Sometimes, people look back at themselves to see where it all started. Retrospectively it’s looking at how they got to where they are today. Heavy metal band Queensryche decided to do just that with The Origins Tour. Starting on March 22nd, the band made its way across North America playing their self-titled EP from 1983 and their first studio album The Warning from 1984 in their entirety. Supporting them on the tour was the heavy metal band Armored Saint. On May 10th, the tour stopped at The Plaza Live in Orlando, FL. Both bands had come to The Plaza Live before and lit up the crowd, so I knew this would be an amazing show.
Armored Saint got their start in 1982 in Los Angeles, CA. Like Queensryche, the band released a self-titled EP in 1983 and their debut studio album March of the Saint in 1984. The band’s success got greater with every release. They released 3 additional studio albums and 1 live album before the band split in 1992 when vocalist John Bush left to join Anthrax. Fast forward to 1999 when the band would reunite stronger than ever. Armored Saint would release 6 more studio albums and their most recent release, their live album Symbol of Salvation: Live in 2021. The band consists of John Bush (vocals), Gonzo Sandoval (drums), Phil Sandoval (guitar), Joey Vera (bass), and Jeff Duncan (guitar).
The band took the stage to a great cheer from the Orlando crowd, except someone was missing. Unfortunately, John Bush was still dealing with vocal issues and had missed a few shows earlier in the tour. Stepping in was the band’s good friend Jason McMaster the lead singer of Dangerous Toys and many other bands. He stepped in as if he was always a member of Armored Saint. The first time I saw them live I was an instant fan. Their music is heavy and energetic. You can’t help but want to sing along, mosh in the pit, or throw up horns to cheer them on. And the members are all so lively on stage. Gonzo is always smiling behind the drumset and having fun. After their set, Gonzo stepped out from behind the drumset wearing a top hat and a bathrobe. Jeff is a great guitar player and acknowledges the fans throughout his set. Joey is a wild man on the bass. His playing is heavy and he’s so animated matching the way he performs. Phil is smooth in his guitar playing and provides a very animated performance. Jason’s vocals were great and he knows how to work the crowd. He was a great fill-in for John.
And you can’t forget how their great music. While it was a short set, they picked some great tracks to perform. They included “Symbol of Salvation”, “March of the Saint”, and my personal favorite, and their closing song, “Reign of Fire”. It was a fantastic set that evening and I look forward to seeing them come around again. You can find their music and merch over at https://armoredsaint.com.
Then it was time for our headliners in Queensryche. The band formed in 1982 out of Bellvue, WA. The band released two studio albums before finding commercial success in their 1998 Operation: Mindcrime album and then their follow-up 1990 album Empire. The single “Silent Lucidity” would win them a Billboard Award. The band also received three Grammy nominations. One from Operation: Mindcrime for Best Metal Performance in 1990 for “I Don’t Believe In Love” and the other two from Empire for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Rock Song for “Silent Lucidity”. The band has 16 total studio albums. Their most recent album Digital Noise Alliance was released in 2022. Queensryche is Todd La Torre (vocals), Michael Wilton (lead guitar), Mike Stone (rhythm guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass), and Casey Grillo (drums).
The moment they came to the stage the crowd erupted in cheers. They wasted no time jumping into their set and started off with their self-titled EP. Now, this was probably the heaviest Queensryche show I have ever seen. And I loved it. While the band has made a name around songs like “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity”, it was nice to see them let loose and rock out! A casual Queensryche fan may have been confused not hearing those popular songs that evening. The hardcore Queensryche fans who know these older songs were in their glory. The EP singles “Queen of the Reich” and “The Lady Wore Black” are awesome songs, and have been played frequently on tour. But, “Blinded” has been played so sparingly that it was nice to hear it live. Queensryche surprised the fans by performing “Prophecy” as an encore.
The Warning is such an amazing album. Some of these tracks performed that night barely made it to live performances over the years. The title track “Warning” is a tour favorite and fans love to sing along. My favorite, “Take Hold of the Flame” made it on tour setlists frequently and sounded great live. I loved getting to hear those tracks like “No Sanctuary”, “Before the Storm”, and “Child of Fire” which rarely got tour time on stage. The fans loved the trip back in time to these tracks. They finished their set with “Screaming in Digital” from Rage for Order released in 1986.
The band as a whole are such amazing performers. Chris has this monstrous drumkit on stage and constantly delivers beats to match it through the songs. He winds up some of those drumbeats before crashing down on the drumheads and symbols echoing through the venue. Eddie kept to himself on stage, strumming that bass hard complimenting Chris’s drumbeats through songs. Mike and Michael are very skilled guitar players who shred hard through chords. Yet, they keep this very stoic demeanor on stage as they perform. You can tell they both are doing what they love and that night, they swapped through songs who was running lead. Todd has to be commended. The songs he performed that night were long before he joined Queensryche and they are not easy vocals to perform. Yet, there he was ripping out these high notes and rocking out in all his glory to the tracks that were the band’s foundation.
This was a fantastic performance from Queensryche and a wonderful trip down memory lane. Check out their music and merch at http://queensrycheofficial.com.
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