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July 23rd 2010, Club Nokia, Los Angeles CA: :Just seeing the Queensryche Cabaret once in Rancho Mirage two months ago wasn't enough. That show was so amazing; I had to see it again in Los Angeles! The set list was killer, the Cabaret was entertaining, and the music was the most important part of the show. It felt like "Operation Mindcrime" meets "The Promised Land".

This wasn't the case at the Club Nokia show. When Queensryche did play, in between "cabaret acts", it was great, but this show was much more elaborate than Rancho Mirage and focused much more on the show itself than the actual music. And, many parts of it did not seem appropriate or fitting with the music.

Another BIG difference between Rancho Mirage and Los Angeles, is that in Rancho Mirage, fans stood on the floor in front of the stage, dancing, cheering, and rockin', like you are supposed to do at a concert. In Los Angeles, folding chairs were set up on the floor for general admission seating. I got there early, and was happy to be sitting in the 2nd row. However, security was so strict, they would not even allow fans to stand up. I've only experienced this one other time, and it is very disappointing. It's hard to rock out and enjoy a concert when you are confined to your seat (like a prisoner.) Also, we don't really know if Queensryche had been told that we were confined to our seats, or if they just thought that Los Angeles is really lame and wouldn't even stand up for them. Queensryche, if you are reading this, we did try to stand up for you, many times. They just made us sit back down again!

Aside from the seating issue, the show started out the same, opening with "Coming Down", and with Geoff Tate lying on a lip-shaped couch, surrounded by Vegas-style show girls, primping themselves around him. From there, it seemed that the band would play a song, and then exit the stage for some type of performance. Some were better than others. During the first break, a magician was onstage juggling, and then he came back for the next break to toss his hat in the air. I know it's not just me, when I say I would MUCH rather watch Queensryche perform, than watch some guy throw around a ball or a hat.

This was pretty much the pace of the evening. During "The Thin Line", they brought a fan onstage (probably a contest winner) and treated him as if it was his Bachelor Party and we were all at a strip club. You can use your imagination as to what happened, but I think it was inappropriate, and had nothing to do with the song. Other parts of the show included an Indian, an Aerialist (who was really good) and a ten minute "intermission" where Angels with big wings ran throughout the crowd, again acting as if we were in a strip club instead of at a concert, seducing audience members. This seemed to go on for way too long, and to top it off, all the bright lights were on. This was one of the many times people yelled for them to just play some music.

One of the weirdest parts of this version of the Cabaret was when Geoff Tate stripped down to a jock strap to perform "Sacred Ground". Obviously, he has never been known as a sex symbol, and I am unsure why this was even part of the show. If this was Bret Michaels or Jon Bon Jovi it would be one thing, but Geoff Tate?

Being the die-hard Queensryche fan that I am, it was great to hear some of the more obscure songs from "The Promised Land", "Tribe", and "Q2K", and to even hear the previously unreleased "Until There Was You". And I will always love "Another Rainy Night" and "The Lady Wore Black!" They did not play anything from "Mindcrime I or II", and this really didn't bother me because Queensryche has done the "Mindcrime" tour so many times; it made sense for them to leave it alone and do something different.

I understand that the Queensryche Cabaret is not supposed to be a typical concert, and is based on the idea of music AND cabaret. However, I don't think the additions they have made to the show improved on the experience in any way, and they should have left it as it was two months ago. Due to the fact that this was much more about the show than the music, and that we were confined to our seats, I almost would have rather stayed home.

Here's their complete set list: Coming Down Hit the Black Desert Dance I Am I Sacred Ground Promised Land Disconnected Lady Jane Another Rainy Night Art of Life The Thin Line Jet City Women The Lady Wore Black Tribe Liquid Sky Roads to Madness Until There Was You Right Side of My Mind

Keep rockin'

Alison

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Check out Queensryche's official website.