The Concert Reader Reviews:

Tour Title: Q2k Tour

There are currently 4 Reader Reviews of this tour.
Average Rating: 3
Go to Judgment Committee Reviews of this tour

Submitted by garth (6/6/00 The Warfield, San Francisco, CA):
Queensryche opened the new leg of their Q2k tour last night in San Frnacisco. One of the major complaints I'd heard about the earlier legs of their tour was the lack of older songs; only one pre-Mindcrime tune. Geoff Tate had made an appearance on the Queensryche.com Message Board a few months ago saying they had a lot of requests for material off the EP and The Warning. So, I went to see what would happen to the QR set-list.
I arrived mid-way through the opening band, Project 86. I'd never heard of these guys, so wasn't expecting much, but I think I short-changed them. They rocked, and hard. Their sound is reminiscent of the new Machine Head.
Queensryche came out onto the stage under a very nice light show with what seems to be their de facto opener these days, "Revolution Calling." Great way to kick things off. This ran directly into "Speak." The band then came into one of the singles from Q2k, "Falling Down." Things really cranked up from there as the distorted voice of Geoff Tate belted out, "Machines have no conscience," the first line of "NM 156." The band sounded great throughout the show, Kelly Gray really has picked up and filled in the hole left by DeGarmo leaving the band, and has added his own style to some songs and solos.
In all, a fantastic evening. I'll post a setlist, at least as best I can remember, at the end of this review. The show was heavy on the new Q2k material, but that's understandable, this is the Q2k Tour, not the Rage for Order Tour. I was left wanting to hear "Take Hold of the Flame," but the inclusion of old tunes like "Lady Wore Black," "Walk in the Shadows" and "NM 156" and "Damaged" off Promised Land (their most under-rated album) gave a good mix of songs to the show (although the last two times I've seen them, they haven't played anything from Hear in the Now Frontier, is this the forgotten QR album?).
One last thing, it is SO nice to see someone who can command a concert stage like a true fucking rock star these days (fuck Kurt Cobain and his pansy-ass "I never wanted to be a rock star" whining; why'd you start a fucking band then, asshole?) Geoff Tate loves what he does and it shows, and I love watching him slip into the Nikki character. And being as close as I was to the stage, this was the first time I truly appreciated the great drumwork of Scott Rockenfield.
Queensryche's latest albums may not have the magic of their earlier efforts, but they still kick ass live.
Revolution Calling
Speak
Falling Down
NM 156
Empire
Damaged
Liquid Sky
Right Side of My Mind
When the Rain Comes
Lady Wore Black
Jet City Woman
I Don't Believe in Love
Sacred Ground
Spreading the Disease/Electric Requiem
Walk in the Shadows
Encore:
Silent Lucidity
The Needle Lies
Eyes of a Stranger
Burning Man

Submitted by Cynthia (12/2/99 Beacon Theatre, New York, NY):
The last time I saw Queensryche was in 1991 during their Empire tour when Suicidal Tendencies and a shitty band called Warrior Soul opened up for them. What happened? 1991 was the year when 80's metal was dying and grunge was starting to become more and more popular. Seeing them again in 1999 and owning none of their cds that came out after Empire, I was curious. The Beacon Theatre is a cool place, although it was hot as hell inside and we were a little late... as usual. Tons of songs from Q2k (yuk), Empire and a few from Mindcrime but only one song from any albums prior to Mindcrime, from Rage for order: "Walk in the Shadows," an amazing song none-the-less. On a happy note: there was a lot of love in the room and very few kids. We didn't feel like the oldest people there. Yay. But I was disappointed with the 12 minute rendition of "Bullet the Blue Sky" by U2 of all bands and nothing old, no "Queen of the Ryche," no "Lady Wore Black," nothing from The Warning. And, why is "Silent Lucidity" their most popular song that they always close with? Where have all the metal songs gone? Dammit.

Submitted by Garth (11/6/99 San Jose State Event Center, San Jose, CA):
It becomes difficult for a band to please everyone when you've got seven albums and an EP worth of material. Face it, a band can only play for so long, unless it's Bruce Springsteen, but that's another story.
Leading up until the time I saw this show, I had heard some bad things about the Q2k show; QR wasn't playing any old stuff, they didn't sound good, without DeGarmo the band was empty. So naturally, my expectations were lowered. Perhaps this was a reason I enjoyed the show so much.
Queensryche knows what the majority of their fans love. In two words, Operation: Mindcrime. They blasted on stage, after an uninspired opening by doubleDrive, with consecutive Mindcrime songs. The band sounded phenomenal. DeGarmo's absence was slightly noticeable, but not a gaping hole. Kelly Gray played well, but not great, through most of the show.
A lot has been said about the set list. When you have so many songs, you can't play them all. But they played most of the ones I really wanted to see. I could have replaced some of the Q2k songs with "Take Hold of the Flame," "Screaming in Digital," "I Am I," or "Promised Land," but the coverage of most of Mindcrime was awesome and played phenomenally.
Another point I've heard a lot about was the inclusion of the U2 cover, "Bullet the Blue Sky" in the setlist. When I saw them play this, it was one of the highlights of the show. Sure, it's not a QR song, and its inclusion took one of their songs out, but the entire band was so fucking on in this song. This was the moment Kelly Gray shined, with the distorted guitar noise raising to a true art form. Queensryche made the song their own and, for me, was great to hear.
All in all, it could have been a little better, but I loved the show. Geoff Tate was in top form, his voice was flawless. And the light show, combined with Tate's theatrics was a visual spectacle to match the audio fireworks. A lot of people have criticized this show, especially some of the Judgment Committee members. But I, for one, had a great time and saw a great show for my money, rather than sitting there pouting and casting disparaging criticisms on the rest of the audience. But, then again, maybe I'm one of those losers for whom metal hasn't changed in the last ten years.

Submitted by Musashi (12/2/99 Beacon Theatre, New York, NY):
I can't believe I went all these years without seeing Queensryche. Of course, I don't think this was as good as it would have been when I was 16. At least I can say I've finally seen them.
What's weird is that all the girls I wanted to bang when I was 16 were at the show and now they don't look so good.
As usual I complain about the mix. The kick drum showed up randomly and was noticeably missing from some crucial parts.
Geoff Tate rocks. It looks like he's been going to the gym too. The guitars were a little sloppy but well within the acceptable boundaries.
The new tracks didn't inspire me to go out and get the new album. However, hearing some of the old songs got me to dust off the Rage For Order CD.
Queensryche definitely lose a skull for a U2 cover. Very poor choice!
2 solid skulls for Rage For Order and Mindcrime songs. Would have been 3 except for the U2 fiasco.

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