Sure, it was random that this fantastic singer’s return date was a coincidence but one cannot overlook the importance of this date for us Greeks. So, in a revolutionary mood I went down to Gagarin early for a thrilling interview (…) but also to enjoy one of my favorite voices on stage.
The hazy weather, but also the difficulty in getting around, didn’t seem to deter the people who filled the venue early on. The concert was not a sold out this time, but the Gagarin Club was still packed. I and the Senate went up to the upper echelons of the venue to enjoy from above.
The program was dutifully adhered to. How nice. Going to a show and not knowing if it will start the same day or if the headliner will come out the next day is priceless! So, 8 sharp Irene Ketikidi and her band took the stage. For those who don’t know her resume, she is an excellent virtuoso guitarist with two full albums under her belt. I admit I’m not the biggest fan of instrumental albums. However, because her compositions are quite organic and not just a pile of unarranged notes it’s not hard to follow her lead.
In her set she was accompanied by Jon Voyager from Need who gave us three tracks with the dancing “Call Me When You’re Drunk” closing the show. Irene’s traveling sound was a good start to this gig. Then, it was the turn of Germany’s Sons Of Sound. To tell you the truth, the band was completely unknown to me and only a few days before the concert I heard some snippets of their songs.
The trio made its debut in 2008 and up until today they have already released seven albums! In fact, the three members are brothers! Marc Maurer is mentioned in their line-up on bass, although we didn’t see him on stage with Roman Beselt taking over the bass duties.
In the time they had at their disposal they presented several of their compositions. Musically, I can say that it is not easy to put a label on their sound. I would definitely call them progressive since they mix a lot of different things. Maybe, the base is rock but they don’t hesitate to add more funky touches while we even heard a pure Maiden-ish track!
The crowd seemed to enjoy what they were seeing. Few may have known their songs, but everyone responded to the singer’s call whenever he asked! The relationship went both ways as the three brothers seemed to have a good time on stage. The vibe was positive at the close of their performance and I will definitely be doing some research into their discography.
It was ten o’clock and all was set for the invasion from Seattle. Well, apart from Geoff and the drummer the rest of the band is multiethnic once again but that’s another story. Opening with “Empire” found Gagarin exploding. “Can you hear it calling?”. Yes, I don’t think anyone was deaf from the audience’s reactions that night.
Tate is back in full form years now, and for a man who is also 65 years old don’t get me wrong, not only in terms of voice but also in terms of fitness, that’s amazing. This has given the performer a new lease of life, something we also witnessed two years ago.
The hits were coming one after the other as the band honored all the albums up to “Promised Land”. I got a great pleasure listening to “Desert Dance” and “Sacred Ground” from “Tribe” and “Q2K” respectively. I hope in the future they will add more songs from the post-classical period of the band in their setlist. I’m not being blinded and comparing albums, but almost all Queensrÿche albums have at least one really good song on them. Except for “Dedicated To Chaos” that is.
We also heard the Pink Floyd cover of “Welcome To The Machine” which is the only part I’ll complain about. Not because the execution wasn’t flawless, but because, man, I’d rather hear at least one song from his solo works in its place. Either way, I understand that these tours offer psychotherapy as well as money. He said it himself. “I sat down and counted and last year I stayed at my house for 13 days! 13! I wonder why I have my own house? Since my real home is up here on stage with all of you.” What can you say now after that…
The live ended with the combo “Take Hold Of The Flame” / “Queen Of The Reich”, in the best possible way. I headed back home with various thoughts. Geoff’s intention to release the third and final part of Operation: Mindcrime has already been announced. I’m more than skeptical about that. On the other hand, he has already announced a 2025 tour where he will, in his words, play all of Mindcrime for the last time. So we may see that as well. As 2024 draws to a close I have no choice but to speculate on the next encounter with this man.
Michael Ntalakos
Photos: Yiannis Dolas
