Doug Fox - Daily Herald | Posted: Saturday, September 20, 2008 11:00 pm
Geoff Tate opened with "Burning Man," closed with "Silent Lucidity" and played "Real World" somewhere in the middle. Other than that, his 1-hour, 40-minute performance at the Depot in Salt Lake City on Thursday bore little resemblance to any concert by Queensryche -- the band Tate fronts in his day job.
In a recent phone interview, Tate, describing plans for his mini solo tour, said he was not only going to perform some of his own material, but that he also was looking forward to shaking the musical dust off some deep Queensryche album cuts -- you know, songs that never see the light of ear in the band's typical jammed-with-hits setlists.
The Queensryche lead singer proved to be a man of his word as Thursday's show featured songs that rarely -- if ever -- have been played to a live audience before, especially when you consider that Salt Lake was the opening date on the Tate band's four-city promo swing.
While some fans in the intimate setting may have been unclear on the concept -- like the inebriated woman near me who screamed "Jet City Woman" at every opportunity or the hillbilly-esque male who amused only himself when he yelled "Play some Skynryd!" during a quiet moment between songs -- many others appeared to enjoy the deviation from the norm, soaking up the sounds of songs long ignored.
Tate has only one solo album and he hit it hard. In fact, after opening with a pair of Queensryche tunes, Tate jumped full swing into solo mode, with eight straight songs coming from his eponymous 2002 release. On the night, he played nine of the 11 tracks from that record -- with the highlights being "Touch," a great groove-driven track, and the swirling "Flood."
The rest of the set focused on Queensryche material that was so obscure, even Tate was hard-pressed at one point to remember what album a particular song came from.
"This is kind of a rare Queensryche song we're going to do now from the ... " Tate said, before pausing with a perplexed look on his face. "I can't remember which album."
The song was "Falling Behind," which, for the record, is on the band's 2003 release "Tribe."
Always a theatrical live performer, Tate's soaring vocals were delivered with plenty of emotion and he could often be seen looking to the rafters or the recesses of the concert hall as if singing directly to some unseen subject. His stage act, however, was more restrained than a Queensryche show -- as befitting his choice of song material.
Tate's eight-piece band offered an interesting dynamic. It was the band's concert debut -- a fact which mostly showed up in a rather stiff stage demeanor and limited intra-band interaction. Bassist Jason Slater, for example, stood staring at a stand that held his sheet music for the majority of the night. Guitarists Joe Mulkern and 21-year-old Parker Lundgren, while seemingly playing flawlessly, spent a good portion of the show intently watching their fingers as they played, careful to form the right notes. This isn't meant as a criticism, per se, just an observation that band members have yet to reach that fluid comfort level live -- which, really, is to be expected for a first show.
The band was boosted by the presence of Queensryche's Scott Rockenfield, always a steady dynamo on the drums, and backup vocalist Pamela Moore, who also has toured in the past with Queensryche. Keyboardist Ben Anderson and backup singer Jason Ames rounded out the ensemble.
Tate played sax on two songs, the main-set closing "Lady Jane" and the encore-opening "Disconnected." The encore continued with "Sacred Ground" before noticeably picking up the pace with the upbeat "Hand on Heart."
As previously mentioned, "Silent Lucidity," the only real hit in the whole set, closed the show. Most fans in attendance seemed OK with that, however, thankful for the chance to hear some rare album cuts instead.
Geoff Tate
The Depot
Sept. 18, 2008
1. Burning Man
2. Doin' Fine
3. Grain of Faith
4. Over Me
5. Off the TV
6. Forever
7. Helpless
8. Touch
9. Every Move We Make
10. This Moment
11. Real World
12. Falling Behind
13. Hero
14. Flood
15. Lady Jane
Encore
1. Disconnected
2. Sacred Ground
3. Hand on Heart
4. Silent Lucidity
Performance time: 1 hour, 40 minutes