Queensrÿche tour marches on with ‘American Soldier’ this spring

Veteran heavy metal group Queensrÿche has announced its marching orders for an extensive spring tour of the United States. The American Soldier Tour will report for duty with a two-night stand at Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, WA, and remain deployed through a June 5 concert at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa in Kelseyville, CA.

The 31-city circuit will take the band from coast to coast with two-night engagements on April 30- May 1 at Northern Lights Theater in Milwaukee, WI, and May 7-8 at the House of Blues in Chicago, IL. Other highlights include an April 28 performance at Paramount Theatre in Denver, CO, a May 15 gig at Nokia Theater Times Square in New York, NY, and a June 4 concert at The Fillmore in San Francisco.

Queensrÿche will be supporting the projected March 2009 release of “American Soldier,” a concept album that looks at war with a firsthand perspective. To craft the storyline for the record, vocalist Geoff Tate interviewed dozens of American war veterans to gain insight into their experiences.

“Queensrÿche has always had incredible support from members of the Armed Services,” explained Tate in a statement. “It seems like after every show, I’d end up speaking with a fan that was or had been involved with the military. The more and more I began to hear their accounts and feelings, the more I really felt a conviction to tell their story.”

The five-man band formed in 1981 and has retained four of its original members: Tate, guitarist Michael Wilton, bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Scott Rockenfield. Guitarist Mike Stone joined the lineup in 2003 following the 1998 departure of co-founder Chris DeGarmo, who now works as a charter pilot based out of the Seattle area.

Queensryche itinerary:
(Dates are subject to change.)