Special report by Mark Gromen

Camouflaged in black and red, secure behind a piled bunker of green, QUEENSRŸCHE launched their invasion of the House Of Blues, within the walls of the Showboat casino, in the East coast US gambling Mecca of Atlantic City, NJ. As previously reported, this tour focuses on a trio of albums, Rage For Order, the new one and Empire. Brave of them to go "into battle" without some of their big guns, no 'Silent Lucidity', nothing off Mindcrime, and only the encore closing 'Take Hold Of The Flame' from the initial pair of releases. Always seems odd to witness a metal show in a casino, especially one centered around American Soldier, the band's paean to military men, but money has always been the grease that makes the States' (roulette) wheels turn.

On a sparse stage, a lone video screen behind drummer Scott Rockenfield, the pony-tailed and goatee wearing Geoff Tate took the stage during 'Neue Regel' in a black three-piece suit, with maroon tie. He looked more like a maitre de for the house than a rock star. During the night, his attire loosened up, first discarding the cravat, then the jacket and ending the evening sleeveless, in a vest. Michael Wilton began on mounted 12-string acoustic guitar, his electric at the ready, slung over his back. 'The Whisper' and 'The Killing Words' followed. Basically, this is a B-sides tour, by the band's own admission, playing songs they haven't performed in (some cases) 20-plus years. Tate was introspective, giving long monologues throughout the night, fighting not to be drowned out by drunks yelling for 'Empire', which wouldn't surface until the encore. Props to the fans for showing up, as in the Internet age, information about set-lists are readily available and this isn't a casual fan performance. They even skip 'Screaming In Digital' off Rage, opting for 'Gonna Get Closer To You', 'In The Shadows' and 'London' before moving on to the new album.

Here, the video enhancement was at its best, inter-splicing old war footage with text of the voiceovers ('Unafraid') that accompany many of the tracks on American Soldier. The first five songs from the album were aired in order: 'Sliver', 'Unafraid', 'Hundred Mile Stare', '30,000 Ft.' and 'A Dead Man's Words'. '30,000 Ft.' which deals with the impersonal killing of dropping bombs and never seeing the effects (as opposed to troops on the ground, who see the carnage firsthand, day-to-day) began with visuals of high flying bombers (including the stealth), but ended with body bags on the street, citizens picking up the dead, mangled corpses. Not some cartoonish, death metal manifestation, but real news footage. Prior to taking up his soprano saxophone (think KENNY G.), Tate explained the impetus for 'A Dead Man's Words', the story of three who volunteer to rescue a brother-in-arms trapped behind enemy lines, yet only one returned home safely. During his poignant speech, rowdies continued to scream for other songs, apparently unaware of the gravity of Queensrÿche's latest effort. During the acoustic tinged 'If I Were King', the singer was joined by his 12 year old daughter, ultimately ending in a duet. Up close, she's the spitting image of her Dad (circa the Ep) and backstage is more enamoured talking to the crew about the Twilight vampire love story than the life of rock n roll. The new material concluded with 'Remember Me' and 'Home Again', making it 2/3 of the album's entirety.

Empire-era began with 'Best I Can' and threatened to once more run chronologically when 'The Thin Line' came next, complete with Tate switching to the more a familiar-looking tenor saxophone. 'One And Only' then 'Della Brown' prefaced 'Another Rainy Night (Without You)', which was introduced by the singer referencing Seattle icons like Starbucks and Microsoft without giving either a free plug. 'Jet City Woman', with cheeky '50s Beach Blanket Bingo styled girls in swimsuits flashing onscreen, quickened the pace, people realizing the show was close to over, yet still some "biggies" still to be played. Never realized the RUSH-isms in 'Anybody Listening', but they were apparent live, as it's been ages since I've actually spun the disc. The band left the stage, only to return for 'Empire' and 'Take Hold Of The Flame', Tate once more thanking the crowd, imploring them to not only survive these tough times, but ultimately thrive. Seems a metaphor for the band.

Check our a BraveWords.com photo gallery at this location.