News Segment
QUEENSRYCHE TO ROCK AND RIDE ACROSS AMERICA:
June 14, 2006
THE BAND PARTNERS WITH BUELL MOTORCYCLES TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION
MASSIVE SUMMER/FALL TOUR OF UNITED STATES BEGINS IN AUGUST IN SUPPORT OF LATEST RELEASE, OPERATION: MINDCRIME II, ON RHINO RECORDS
Queensryche will rock and ride across America for charity beginning in August as the band partners with Buell Motorcycles to raise money for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation during their upcoming U.S. tour (see full itinerary below) sponsored by VH1 Classic.
Throughout the 60-plus date tour, Queensryche is offering fans the rare and exciting opportunity to join singer Geoff Tate and guitarist Mike Stone as they ride custom Buell Ulysses bikes, complete with custom riding jackets and helmets, between select tour stops on the band’s tour for Operation: mindcrime II, the sequel to Seattle-based quintet’s 1988 platinum-certified concept album.
All concert performances will feature a full stage show, including surround sound, new video imagery and actors playing out both parts of the Operation: Mindcrime saga – Operation: Mindcrime (1988’s acclaimed concept album that quickly reached double-platinum status) and Operation: mindcrime II – in their entirety.
Fans that make a donation to the VH1 Save The Music Foundation will be invited to join Tate and Stone as they ride between shows. A full list of start and finish points are available on the band’s website – www.queensryche.com.
Anyone who makes a donation will be eligible to receive a limited edition sticker patch commemorating the Queensryche charity ride. Log on to www.vh1savethemusic.com and click on the Queensryche donation page to contribute.
In addition to the ride-along opportunity, Queensryche is also donating exclusive prize packages to be auctioned off for the following seven tour stops: Atlanta, St. Louis, Chicago, New York, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The exclusive prize packages include two prime tickets to the show in that city, two “meet and greet” backstage passes, a copy of Operation: mindcrime II signed by the entire band, tour swag and a personal item from one of the band members. Buell Motorcycles will also host a sweepstakes on its own website (www.buell.com) prior to the tour where they’ll give away two concert tickets and an autographed copy of Operation: mindcrime II every day from Monday, June 26th – Thursday, July 13th.
On Wednesday, September 20th — prior to their shows at the Nokia Theater in New York City – Tate and Stone will lead a caravan of approximately 3,000 riders who made a donation to the Save the Music Foundation. Starting at the renowned Harley-Davidson dealership Legends in Ledgewood, New Jersey, the caravan will travel over 40 miles to Times Square. The riders will then be invited to attend an exclusive performance by Queensryche at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City (1501 Broadway).
At the end of the first leg of the tour, there will be a ride in Seattle on October 16th and afterwards, both of the custom Buell Ulysses motorcycles ridden by Tate and Stone, along with their custom Buell riding jackets and helmets, will be auctioned to raise money for the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.
“As a band, we’ve always believed in music’s profound power to change lives,” Tate explains. “Personally, music has always been my saving grace because it’s given me a positive way to express my emotions. This charity ride along is a simple way for me to make sure that a new generation will have the same opportunities through music that I had.”
A nonprofit organization founded in 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation is dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in America’s public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as a part of each child’s complete education.
Come out for the ride and stay tuned!
NOTE: Operation: mindcrime II marks the ninth studio album (and its first release on Rhino Records) for Queensryche, which began its journey as a band in 1981 and now includes singer and chief songwriter Geoff Tate; guitarists Michael Wilton and Mike Stone; bassist Eddie Jackson, and drummer Scott Rockenfield. The new CD has spawned two singles thus far, “I’m American” and “The Hands,” and found itself debuting at #14 on the Billboard Top 200 charts (their highest debut chart position since 1994’s Promised Land) with first-week sales over 40,000 units. In addition, it also hit the #2 slot on the Billboard Hard Music Album chart and the #4 slot on the publication’s Rock Album chart.
Queensryche TOUR 2006 – Presented by VH1 Classic
August
25 – Friday House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL
26 – Saturday House of Blues Lake Buena Vista, FL
27 – Sunday Barbara B Mann Fort Myers, FL
29 – Tuesday Tabernacle Atlanta, GA
30 – Wednesday Saenger Theater Mobile, AL
31 – Thursday Ruth Eckerd Hall Clearwater, FL
September
1 – Friday Pompano Amphitheatre Pompano Beach, FL
2 – Saturday Florida Theater Jacksonville, FL
3 – Sunday House of Blues Myrtle Beach, SC
6 – Wednesday Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO
7 – Thursday Pageant St. Louis, MO
8 – Friday Orpheum Theatre Madison, WI
9 – Saturday Myth Minneapolis, MN
11 – Monday Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee, WI
12 – Tuesday Potawatomi Casino Milwaukee, WI
14 – Thursday House of Blues Chicago, IL
15 – Friday House of Blues Chicago, IL
16 – Saturday House of Blues Chicago, IL
17 – Sunday Emerald Theater Mt. Clemens, MI
19 – Tuesday Turning Stone Casino Verona, NY
21 – Thursday Nokia Live New York, NY
22 – Friday Nokia Live New York, NY
23 – Saturday House of Blues Atlantic City, NJ
25 – Monday Majestic Theater San Antonio, TX
26 – Tuesday Verizon Theater Houston, TX
27 – Wednesday Nokia Live Dallas, TX
29 – Friday Fillmore Auditorium Denver, CO
30 – Saturday The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
October
1 – Sunday Kiva Auditorium Albuquerque, NM
3 – Tuesday Dodge Theatre Phoenix, AZ
4 – Wednesday Humphrey’s San Diego, CA
5 – Thursday Gibson Amphitheatre Los Angeles, CA
6 – Friday House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
7 – Saturday Pechanga Resort Temecula, CA
8 – Sunday Konocti Kelseyville, CA
10 – Tuesday House of Blues Anaheim, CA
11 – Wednesday Warfield San Francisco, CA
12 – Thursday Roseland Portland, OR
13 – Friday Moore Theater Seattle, WA
14 – Saturday Moore Theater Seattle, WA
15 – Sunday Moore Theater Seattle, WA
17 – Tuesday Reno Hilton Theater Reno, NV
18 – Wednesday The Big Easy Boise, ID
19 – Thursday Big Easy Concert House Spokane, WA
20 – Friday Wilma Theater Missoula, MT
21 – Saturday Shrine Auditorium Billings, MT
November1 – Wednesday Kool Haus Toronto, CAN
2 – Thursday Palace Theatre Albany, NY
3 – Friday Electric Factory Philadelphia, PA
4 – Saturday 930 Club Washington, DC
5 – Sunday Rams Head Live Baltimore, MD
7 – Tuesday Palace Theatre Greensburg, PA
8 – Wednesday State Theater New Brunswick, NJ
9 – Thursday The Avalon Boston, MA
10 – Friday Chevrolet Theater Wallingford, CT
11 – Saturday Hampton Beach Casino Hampton Beach, NH
12 – Sunday Metropolis Montreal, CAN
14 – Tuesday House of Blues Cleveland, OH
15 – Wednesday Ryman Auditorium Nashville, TN
17 – Friday Dow Center Saginaw, MI
18 – Saturday Madison Theater Covington, KY
19 – Sunday Tennessee Theatre Knoxville, TN
21 – Tuesday House of Blues New Orleans, LA
22 – Wednesday Selena Auditorium Corpus Christi, TX
24 – Friday Hogg Auditorium Austin, TX
25 – Saturday Abrahm Chevez PAC El Paso, TX
26 – Sunday Tucson Music Hall Tucson, AZ
28 – Tuesday The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
30 – Thursday House of Blues Las Vegas, NV
Courtesy of www.queensryche.com