While I agree with that sentiment, PowerSlave, playing a new song first is probably not a wise move (just like playing a new song last wouldn't be either).
I'm not really concerned about where they place the new song(but I do agree with you that it probably shouldn't be first). I'm with TAC on the fact that they are only playing one new song. I've never really bothered to get into the new album, but if they were playing more of it live, and I was going to see them I would probably familiarize myself better with the material. I'm sure that other people would do the same. That's not to say that everyone would. The casual fans that only want to hear the hits wouldn't give a shit, but I don't think that the band can maintain themselves on those casual fans, anyways.
Seems to have worked pretty well for the last ~5 years 
Yes and no. Yes, in that they've managed to still tour and make their livings from it. But that's just outside looking in. If you take careful note of what's going on, you'll see that they are unfortunately needing to tour with other acts now to make ends meet. The people at the local show last November that were around me (say the 10 in front and the 10 in back), it sounded like they all had Groupons, and groupons were being talked about by security -- so many people having discounted tickets at the show. Groupons and discounted tickets have become commonplace, but this was the first I had heard of it for this version of Queensryche.
Add to that personal knowledge that their guarantees were headed south three years ago (and assuming, based on the above, they still are), it stands to reason that it isn't working as well as they probably hoped.
I'm not trying to be negative, but what I'm saying is, we don't have the complete picture to really tell one way or another how "well" it is working. My guess is, like a lot of bands QR's size, they are struggling to a degree from the glut of bands out on the road and smaller guarantees. Queensryche isn't the only one, either. This is probably why, as much as I hate seeing them play casino gigs, why they do it. Because those come with a lot of cash, which tides them over from the lower guarantees they get when they actually tour for themselves.
In my opinion, the band is damned if they do (play more new material) and damned if they don't. If they do, sure, hardcores will get into it. If they don't, casual fans get to relive their glory years, and the hardcores see "Empire" for the millionth time. However, all that said, I don't think Queensryche really gave the self-titled (2013) record or Condition Human their proper exposure. I just don't think the records were marketed and promoted well. The setlists have something to do with it, but it's more than that.
When they dropped QR 2013, instead of focusing on that and pushing it, they continued with the whole "Return to History" thing. While that was cool for some who hadn't seen it, it also, after having done it for over a year at that point, had them trekking down the path of nostalgia again. And I think they got lost in it. They did the same thing on Condition Human to a degree, although I think by the end, they were playing four songs in a 15 song set, so that's at least decent representation as a headliner.
But because they are playing as a co-headliner (with Saint) those set times are really short for QR, and as a result, newer songs get cut. So it's all circular. In addition, I really didn't see the label really market Queensryche's new material that well. And when Queensryche itself doesn't really market it well, then you slip backward to a degree. And that's what has happened to them in my opinion.
It's a bummer, honestly. The material on QR 2013 and Condition Human is pretty good, and miles better than Dedicated to Chaos, and I think it deserved more exposure and success. But from the outside looking in, it seems as though they feel in order to make ends meet, they need to straddle that line between forcing their newer material out there, and catering to those that only want to hear the hits. I'd argue they made the wrong choice in that regard, but there's too many unknown variables to really say that with any sort of conviction.
Topic: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album (Read 692154 times)
