Live | Geoff Tate – De Nieuwe Nor – Heerlen [NL]

13 February 2025

It’s an exciting week for fans of progressive metal and those of Queensrÿche in particular. To them it’s ‘best of both worlds’ since both Queensrÿche and former Queensrÿche frontman and now solo artist Geoff Tate visit the Netherlands in the same week. Queensrÿche shook the foundations of the sold out ‘Effenaar’ club  in Eindhoven four days earlier and tonight, Tate brings his version of Queensrÿche (the tour is named ‘The Big Rock show’) to Heerlen. And truth be told that, even though the show at the big room of ‘De Nieuwe Nor’ is far from sold out, the now 66-year-old frontman is rather successful doing so. Besides that, 450 visitors is quite respectable for a Thursday evening. Comparing both shows appears to be apples versus oranges though.

REASONABLY BALANCED CROSS-SECTION

Whilst Queensrÿche performed the infamous first EP and debut album ‘The Warning’ in its entirety, supplemented with a handful of other fan favorites, Geoff Tate opts for a reasonably balanced cross-section of his 30 years period with the band. I deliberately say reasonably balanced, since no less than 5 of the 17 songs find their origin on the majestic ‘Empire’ album. Besides the iconic title track (which serves as set opener) it is the eccentric ,,The Thin Line’’ alongside the melodic powerhouses ,,Another Rainy Night’’ and ,,Jet City Woman’’ that made the setlist. It goes without saying that the serene power ballad ,,Silent Lucidity’’, the band’s biggest hitsingle is also present and serves as the set closer.

SOUNDS LIKE CLOCKWORK

In between, the seven-piece formation salutes the audience with many fine tunes, including lesser known cuts such as ,,Desert Dance’’ and ,,Sacred Ground’’. Most songs classify as classics though, whether it’s ,,Operation Mindcrime’’, ,,Breaking The Silence’’ or ,,I Don’t Believe in Love’’. And it all sounds like clockwork. A bit too much like clockwork in fact, because it is audible that quite some support is coming from a hard drive. I choose not to make too much of a fuss about that though, since it is simply inherent to the times we live in. What’s more important is that the setlist is diverse and dynamic and that the three guitarists (one more than the original line up) are capable of doing an admirable job.

THE ULTIMATE QUEENSRŸCHE SINGER

It is admirable that they honor the original parts which absolutely serves the nostalgic spirit. And by  strategically dividing up the guitar solo’s everyone gets to showcase their individual talent. Centre of it all remains Tate though, at all times and from singer/frontman perspective he still stands his ground. He has to deal with reality though and many series of high notes are sung an octave lower and at strategic moments he points the microphone to his audience. He gets away with it rather easily though, because let’s be honest, Tate remains the ultimate Queensrÿche singer. Nothing to the detriment of his successor Todd LaTorre, who flawlessly hits all the high notes but in terms of timbre Tate remains unsurpassed and his charisma also exceeds that of LaTorre. His prosperity belly (the man apparently lives a burgundy life) does not detract from that in any way.

PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT

As for stage presence Queensrÿche has the upper hand because Michael Wilton and co. still look and act the part like in the old days. The international team of expats that surrounds Tate (Ireland, Scotland, Brazil, Italy, Australia and USA) hardly represents the old school hardrock or metal spirit. It all looks rather posh, dandy and a bit too glamourous. Musically, however, these youngsters absolutely know how to hit the right notes. My personal highlight surfaces halfway through the set when the futuristic combo ,,NM156’’ / ,,Screaming In Digital’’ brings about quite some euphoria! Judging from the exuberant audience reaction, I am not the only who feels that way. But the mighty ,,I am I’’ from the ‘Promised Land’ record also made quite an impression earlier on in the set.

GEOFF TATE – THE CONCLUSION

As a whole, there is no weak moment, but when the band exits the stage after the aforementioned ,,Silent Lucidity’’, after being on stage for only 75 minutes it becomes clear that tonight will not be a marathon show like a few years ago, when Tate and co. performed the studio albums ‘Rage For Order’ and ‘Empire’ in their entirety (and then some!). On the contrary, the band returns for a swift three song encore. A surprising but impressive rendition of Pink Floyd ‘s ,,Welcome To The Machine’’ with astonishing guitar solo’s and a long instrumental section that allows Tate to prepare for his final spur in the golden oldies ,,Take Hold Of The Flame’’ and ,,Queen Of The Ryche’’. Then, at exactly 10PM the hall lights come back on. ‘The Big Rock Show’ has come to an end.

All photos by Raymond Helebrand