Artists: Geoff Tate
Venue: Manchester: Academy 3
Date: 9th October 2024
"I hope Geoff Tate continues to bring his band over to the UK, as the three times I have seen him so far have been mightily impressive."
Recent years have seen Geoff Tate embrace his Queensrÿche past in a big way. More so, I guess, than when he was still part of the band. The decision has clearly been the correct one, judging by attendances on his trips to the UK and throughout mainland Europe. The fans have cried out for some classic Queensrÿche, so we have seen the albums ‘The Warning’, ‘Rage For Order’, ‘Operation Mindcrime’ and ‘Empire’ being plundered for the big hitters, and sometimes even played in full. In both 2022 and 2023 I was fortunate to catch his shows in Blackpool, but 2024 sees him take in some different venues so, despite the usual public transport headaches, a trip into Manchester was warranted to see what was billed as something of a “Greatest Hits” event.
First up we had Kim Jennett, playing what could be classed as a local gig. She has been making waves in recent months and has just released an EP entitled ‘Queen Of Hell’, which has been available from the merch stand only at the shows. To say it was warm at the front would be an understatement, and Jennett wasted no time in raising the temperature further. She blasted through an eight-song, forty-minute set and her energy levels were off the scale. From the opening ‘Let Me Be The One’ through to the closing ‘Immigrant Song’ (Led Zeppelin) it was a relentless performance that also included the most recent ‘Hell Is Wherever You Are’. A triumph and no mistake, and it will be great to take in some headline shows of her own in the coming weeks.
When Geoff Tate and his touring band took the stage at 9.15pm the room was the busiest I have seen it for a long time. There was an obvious sense of anticipation in the air and when the opening riff to the ‘Empire’ title track rang out there was no doubt that everyone was in for a special night. Early in the set it was great to hear some deeper Queensrÿche cuts, such as ‘Desert Dance’, ‘I Am I’ and ‘Sacred Ground’. Tate was in great form vocally and his band did the material justice and then some. From then on it was one classic song after another. ‘Operation Mindcrime’, ‘Breaking The Silence’ and ‘I Don’t Believe In Love’ almost brought a tear to the eye; they sounded that good, reminding everyone in the process how iconic that album is. We got ‘NM156’, ‘Screaming In Digital’ and ‘Walk In The Shadows’ from ‘Rage For Order’ and ‘Another Rainy Night Without You’, ‘Jet City Woman’ and ‘Silent Lucidity’ from ‘Empire’. In all honesty I could have done without Pink Floyd’s ‘Welcome To The Machine’, but it acted as a nice showcase for some quality musicianship. The evening drew to a close with a hard-hitting ‘Take Hold Of The Flame’, despite the fact the setlist taped to the stage actually included ‘Queen Of The Reich’. No complaints however, and ninety-minutes went by in the blink of an eye. When you think of the songs that were not played, it merely brings home how fantastic that run of four albums, from ‘The Warning’ through to ‘Empire’, actually were.
I hope Geoff Tate continues to bring his band over to the UK, as the three times I have seen him so far have been mightily impressive. Queensrÿche themselves have not been over to the UK for a very long time, though I know some shows are scheduled for the early part of 2025. They are going to have to go some to better what Tate is offering these days.
Review and Photos: Dave Bott
Gallery. All photos © Dave Bott (used with kind permission)
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