Got a call from my friend Chris earlier this week. He’s a former guitar student, now a working-musician colleague (guitarist, bassist & soundman). Anyways, Chris got a last minute hookup with VIP passes to the 5/31/13 Queensryche show at Toledo Harley-Davidson, and asked if I’d like to check it out.

I accepted, looking forward to a great hang with Chris. Plus, the opening act was Damien, a kick-ass Toledo metal band with Chuck Stohl (one of my first guitar teachers) on lead. Honestly, though, despite being a long-time fan, I wasn’t overly enthusiastic about Queensryche, given the recent departure/firing of Geoff Tate. His vocals are huge part of the band’s distinctive sound. Could it still really be Queensryche without Tate fronting the group?

Let me say, my doubts vanished completely after last night. The second song of the set was “Walk in the Shadows,” and vocalist Todd La Torre absolutely crushed it, and the band sounded awesome! The rest of the show was equally impressive, with La Torre in complete command of the material. I’m a Queensryche fan all over again! I’m interested to check out the new album later this month, and see if La Torre has lyric-writing skills to match his voice…

Here’s us meeting the band: