Reminiscin' with the Ryche

So Michael and I are going to see Queensryche on October 7 here in Vancouver...yay! Mikey's taken a recent interest in them, which is good. It's a rare occasion for most people. I've usually been a bit of a loner in my fondness for their music.

So I've been listening to them a bit more lately in order to psyche myself up and reminisce. It's funny how when a band means so much to you for many years, they sort of become like friends. I was hooked from the start after seeing their 'Empire' video in 10th grade, and then once I became obsessed with that album I had to catch up with their previous work. I remember how disappointed I was after buying 'Mindcrime' and not liking it at first...but eventually it became my most-listened-to album through much of high school. I saw them play the whole thing live the first time I saw them, in 1991. I'm not sure what it is about that album that was intriguing...I think the songs are great, plus the epic-ness of the whole rock opera idea. From my older perspective now, I can listen for sentimental reasons and enjoying the tunes...yet the subject matter seems to me now to be cynical, dark and angry...just a tiny bit too much for my liking at times. It always was, of course, but back then I was also cynical, dark and angry. All in all, as brilliant as it is, it's not my favorite album by them. Now they're making a sequel, which, much like their recent CD releases, seems like a desperate plea for winning back their old fans...some of which, I'm guessing, have moved on. Their new material and approach is seriously lacking without Chris DeGarmo writing and playing with them. In so many ways, he made that band what it was. And as cheesy as it is, I still love their early gothic sci-fi metal from 'Warning' and 'Rage' too!

With the release of 'Promised Land' (my favorite next to Empire) when I was in college, their music hit me on a much more personal level. The song 'Bridge' hit home as my relationship with my dad was at its lowest points. The third time I saw them in concert, with my brothers at Pine Knob, was the same day that Mom told me Dad was getting fired from his job of over 20 years. I could barely hold back my tears when they played that song. The song 'Someone Else?' resonated many times through periods of identity crisis in my mid-20s. 'Some People Fly' gave me hope as I longed to move on to bigger and better things in my life, and break free to find out who I was. After moving to Vancouver, and becoming a Christian, the song 'Anybody Listening?' had new resonance as I related it to one of Dave's sermons.

My friends of the Ryche, like all artists, grow along with their music and change their styles as they go. Everything after 'Promised Land' has been hit and miss, a few promising moments here and there, but something happened; not sure what. I'm still looking forward to seeing them again (will be the 4th time) in a smaller, more intimate venue. Plus, what better place to see them than in the Pacific Northwest, where they hail from to begin with? I think their music is another one of those obsessions that subconsciously brought me to live here eventually. Therefore, I shall forever be indebted to the Ryche for being the soundtrack to my psyche over the years.