Blog Post
Geoff Tate - Bannerman's Bar, Edinburgh Saturday 21st May 2022
Michael Fairbairn • 27 May 2022
Live Review
Anyone looking for a masterclass in calm, cool and collected live performance from any singer, regardless of genre, need look no further than the one, the only Geoff Tate. As a founding member and original frontman of the incomparable Queensrÿche, he established his place as one of the greatest rock and metal vocalists, selling millions of albums. Since his departure from the hugely successful, progressive metal band, he has continued to carve out his career under various monikers. Tonight, he takes to the modestly-sized stage under his own name, the epitome of rock royalty, with sartorial elegance, poise and no small amount of good humour and humility. In fact, he is light hearted and never comes across as holier than thou or po faced, like many of his peers could be at this point in their careers. It really is something of a treat to be able to witness an artist of this pedigree in such an intimate and quality setting as Bannerman’s. You get the sense that every single person at this sold out show in the intimate club knows fine well that it is something of a privilege to be there in his presence; almost like a private members club, of sorts. “It’s been too long,” he says. It sure has!
The focus of this show is all about celebrating the anniversaries of two classic Queensrÿche albums; played consecutively and in their entirety. “We will be playing all of ‘Rage For Order’ and, if that’s not enough, all of ‘Empire’ too”, says the frontman with glee. The first half is formed of Rage from ‘86, followed by the undeniable classic from ‘90 and this diehard crowd lap up every minute of it. From the opening pulse and swagger of ‘Walk In The Shadows’ to the expansive grandeur of ‘Neue Regel’, it’s clear the frontman is in his element, back in his rightful place and delighted to be there. He is also vocally on point throughout, never wavering and making it look effortless. At a point when many of his lead singer peers are showing signs of struggle with their own instrument, it’s all the more impressive that this man can still deliver as well as he ever has. Someone in the crowd can be heard saying, “Fucking hell, what a singer”. He makes it look easy, which is likely in no small part to having such a strong line up of excellent musicians backing him up. They also effortlessly deliver every note, nuance and dynamic of this progressive and technically challenging music and their energy seems to afford Tate a new lease of life, in a way, giving him an air of youthful exuberance of his own. Kieran Robertson, on guitar, is a rock star in his own right and just shines bright throughout; he seems born for this role and clearly relishes in his fortunate position. He engages the audience at every opportunity, without ever detracting from the main man.
An intermission allows a pause to take in the show so far but it’s not long before the quintet is back with ‘Best I Can’ from our second album of the night and they are firing on every cylinder. Some may argue the sound and delivery comes across as almost clinical but that would, ultimately, be missing the point. This is music that is executed with precision, faithful to the recordings, delivered with expertise and it sounds and feels fantastic. These guys are no slouches and it’s thrilling to experience them play these songs with passion as if they were their own creations. Knowing which track is coming next just adds to the sense of excitement in the room; ‘The Thin Line’ is sublime and gives way to one of the highlights of the night, ‘Jet City Woman. That opening bass rumble is enough to crank things up a few notches and the atmosphere is just tangible at this point. The sure-fire winners keep coming; ‘Resistance’ being a standout with its driving, upbeat energy and fantastic solos. ‘Silent Lucidity’ is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful pieces of music from any band and there is a true sense of togetherness and kinship amongst the faithful followers tonight as this one hits it graceful stride, making for a truly memorable and heart warming experience. Tate shares that he is, “... just doing this because I wanted to, for my bucket list.
Thank you for indulging me.” You’re welcome, Sir and right back at you. Come back soon, you’re more than welcome here any time!!