Amazing concert
by Marillionaire on 5/14/24Culture Room - Ft LauderdaleHad been a while since I had caught Queensryche in concert (Hear in the Now Frontier tour) and never got to see Armored Saint (a favorite from the 80s) live, so jumped at the chance to go see both when the tour was announced. Getting the tickets is very easy but wish there was a way to get a physical copy; sadly, something the digital age has done away with. Armored saint came in with all guns blazing and played a blistering set of about 45 minutes. Great musicianship, stage presence, crowd engagement and the unmistakable vocals of John Bush (truly an underrated singer) still belting it out at 60 years of age. They played to a crowd that was at 2/3 capacity. By the time Queensryche took the stage, the venue was completely packed and, right then and there, found out how it would feel to be in a can of sardines. Todd La Torre has one set of pipes and it's a true worthy successor to Geoff Tate; handled all the songs from the EP and debut with aplomb. Rest of the band was on point, as well. La Torre kept the adoring crowd engaged for the duration, and made the whole night feel like a communal experience. Only two disappointments: - Venue was small. About 400-500 capacity, though I reckon there were closer to 700 people in attendance. Would love to see Queensryche play in 2000-5000 capacity venues/theaters. But appreciate the fact the band is still releasing great music and touring. - Short concert. QR played a little more than 75 minutes. But considering how demanding, vocally, those two releases are, it's understandable. All in all, a great live event. It was the experience of a lifetime to catch these two legendary albums played whole. Catching Armored saint live for the first time was the cherry on top.