Story and Photos By Andy Argyrakis
The birth of Queensryche dates back to the early
1980s, a decade the group conquered with its thrashing
blend of melodic hard rock and heavy metal. Although
they had a string of hits throughout that hair heavy
period, the band was perhaps best known for the
conceptual work Operation:mindcrime, a project
released in 1990 that spawned a two-year highly
interactive tour. Like The Who's Tommy or Pink Floyd's
The Wall (though on a much lesser scale of overall
cultural impact) the epic work featured a rock opera
cast of characters complete with a detail intensive
storyline that unfolded before viewers' eyes. However,
ever since that original presentation, the acted out
version has been reserved strictly for home video
audiences and has been omitted entirely from the
stage.  Yet all that changed for fans come this year,
starting with this opening night of
Operation:mindcrime's resurrection tour, a jaunt
presented in full Surround Sound complete with live
actors, scene changes and high price production.
But die-hards who packed out the House of
Blues (in the first of four total area concerts, which
return to the venue January 27-29) had to wait yet one
more hour to see the plot come to fruition as the
group warmed up with a greatest hits set. 
The tour's
line-up- comprised of vocalist Geoff Tate, guitarist
Michael Wilton, guitarist Mike Stone, bassist Eddie
Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield- worked through
a few kinks and shook off the winter's inactivity,
slowly settling into catalogue cornerstones like "Jet
City Woman," "Lady Wore Black" and "Empire." To the
loyal appreciators, these were received with warmth
and fists popped straight up in the air, though
hearing the razor-like guitars and aqua net
arrangements would've been patience trying for
uninitiated. (Queensryche was always one of those acts
accepted wholeheartedly by its niche and written off
by those outside the circle as merely one of the many
products from their most profitable decade).
Regardless of how one felt going into the event,
there was no denying the spectacle and showmanship
behind act two in the evening- the complete unraveling
of the aforementioned. The chilling tale of murderous
proportions was laid out through its cannon of cuts
("Revolution Calling," "Spreading The Disease" and
"Mission" to name a few) all of which were encompassed
under an umbrella described most succinctly by
Amazon.com as "a disillusioned fortune hunter of the
Reagan era joins an underground movement to
assassinate political scumbags." Vocalist Pamela
Moore played key character Sister Mary and she was
encompassed by a sensory overload of visuals and
expanded footage from the early 90s experience. Though
the story was not immediately accessible, nor were
lyrics always distinguishable given all the
character's clamoring in front of giant screens, the
action was impossible to ignore.
And after those over the top antics and head banging
fury behind the finale piece "Eyes of a Stranger,"
Queensr˙che treated its guests to one final plot
segment. It was a brief preview of the gang's
forthcoming sequel Operation:mindcrime II, a long
awaited project that promises to address its
precursor's burning question: "Who killed Sister
Mary?" Granted, the average person could probably live
without this titillating tidbit, though those
following the plot religiously left hanging on every
word.
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