When it comes to classic metal vocalists, Geoff Tate‘s name surely stands out for its brilliant, crisp, and diverse sound. With several fan-favorite albums celebrating their anniversaries recently – “Rage for Order” (1986) and “Empire” (1990) – the show at Ääniwalli on March 7th, 2023, promised to have Tate and his band play both albums in their entirety. As this was no small feat, we thought it was worth our time to head into town to check it out!
Getting into Ääniwalli was a pain, as we were held up at the front door, but we managed to get inside just as the show was starting and slowly shifted our way towards the stage with the ebb and flow of the crowd. “Rage for Order” was an entirely new album for us, so this was a great opportunity to experience it for the first time.
Geoff Tate and Co. came out to some mediocre lighting and sound quality that nevertheless really emphasized Tate and the immensely good care he has taken of his voice over the years. Every note that came out of him from the beginning of the show, through to the end, was crisp, clear, and exactly as it was meant to be sung. The band was in excellent form, decked in perfect ’80s LA sleaze style, with open shirts, sweaty tattoos, and plenty of bling. Only one of the guitarists looked a touch out of place – he needs to trim his beard into a sharp goatee and grab some black sunglasses, for now he’s a bit like a sweet hippy among LA rockers. Regardless of style though, each and everyone one of the band members proved their salt in no time.
Tate addressed the crowd a few times very amicably, a confident showman who knows how to engage. He mentioned that the “Rage for Order” album had been described as “dark, brooding, and futuristic,” to which he agreed. He also dedicated one track to the Ukraine. Without knowing any of the songs beforehand, this album sounded really powerful and definitely piqued our interest to go back and give it a spin after the show!
There was an intermission after the first album ended, which gave the crowd a chance to hit the toilets and get another drink, before shifting to their preferred viewpoint. “Empire” dates back to 1990, but likely couldn’t be celebrated due to the pandemic, despite being one of QUEENSRŸCHE‘s most beloved albums. Frankly, we’re impressed that these guys were willing to rock double duty – these tour nights must be long and arduous (the set was 2 hours and 20 minutes!), but they all seemed cool as cucumbers up there, sweating like it’s nothing. They also changed up their outfits, looking a bit more hard rock for the second album, and Tate brought out a hat for a few songs as well.
The “Empire” album was, indeed, more familiar to us, so it was a thrill to see Tate bust out the saxophone for “The Thin Line” and there was a palpable thrill in the crowd when the lead guitarist came out to play the main lines from “Jet City Woman.” It was nice to hear Tate stylishly playing around with the vocal lines too, not just sticking to the album’s formula. Let’s shout-out the band again while we’re at it – I could go song-by-song through the second set, but there’s no need. The cocky lead guitarist, chill rhythm guitarist, groovy bassist, and rockin’ drummer all held their own. If you had to be convinced, you needed only wait as long as “Della Brown” to clue in.
“Empire” (the song) was a natural highlight, and either the generally older-seeming crowd are more enthusiastic about classics or the onset of March has started getting the Finns to come out of hibernation, but whatever the reason, the audience took the first album to warm up and by the second were eating out of Tate‘s hand, with almost no one standing still and many hands up in the air. Tate told some stories about visiting Lapland with his wife before the pandemic set in, grilling reindeer, and making beer jokes about the coronavirus without knowing what was coming. He also told some stories about the songs, like how many people have found “Silent Lucidity” hugely significant, even going so far as to get married while it plays.
Overall, this was an extremely enjoyable night, as we got to witness some late ’80s/early ’90s metal history in an intimate club setting, invoking a feeling of going back in time to when these albums were released. The very packed crowd mostly seemed to be older metalheads who likely listened to these albums when they were fresh, but it was nice to see a few youngsters lurking around as well. This was definitely a fun show, so if you love either of these albums – or even if you’re like me and you only recognize a few songs here and there – I’d still recommend checking out this tour, so you can let Geoff Tate and his gang take you on a trip through time. Rest assured, that if he ever comes back to an anniversary show for “Operation Mindcrime,” we’ll surely be there!
Written by Bear Wiseman
Setlist
Part I: Rage for Order
Part II: Empire
Encore: Eyes of a Stranger
