The Sunset Station Casino Ampitheater welcomed Queensryche and Skid Row to the stage, for the first outdoor large event held here in Las Vegas since the tragic shooting on October 1st - would the fans come? how would the bands react? The response was overwhelming and over 3000 rock 'n roll fans made the statement Vegas IS #VegasStrong.
The show started with a local color guard and a guest singer who performed a heartfelt national anthem, and then Skid Row took the stage to a standing ovation by the packed sold out venue. Skid Row kicked the show off with their classic song "Slave To The Grind", followed up the hard driving "Sweet Little Sister" and then the bass thumping "Piece Of Me". New vocalist ZP Theart does an amazing job and is a great frontman for SK, and the rest of the lineup is Rob Hammersmith on drums, Scotti Hill on guitar, Snake Sabo on guitar, and Rachel Bolan on bass.
Halfway through the show Bolan told the crowd that tonight would be in their memories forever - the band didn’t know what to expect after the events of last week, and was so humbled by the response and that 3000 fans were there. You could see he was really touched by the crowds response, and it was one of the best moments of the show. The band pounded out hit after hit before closing their set with "Monkey Business" and the crowd sing along "I Remember You" and then finished strong with "Youth Gone Wild".
Headlining the show for their return to Vegas was Queensryche, a classic American heavy metal / progressive metal band formed back in 1981 - known for their very tumultuous split from ex-lead singer Geoff Tate, the band continues to carry on with a very capable replacement Todd La Torre, who is an amazing singer and does each and every classic Queensryche song justice. The band opened their set with "Guardian" followed by "Operation Mindcrime" and "Best I Can", and had the crowd on their feet. Up close watching this band they exude confidence like the seasoned veterans they are, not cocky or arrogant, but a band filled with amazing musicians. The bands' set was filled with Queensryche classics such as "Silent Lucidity", "I Don’t Believe In Love", "Jet City Woman", "Take Hold Of The Flame", and many others, and they closed out their set with a 4 song encore that included "Anarchy-X", "Revolution Calling", "Screaming In Digital" and "Eyes Of A Stranger" Queensryche is Todd La Torre on vocals, Michael Wilton on guitars, Scott Rockenfield on drums, Eddie Jackson on bass and Parker Lundgren on guitar.
This was an amazing night of classic rock n roll played by two of the best bands in American rock. Check out the slideshow photos of each band from the show from Harold Mountain.
Skid Row Photos: Harold Mountain / JustAFan Photos
Queensryche Photos: Harold Mountain / JustAFan Photos