Only my 3rd time seeing a band I consider incredibly important to me. Really in my 5 favorite bands ever. And I've been a huge fan of for 23+ years. I might trade 3 or 4 of those Dream Theater, Fair to Midland, The Dear Hunter shows for just 1 Headlining show in Minnesota. But that's all just hypothetical, lol.
And even if they were again opening, they played for nearly an hour.
1 of the biggest takeaways is the fact Joe DiBiase joined them on stage for The Eleventh Hour was very cool to see. Joe +Joey Vera of course.
Mike Abdow I have no issue with, even though I love Frank Aresti. He more or less pulled off all Frank's, and in some case, Jim parts.
The new tunes "From the Rooftops" "Seven Stars," and "The Light and Shade of Things" in some ways surpassed the incredible studio versions. I was energized and getting goosebumps at points.
"One" and especially "Pieces of Me" I got really into, as I love Disconnected almost as much as APSOG.
Part 3 of APSOG? while I like it, and of course that album really largely 1 song meant to be heard all-at-once. But Parts V or VI would be great as well. I dunno, I'd be curious if someone might ask Jim and Ray how they choose the set list and what parts of APSOG they pick? I mean they chose Part IX on Live Over Europe, but that 1 is the acoustic ballad "Stayed Up Late Last Night" which may have fit with the flow/tone of that part of the set.
They also did play Firefly, although among the tunes from Darkness in a Different Light, that I recall was one-of the most memorable. But it's been many years since I listened to that. I thought though on the Theories of Flight version I got, it included a live or different version. Plus it likely was on the new double live album Live Over Europe, but I'd have to check. Maybe I never got around to listening to that track on the album.
At any case, I was lucky enough to grab a set list after the show and it did not include "Firefly" but "Falling" which is another Darkness track that I can't claim to be all that familiar with. But in listening to it and Firefly, I'm pretty sure they only did Firefly and not Falling. So maybe they changed the set list after it was written out?
But the show was a joy. I picked up some merch of course and will try and show that in a video soon. I was thinking also about how like The Monkees, who knows if/when Fates Warning will ever be back. I held off buying anything at The Monkees show the other night because of that.
Fates Warning's set list
From the Rooftops
Life in Still Water
One
A Pleasant Shade of Gray Part III
Seven Stars
Pieces of Me
The Light and Shade of Things
Firefly (my set list sheet says "Falling" and not Firefly)
The Eleventh Hour (with Joe DiBiase on bass)
Point of View
Queensryche: with low expectations, I enjoyed moments of their set from the 2/3 of the songs I knew. "Light Years" being the 1 new track I had heard and like.
The MIX though I found to be clearly LOUDER with Queensryche, which was not a good thing. I actually came home with a bit of ringing in my ears, although it's not like I am dealing with the impact much now some 12 hours later.
Why they didn't play Another Rainy Night (Without You)? maybe they don't per it's a Geoff Tate tune?
This was my 1st Queensryche concert since the Target Center Hear in the Now Frontier show I saw in 1997. Which had the original lineup, now I feel fortunate to have seen, including of course Chris DeGarmo. But jeez, 22 years? I guess I
The crowd and the venue: I liked, although having seats right in front of the stage was odd to say the least. But overall, at least they have a lot of seating. Assigned mind you.
The crowd was a lot of Suburban and Rural middle-aged Metal fans mostly Caucasian, not surprisingly. And mostly Queensryche fans of course, although it did feel odd how many of them had never even heard a single Fates Warning album or even songs. But that is something that happens regularly for me (I'm there for the opener and most of the crowd not only came mostly for the headliner, but had barely even heard the band I came for's music).
Blood of the Levant
I Am I
NM 156
Man the Machine
Condition Hüman
Queen of the Reich
Silent Lucidity
Open Road
Selfish Lives
Light-years
Screaming in Digital
Take Hold of the Flame
Eyes of a Stranger
(with Anarchy-X outro)
Encore:
Jet City Woman
Empire
