Queensrÿche @ Addison Village Hall, Addison (US)

QUEENSRŸCHE / HEAVEN 'N HELL

Date: 28th July, 2022
Venue: Addison Village Hall
Ticket Price: Free show
Promoter: Rock 'N Wheels

One of the many things I have started to like while living in the States is open-air shows. No, I am not talking about multi-stage shows like those in Europe that (honestly) require one to be in a certain mood to be able to sleep in a tent, withstand different weather conditions and basically go through the bands from stage to stage in a blur. Of course, age is an important factor in all this, and I will not pretend that I share the same ‘metalhead stamina’ I once had. However, I still have enough to skip the post-work relaxation for a live show with QUEENSRŸCHE at the helm.

Arriving 10 minutes before QUEENSRŸCHE (yes, we missed HEAVEN 'N HELL), we quickly realized that the ‘Rock ‘N Wheel’ event series is held on a gorgeous location. The crowd was a great mix of families, metalheads or just event-goers with their camping chairs who were enjoying the great weather conditions and overall joyful atmosphere. With zero hustle, I found a nice photo-shooting spot and let myself enjoy the evening breeze and the great sound coming from the “stage on wheels”. QUEENSRŸCHE sounded amazing with “Blood Of The Levant” as the setlist opener. After the two-year live show pause, one cannot be sure of the condition a band may be (obviously, I am not talking about corporation-like bands that can draw an income just by doing a bunch of shows with zero interest in producing new music). Anyways, life keeps changing after this abnormal time-period and I am sure we will still be noticing its effects for years to come. For the time being, how the Metal scene will bounce back is a big question mark. On the positive side of this grim list, is everyone’s appreciation to be able to go to shows and not taking them for granted. In fact, this should apply to other things too, but this is neither the time nor the place to expand.

QUEENSRŸCHE sounded great, and I think the band used this show as a serious warm-up for their ongoing North US touring adventure. However, the band members did not look or sound like they were trying to find their “concert-footing” - no, it was full on from the get-go. “I wasn’t expecting so many people,” said Todd La Torre before letting “I Am I” reminded me how much I love “Promised Land”. Even though Todd has been with QUEENSRŸCHE for almost a decade, I still find myself listening carefully how well he does in the oldies, but only for a couple of songs, because soon enough I remember he is a stellar singer. And the setlist that Thursday night was not an “easy” one, featuring many songs from the genre-shaping decade starting around ’84. Oh my goodness, my heart exploded the moment the taped intro revealed the next one; “Machines have no conscience!” and boom, the prophetic “NM 156” fell like a ten-ton hammer. Watching Michael Wilton taking the center-stage spot to deliver the solo in his trademark posture was the icing on the cake. Love watching him delivering these riffs while remaining as cool as a cucumber and making it the easier and most natural thing to do. “Damaged” was the second track from “Promised Land” and that point made me hope for the title-track to find its way to the setlist, but I shouldn’t be greedy...

QUEENSRŸCHE is an active band, and this means the five-piece lineup keeps writing great music, and in this case, we got “Man The Machine” from the latest album. By the way, in a couple of months, “Digital Noise Alliance” will hit the stores, so be on the lookout. Still, it was the oldies that got the loudest response, and even though I do complain that people do not pay attention to new music, I have to admit “I Don’t Believe In Love” and the groovy “Walk In The Shadows” rocked Addison for good. What a delightful sight it was, seeing the crowd enjoying QUEENSRŸCHE while relaxing on the lawn or headbanging in the front rows. Add the nice night breeze and the lovely, lovely (no humid) weather and you had the golden recipe for a Metal outdoor show.

“We will play an old school song for you, guys,” said Todd with “The Whisper” being exactly that. What a demanding song to sing that is, but he absolutely nailed it. I guess it was about time to take a “cooling break” with massive hit “Silent Lucidity”, and it made sense to seal the deal with  “Jet City Woman”. Oh yeah, the singing-along was loud for both songs. Sure, “Empire” was a massive success in North US but for me it was “Operation: Mindcrime” that I still have in the best ‘Metal-concept albums’ list. The title track along with the riff driven “The Needle Lies” reminded me the countless listening sessions while analyzing every single detail.

As much as I love that album, it kind of pales in comparison to what QUEENSRŸCHE released prior to that; need proof? “Take Hold Of The Flame” and “Queen Of The Reich” is the proof, and I rest my case. Todd dedicated the latter one to the “old school RŸCHE-ers” and got a loud sing-along as an answer. The band briefly left the stage and reminded me of the  “time-relativity” in great concerts; I could bet money that QUEENSRŸCHE had been on the stage for not more than half an hour…With even nicer weather (cool breeze was stronger), we got a power triplet with “Screaming In Digital”, “Empire” and last but not least “Eyes Of A Stranger”. After introducing the band, Todd left us with this: “we are the one and only QUEENSRŸCHE” and I am sure there is no argument about that. Warm up your vocals chords and make sure to watch this band on the road; I am sensing we will be served with a great album and another fantastic tour following that. Stay tuned.

QUEENSRŸCHE setlist:

01. “Blood Of The Levant”
02. “I Am I”
03. “NM 156”
04. “Damaged”
05. “Man The Machine”
06. “I Don't Believe In Love”
07. “Walk In The Shadows”
08. “The Whisper”
09. “Silent Lucidity”
10. “Jet City Woman”
11. “Operation: Mindcrime”
12. “The Needle Lies”
13. “Take Hold Of The Flame”
14. “Queen Of The Reich”
15. “Screaming In Digital”
16. “Empire”
17. “Eyes Of A Stranger”

QUEENSRŸCHE