Geoff Tate @ KKs Steel Mill, Wolverhampton, 15th June 2023
A real night of nostalgia at KKs Steel Mill with Geoff Tate celebrating 35 years since the release of the seminal Queensryche concept album Operation Mindcrime. Tonight we get the album in full and with his new band consisting of guitarist James Brown, bassist Jack Ross, guitarist Amaury Altmayer and drummer Danny Laverde play as true a rendition of this piece of work as I have heard.
First up local boys New Saints who have been treading the boards for many years and finally got the chance to play KKs Steel Mill. They played a really solid set deserve the chance to be seen by a larger audience.
Four-piece rock band Daxx & Roxane are from Switzerland but now based in London are really well worth seeing. A brilliant energetic set from the main support band on this tour. These guys are really on the up at the moment.
From the first strains of I Remember Now, the assembled crowd know every word of every song of this album. When Geoff Tate comes onto stage he is dressed head to foot in black with shades on and his voice is pitch perfect. He is straight into character and as on album the the songs blend seamlessly into one another.
Geoff Tate looks relaxed is thoroughly enjoying himself as are the KKs crowd. For Suite Sister Mary we are introduced to singer Angel who perfectly fills in the role of Sister Mary. The set is moving along way to quickly, then is a really emotional version of I Don’t Believe in Love before a brilliant version of Eyes of a Stranger where Tate removes his shades and stares out into the crowd. Utterly fantastic rendition of Operation Mindcrime.
However we are not finished we get a trio of songs from the Empire album – Silent Lucidity, Empire and Jet City Woman – before a much older track Take Hold Of The Flame before they leave the stage. They return for a song from Queensryche’s first ep Queen Of The Reich. Another brilliant night at KKs Steel Mill from a man who only seems to get better.
Review and photographs: Andy Shaw
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