Queensryche: Mindcrime At The Moore (DVD)

When Queensryche chose to follow their masterpiece Operation: Mindcrime with a sequel, the aspect of this was the source of much debate between their long time fans and the Hard Rock/Metal community as a whole. The album while good suffered comparisons to the original which was never its intent but was to be expected even though this piece was set 20 years into the future lives of the characters we met on the original. Not long after its release the band went on tour and presented both albums from beginning to end in two incredible acts, and as you might have expected these shows were nothing short of blockbusters. It was the kind of concert that after you saw it you would muse to yourself about how excellent it would be on DVD. Fortunately for us the guys in Queensryche had the very same thoughts on their mind when they were doing this tour and as result we get the explosive DVD Mindcrime At The Moore. The film presents the entire concert as it was delivered on the stage and it was so massive an undertaking that each Mindcrime gets its own DVD. Many of you already own the first DVD that Queensryche delivered for the original Mindcrime tour, but outside of a couple of dramatic poses and one guest appearance on it was strictly a concert film. The difference here is that the dual presentation of the complete Mindcrime saga is as much a Broadway theatre experience as it is a Rock concert. Tate proves his salt as an actor as the band begins and he motions and gestures through every note like some seasoned Hollywood veteran. His vocals might no longer reach some of the shrieking high notes of the past but he still remains one of the best lead vocalists in the business today. I was impressed at how good he was able to handle this since two full albums that are loaded with lyrics is quite a task for any performer to do. The band is impeccably tight as always and sometimes are in costume that reflects the subject matter that they are performing. When the show begins we even find a marching band joining them onstage and it brings the energy of this dramatic album to life all the more.

Each song is acted out as it progresses and this time around a number of players are involved with Queensryche as they do it. Pamela Moore returns again to her role of Sister Mary while an actor portrays the part of Nikki throughout the show. He does not sing at all but acts during each song as the others do and one time must face Geoff Tate who is in the guise of the insidious Doctor X. It was incredible to watch how "Operation: Mindcrime" one came across in this fashion as you felt you were watching a movie of some kind and through it all you were riveted to your spot as the story unfolded and as we assumed when the album originally had finished, reached its conclusion. While I don't want to ruin any of the surprises you will see on this I can only say that this will probably be the favored DVD in the release. Songs like "The Needle Lies", "I Don't Believe In Love" and "The Eyes Of A Stranger" sound as powerful today as they did almost twenty years ago. It's no wonder the original Mindcrime CD is still considered one of the best Metal releases of all time. The intermission that the band takes in concert is presented as your chance to swap the DVD's so you can see chapter two or how the story continues some decades later. We find Nikki released from prison and Doctor X a successful and influential business man. As the album lined out the two were destined to cross paths once again and how it plays out is another one of those surprises I will let you discover on your own. Pam returns as Mary once again who is now either the conscious of Nikki or a visiting spirit for as everyone knows she was killed during chapter one. Dio appears in voice alone during the Moore Theatre performance, but on one of the bonus features we see him on stage with Queensryche as he plays the part of Doctor X for the song "The Chase". If for some reason you did not enjoy the original recording of Mindcrime 2 then you should be aware that in the live sense the album has a new dose of energy to it but like the original simply ends on a solemn note as opposed to a raging crescendo. That was my own issue with the album but perhaps thunder is not always the best way to conclude an album with instead a whisper holding that much more dramatic effect. After the band closes up on the Mindcrime material they return for two encore numbers with "Walk In The Shadows" and "Jet City Woman".

The bonus features are also on DVD2 and we get a tour documentary, the Rock and Ride for cancer that the band did and the clip with Dio onstage in LA. On the whole this was one of the best DVD releases for the year and will be hard to follow up by any band, perhaps even Queensryche themselves. A companion CD was also released and that gives you the full concert so if you are one of those who wants an audio version for the car of office you should pick that up. Whatever your actual preference is this DVD is one of those must have items for your music and video library. It draws you in quickly and keeps you focused on the music and story and at the end you are practically screaming for more. One cannot go wrong when the film is like this. A great production, amazing camera angles and cool theatrics from start to finish. There's a revolution calling you with Mindcrime At The Moore, see that you answer.

Track Listing DVD1/DVD2
1. I Remember Now
2. Anarchy-X
3. Revolution Calling
4. Operation: Mindcrime
5. Speak
6. Spreading The Disease
7. The Mission
8. Suite Sister Mary
9. The Needle Lies
10. Electric Requiem
11. Breaking The Silence
12. I Don't Believe In Love
13. Waiting For 22
14. My Empty Room
15. Eyes Of A Stranger
16. Freiheit Ouverture
17. Convict
18. I'm American
19. One Foot In Hell
20. Hostage
21. The Hands
22. Speed Of Light
23. Signs Say Go
24. Re-Arrange You
25. The Chase
26. Murderer?
27. Circles
28. If I Could Change It All
29. An Intentional Confrontation
30. A Junkie's Blues
31. Fear City Slide
32. All The Promises
33. Walk In The Shadows – encore
34. Jet City Woman - encore

Added: December 8th 2007
Reviewer: Ken Pierce
Score:
Related Link: Queensryche Website
Hits: 3665
Language: english

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