As Queensrÿche continues on with the second installment of “The Origins Tour,” which gives longtime fans the opportunity to hear the band’s 1983 EP along with The Warning album in full running order. Those who weren’t lucky enough to catch the band last year with Armored Saint will have another opportunity to revisit the classics, and for this round, Queensrÿche have enlisted the help of high-energy, finger-picking, Les-Paul-slinging Jared James Nichols. The band is even hitting smaller towns this time giving new audiences a chance to hear them live as was the case on Thursday evening.
We made our way to the Frank J. Pasquerilla Conference Center in Johnstown, PA more slowly than we’d hoped with rushhour gridlock along the way, but arrived just before Jared took the stage Thursday evening. The venue is located directly across the street from 1st Summit Arena and is just starting to bring in some of our favorite artists like Sebastian Bach, who is scheduled to perform on Monday, November 4th as part of his Child Within the Man tour with support from Kurt Deimer.
Jared James Nichols brought a huge sound as his three-piece band delivered a set of originals like the bouncy groove of “Easy Come, Easy Go,” from his self-titled album, which kicked off the nine-song set of 1970s inspired rock. And, he closed the evening strong with a familiar classic, Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen,” before inviting the crowd to come say hello and have a beer with him (and that they did!)
Queensrÿche began soon after 8pm, making it an early evening overall. A nice perk, given that it was a weekday performance. The band made their entrance following the same prelude from the previous tour, where strobe lights flashed to the beat of Pantera’s “Walk” and illuminated the vast drum kit with the band’s classic logo in purple and yellow.
Naturally, the night began at the beginning with “Queen of the Reich,” which was followed by “Nightrider” and “Blinded” before closing out the first release with the classic, “The Lady Wore Black.”
As the band played on, they were highlighted by an arrangement of lasers and engulfed in a mountain of fog, which only added to the mood. And, they were really starting to gain momentum as they delivered the fist pounding “Take Hold of The Flame,” a classic that makes its way into most Queensrÿche sets and always ignites the crowd. At some point soon after, we all had a laugh when someone screamed “eat that Geoff Tate” in response to one of frontman Todd LaTorre’s spot-on vocal performances as those who heard him clapped in agreement.
The line-up remains unchanged, as Todd is joined by Michael “Whip” Wilton and Mike Stone on guitars, Eddie Jackson on bass and background vocals, and touring drummer Casey Grillo.
For many this was not only their first opportunity to hear these deep cuts live, it was also their first opportunity to hear Queensrÿche live. By a show of hands it was clear that the crowd offered a good mix of die-hard fans, young recruits, and MTV-era followers. Thankfully, the band had something for everyone on the agenda that night. In encore, they concluded with the title track from their most commercially successful album, “Empire” and “Eyes of a Stranger,” from my personal favorite, Operation: Mindcrime.
Had it not been for my previous plans to catch the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland this weekend, I’m pretty sure, I would have made the journey to Columbus, Ohio to catch the show again at the Newport tonight. In short, this is one tour that you simply don’t want to miss!
Live Photos by Editor and founder Kara Marie Uhrlen for The Pure Rock Shop. Posted on 10/20/2024.
