Concert Review
Geoff Tate
Thursday April 4, 2024
Town Ballroom
Buffalo, NY
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
It is hard to believe that my first time seeing Geoff Tate perform was with Queensryche 40 years ago down at the Aud. They opened for Kiss on the Animalize tour and I knew from the first time seeing them that they were unique. The band started their career by releasing the critically acclaimed self-titled EP. From there the band produced five masterpieces that still stand the test of time today. As Tate proclaimed after “Screaming In Digital” of how that song and “NM 156” some 34 years later are starting to make sense. Though the audience was heavily dominated by fans who grew up in the 1980s, there were some younger fans who got to see how much of an impact these songs have on the world today.
The last time Tate played the Town Ballroom was in February of 2020. A mere two weeks later the world shut down due to the pandemic and things haven’t been the same since. Let’s hope we see something positive after his latest visit. Tate never being satisfied to rely on a stale set list spiced things up by adding in songs such as “Desert Dance”, “The Thin Line” and even a rare play of the title cut to perhaps the greatest concept album of all-time in Operation: Mindcrime. I interviewed Tate back in 2012 and asked him why the band rarely played “Queen of the Reich” anymore and his response was “For me I honestly can’t relate to the whole dungeons and dragons lyrical content of that song its really cartoonish and juvenile to me.” So far a period of 15 years Tate refused to sing the song live. Something happened in 2022 as out of the blue Tate added it to his set list and has pretty much played it as the final song ever since including this Buffalo show.
The show itself was billed as Big Rock Show Hits Tour. Boy did he bring the heavy artillery. Gems such as “I Am I”, “Breaking The Silence”, “Another Rainy Night (Without You)” and “Walk In The Shadows” dominated the set and had the crowd singing along. Let’s not take away from the performance of Tate’s band. This time around it featured the triple attack of guitarists James Brown, Amaury Altmayer and Dario Parente. The band was rounded out with the rhythm section of drummer Danny Laverde and bassist Jack Ross. Of course the highlight of the night was hearing Tate sing those songs to the delight of Buffalo crowd.
Tate mentioned how all of last year he spent a total of 20 days at home in Seattle. He said he doesn’t know why he has a home, he feels being out on the road playing to crowds such as this is home to him. Where he goes from here is anyone’s guess. He always has something to say but it has been a few years between releasing new music. Anyone who witnessed the show in the friendly confines of the Town Ballroom can contest it was extra special to see a show like this in the intimate venue.
GEOFF TATE
Set List
Empire
Desert Dance
I Am I
The Thin Line
Operation: Mindcrime
Breaking the Silence
I Don’t Believe in Love
NM156
Screaming in Digital
Walk in the Shadows
Another Rainy Night (Without You)
Jet City Woman
Silent Lucidity
Welcome to the Machine (Pink Floyd Cover)
Take Hold of the Flame
Queen of the Reich
