There’s loud… and then there’s Alive at 5 with Queensrÿche loud.
On Thursday, June 5, the banks of the Hudson River in Albany shook with the unmistakable sound of pure, unfiltered metal as the Alive at 5 summer concert series blasted off with a set that felt more akin to a declaration of war than an evening out.
Legendary prog-metal juggernauts Queensrÿche headlined the first installment of this year’s free Thursday night series at Corning Preserve and let’s just say they didn’t show up in the Capital Region, they came to conquer.
It was a no-frills, daytime show. No stage lights, no production gimmicks, just a riverfront, a humidity laced June breeze and people who came to feel something real. They got it. In fact, they got hit with a sonic uppercut that many may still be recovering from.
Local heavy-hitters Gozer, opened things up and made it clear from the jump that Albany’s scene is more than capable of holding its own.
With crunchy riffs and pure grit, they tore through their set like they were born for that stage and by the end, they’d earned every cheer.
Then, as the shadows stretched and anticipation hit its peak, Queensrÿche hit the stage. They opened with “Queen of the Reich” and suddenly, we weren’t in a park anymore. We were in a cathedral of sound, built from towering vocals, guitar fury and bone-rattling rhythm.
Todd La Torre stalked the stage with confidence, belting out high-wire vocals that made the band famous, while dual guitars wove a tapestry of sound, both savage and intricate. Eddie Jackson held down the low end with thunderous bass finesse and the drumming? Machine-precise and absolutely unforgiving.
The setlist delivered in every way. From the gritty urgency of “The Mission” to the collective soul-stir of “Silent Lucidity,” the band knew exactly when to push the gas and when to pull back. That ballad, performed under the still-bright sky, landed like a moment frozen in time. Haunting, heartfelt and proof that raw emotion doesn’t need darkness to shine.
There were no laser shows, no pyrotechnics, but it didn’t matter. The music was the spectacle. The crowd? Totally locked in. Lifelong fans mouthed every word. First-timers stood slack-jawed. Every fist or set of horns raised was a tribute, every voice in the singalongs a reminder that this music still means something.
By the time the encore wrapped with the anthem “Eyes of a Stranger,” the crowd was spent and absolutely lit up. Queensrÿche made a statement: real rock is alive and it still hits like a hammer to the chest.
If this is how Alive at 5 starts the summer, the rest of the season better buckle up.
Setlist: Queen of the Reich (Mob Rules Intro), Operation: Mindcrime, Walk in the Shadows, The Lady Wore Black, Breaking the Silence, I Don’t Believe in love, The Mission, Warning, Behind the Walls, Take Hold of the Flame, Silent Lucidity, Jet City Woman, Screaming in Digital
Encore: Empire, Eyes of a Stranger
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