digital'. The juxtaposition of the searing 'Empire' and the excellent 'Silent lucidity' was a masterstroke, and 'Damaged' and 'I am I' had me reaching for 1994's 'Promised land' album upon my return home.

The following night, the '...Mindcrime' material was axed in favour of several tunes from '97's 'Hear in the now frontier' album and their most recent outing, plus some older gems. While 'Liquid sky' worked better on stage, the majestic 'Jet city woman' and 'Take hold of the flame' only put the lumpen 'Q2K' into perspective. Queensryche seemed looser and happier at the second show, so it won't be surprising if that show features most on the live album. With Geoff Tate admitting that the band is in "a state of transition", and that next years album will most likely be heavier and conceptual, the future looks brighter than first feared.

Dave Ling