Parker probably expected Queensryche to do a lot better, and hitched his wagon to them
Sorry, but that statement along with bringing this up in the first place makes it seem like you're having a not that surreptitious dig at them. Let's not try and gloss over Tate's behaviour at the time and pretend Parker's decision was only about the $.
Who was glossing over anything? I think what Tate's behavior was, has been well stated and documented, has it not? How is me bringing up the fact Parker posted on Facebook he has a gig selling motorcycles, and me saying Parker probably expected QR to do better, a dig at Queensryche?
It is my OPINION that Parker "probably" (as quoted above) thought QR would do better than it has. Well, duh? Isn't that obvious? Every one of the band members probably feels that way.
Parker's decision? What, to continue with QR in 2012? Dude can't stand Tate, so he didn't want to go there (which I think everyone knows Tate is his ex-Father-in-law, and Parker doesn't want to be around him). But he did audition for In This Moment, and he either didn't get, or turned down the gig. So he hitched his wagon to Queensryche once Tate went off the deep end. Totally a smart move, as the financial prospects (back then) were brighter.
I think people such as yourself need to take things posted by someone at face value, instead of assuming (quite wrongly) that there is something underlying about what is being said. If I want to criticize Queensryche, I've never been shy of doing so.
Speaking of which:
Queensryche isn't what they used to be and so it's really no surprise. When you don't draw a crowd big enough you have to look where the money comes in. And Parker may be more than a hired tour musician at this point, but I don't think he gets the same share as the founding members.
And I believe it's not only in this day and age, it has always been like that. A lot of musicians had to do side jobs or play in a couple of bands or teach or whatever to make a living.
But still I think QR would be better of if they had toured and toured and toured AND promoted the new material on the tour and not just play as a nostalgia act.
That is the true krux of the issue - they chose playing casinos and small festivals/state fairs over touring relentlessly. Other bands have taken numerous opening slots (Sabaton), sometimes within the same year, to slowly grow the fanbase over the course of several years and are now headlining in their own right. Queensryche could have done the same, but elected not to.
Exactly. For the millionth time, Queensryche fucked things up so badly once they dropped the self-titled record in 2013. There was so much positive buzz, a great chart debut, and what did they do? Catered to the hair metal contingent, doing fly-ins instead of putting in the hard work and rebuilding by getting on a bus and playing 130 dates. That was what they needed to do, and they could have done it.
They had a choice -- they could do the fly-in route for most of their shows, pocketing cash, with less strain on them, traveling-wise, or the booking agent could get them on a bus and they could headline clubs. They took the former, because it was more money and less work. And it was mentioned to them, more than once (and not just by me), that while it would work in the short term, it was an error in terms of rebuilding their brand long term. They did it anyway.
Now, five years after that conversation, it is pretty obvious what went down.
Add to that the fact they play 80-minute headline shows consisting of barely any of their material with Todd, they firmly embraced being a nostalgia band. Again, great for casino gigs. Not good for re-establishing yourself in front of a metal audience (which was originally what they said they wanted to do). It is not hard to play a 90-minute gig, featuring 30-40 minutes of new material.
I've heard all the arguments from La Torre about how "hard" it is to pick songs, and the makeup of crowds, etc....whatever. That's a fucking lame excuse, and everyone knows it. If you're a relevant band, you go out and play your new material. THEY chose to play to casino crowds, playing up the hair band portion of their fan base. THEY chose to play shorter sets (bare minimum). THEY chose to not play their current songs.
If bands such as Fates Warning and Iced Earth can go out there and support their new material, so could have Queensryche. It was a decision not to, based on whatever ridiculous notions they had in their heads. All they did was screw themselves. Both by not getting in a bus and doing the grassroots touring that was needed, and by their choice of what to play. It really is a shame, because they bet on the nostalgia aspect revitalizing the band, and they were wrong.
In late 2013/all of 2014, they could have: Played five songs from the self-titled, then 10 or 11 back catalog hits in a 90-minute set.
In 2016, they could have: Played five songs from Condition Human, three songs from self-titled, and eight songs from the back catalog hits in a 90-minute set.
That's really not hard. AT ALL.
So hey, Cruithne, you want a dig, there's the dig. The fucked themselves by becoming a nostalgia act playing casinos and trying to cash in on hits, instead of actually putting in the touring work and embracing their new material. No "surreptitious digs" whatsoever on my end. Just a direct, full-on criticism of the asinine moves they've made since 2013.
Topic: Official Queensryche thread: Kickstart the next album (Read 694469 times)
