Queensrÿche brings the metal to San Diego’s Music Box

The vibe at the Music Box is always great, especially at a metal show! Opening the night was Eve to Adam, a New York-based band formed in 1997 with five albums. I’m not sure how I missed them before, but definitely will check them out moving forward! I love their sound; it fit great in this lineup.

John 5 hit the stage next in full costume. I have seen him perform with Rob Zombie and Dimebash, but never solo. Sometimes you can drift off, go get a beer, a bathroom run when there’s an instrumental band, but not when John 5 is playing. John 5 is captivating. Besides the fact that he’s amazing, he has videos and pops in glowing teeth before bringing out a glowing guitar. I love his compilation at the end: some Megadeth, Pantera, Van Halen and a Rush tribute… it’s so good!

The vibe at the Music Box is always great, especially at a metal show!

Queensrÿche gave us an awesome 18-song set list… one of the songs was “Happy Birthday” for original member, guitarist Eddie Jackson, celebrating with San Diego fans. We heard “Bent”, “Dark Reverie” and “Light-Years “off their new album Verdict… which is amazing, by the way.  The songs we love to hear from way back were included, like “Take Hold of the Flame”, “Silent Lucidity”, “No Santuary”, “Walk in the Shadows”, “Queen of the Reich” and “Eyes of a Stranger” to end the night. A fan standing next to me said, “Todd LaTorre is the best thing to happen to Queensrÿche”. I am a huge Todd fan myself. Queensrÿche is Michael Wilton (guitars), Parker Lundgren (guitars, backup vocals), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Casey Grillo (drums), while Scott Rockenfield is currently on hiatus. Queensrÿche will be joining Scorpions at their Vegas residency July 2020.

Photography by Heather Vandemark

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