Philadelphia, PA – The Master Showman, Geoff Tate, brought his power-packed band to the TLA on Wednesday, February 26th to play Rage For Order and Empire albums in their entirety. We were not disappointed.
Irish Rock Singer/Songwriter, Mark Daly, opened the show with a 30-minute set of electric rock music reminiscent of Nirvana. Mark is backed up by James Brown (guitar), Jack Ross (bass) and Michael Fechter (drums). Mark’s body of work includes performing at the MTV EMA Awards with The Voodoos, The Heart’s Reminder (no. 2 on the Irish Downloads Chart) right up to his debut album, When the Stars Align.
Mark is an authentic, bare bones, talented musician who pours his life experiences into his music and lyrics. He narrates how the song was thought of, such as “Wasted Days”, a song about a dream he had where he dreamt he was old and upon awakening realized he needed to fulfill his mission on earth. Catch Mark Daly as he tours through the US. this year.
“Talk to Me” from the album When the Stars Align by Irish Singer/Songwriter Mark Daly:
Playing to a packed theater, we couldn’t wait for Geoff Tate and the band to take the stage. The international cast of musicians featured, from Canada, Scott Moughton (lead guitar), all the way from Scotland, Kieran Robertson (lead guitar), also from Scotland, smiling Jack Ross (bass guitar), and all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Edu Cominato (drums).
The band opened the show with “Walk in the Shadows”, which is my favorite song off the album. As the lights went crimson, it seemed appropriate for the next song “I Dream in Infrared”. Putting all speculation to rest, inductee into the Metal Hall of Fame 2020, Geoff Tate, verified that he can hit the high notes and sustain them, as he unceasingly did countless times throughout the show. Geoff explained that he is personally attached to this album, recorded in 1986, and it really means a lot to him to play the album in its entirety. The writing was ahead of its time in 1986, as the lyrics eluded to radar and tracking systems which is currently GPS in the song “Surgical Strike”, as Geoff explains.
After a fifteen-minute intermission, the band came back on and played the entire Empire album, as “Best I Can” started the frenzy. Geoff and the band nailed the vocals and melodies with pinpoint accuracy and power. Geoff had all laughing as he added commentary throughout the night. Before the next song, “The Thin Line”, he explains that he is not into S&M but he like to watch the videos, we all laughed.
Then the bass line intro to “Jet City Woman” starts, Jack Ross leading, with transition into “Della Brown”, a heavy, bluesy and percussion-laden song that Geoff sings from the heart. Two of my other favorite songs on the album are “One and Only” and “Eyes of A Stranger”, which were done flawlessly. Before “Silent Lucidity”, Geoff explains that people tell him how much that song means to them, what memories it brings back to them, what they were doing when they heard it, and sometimes at the most in inopportune times. The encore was “Last Time in Paris”, which is a song I forgot about, but quickly remembered the lyrics that were locked into my subconscious. A great song to end a wonderful evening.
It was great to see and talk to the fans that showed up, they are hardcore. Geoff Tate/Queensryche fans always have a story to tell. The handful that I talked with had seen the current Queensryche band the week before, when they played across town. The common thread talked about was that QR was a good show; a powerful, rich-sounding band, but they were missing something. We know what was missing. He was on the stage in front of us! I can only relate this experience to one of my own when I saw Journey this past summer, good show – but something was missing, the original singer. Of course, the argument could be made on both sides, where as if Steve Perry had his own band it would be missing the guitar playing of Neil Schon and so on.
The enthusiasm Geoff Tate’s band brings is contagious and exciting to watch. Kieran never stops moving, Scott keeps the ship steady, Jack and Edu man the engine room, and the captain Geoff guides them through the chop into clear water. The audience was clapping their hands in time with every song and singing back the lyrics. Full audience participation is always exciting to see. Watching Geoff is like a night at the theater, with each show a little unique and different. The fans love it! Any videos that are on YouTube do not give justice to what you experience at a live show, believe me and go see!
PHOTO GALLERY
Geoff Tate Online
Website | Facebook | Instagram
Show Date: February 26, 2020
