Queensrÿche @ Arcada Theatre, St Charles (US)

QUEENSRYCHE / SIIN

Date: 03rd September, 2026
Venue: Arcada Theatre
Ticket Price: $79/€68 - $138/€119
Promoter: OShows

There are bands whose live sets eventually become exercises in predictability, especially when decades of history begin dictating which songs simply have to be played. QUEENSRŸCHE have more than enough material to fall into that trap, but their return to the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, proved that they can still build a set around the heavier side of their catalog without relying on every obvious choice.

Unfortunately, life got in the way, and we couldn’t arrive early enough to catch SIIN, the band chosen to open for QUEENSRŸCHE. At least seeing a nicely filled theater made me feel a little less guilty for missing their set. Around 8:45pm, BLACK SABBATH’s “The Mob Rules” started playing from the speakers, and effectively put an end to the chit-chat, setting the mood for QUEENSRŸCHE. Sci-Fi, post-apocalyptic graphics appeared on the screen before a robotic version of the demon-looking Queen announced, “I am the essence of your reality. I am the new Queen.” “Queen Of The Reich” was the effective punchline.

At the same time, it was a statement of intent: this was going to be a night focused heavily on the band's classic Metal years. The combination of the theater's stage lighting and sound system, with the band's excellent performance provided the perfect platform to enjoy QUEENSRŸCHE. There were risers positioned stage left, stage right and center, plus another by the drum kit, giving Michael Wilton, Mike Stone, Todd La Torre and Eddie Jackson spots to occasionally step onto and highlight specific moments.

“St. Charles, are you with me?” asked La Torre, and immediately after receiving a loud cheer, “Operation: Mindcrime” kicked in as a digital version of Doctor X showed his face on the LED screen. Short video clips appeared at the beginning or in the middle of several songs, adding another visual layer to the performance, with the Demon Queen serving as the main character in some of them. As I did the last time I saw QUEENSRŸCHE onstage, I still found myself wondering whether these might be sneak peeks into the band's upcoming studio activities. After “Walk In The Shadows” and some loud participation from the audience, Todd checked in: “How’s everyone doing? It's great to be back.” And indeed, it was great seeing them again.

Wilton stepped onto the central riser and introduced the trademark riff of “Speak”, and once again I admired his seemingly effortless playing, which gives the live performance almost studio-recording precision. There was no unnecessary break afterward, as “I Don’t Believe In Love” followed immediately, making this first part of the set feel almost like one continuous run through different chapters of QUEENSRŸCHE's strongest years. The band briefly left the stage while the keyboard intro of “Best I Can” filled the Arcada, before returning for one of the night's three selections from “Empire”, the album that pushed QUEENSRŸCHE to another level of commercial success.

A taped electronic intro accompanied Wilton as he introduced “Neue Regel” with those trademark clean guitar chords. Todd nailed the vocals, but after seeing him live with QUEENSRŸCHE so many times, this was hardly a surprise. After all, he has been with the band for fourteen years now, so he passed the point of having to “prove his singing worth” more than a decade ago. What I hadn't fully appreciated, even four years after its release, was his acting... You see, during “Behind The Walls”, the music video was shown on the backscreen, so I had the chance to watch Todd in the role of a therapist, and I think he did pretty well. This was the only visit to 2022's “Digital Noise Alliance”, and I certainly wouldn’t have minded hearing more songs from the band's latest studio offering. On the other hand, I challenge anyone to remove any of the other tracks to make room for more new ones. Difficult decision, isn’t it?

That said, it felt great seeing fists pumping in the air after the guitar solo, proving that fans are paying attention to the newer material too. With the QUEENSRŸCHE logo filling the screen behind the band, La Torre thanked everyone for spending the evening with them before the always impressive and vocally demanding “Take Hold Of The Flame.” This was another one of those songs that needed very little introduction, and the response inside the theater reflected exactly that. The next one didn’t even require a musical note to be identified.

A digital rendering of an airplane carrying the band’s logo, combined with the characteristic sound of jet engines, was enough to get everyone out of their seats. “Jet City Woman” received a loud sing-along before being followed by “Screaming In Digital”, accompanied by a beautiful, almost manga-style video on the backscreen. After a quick thank-you, the band disappeared and the QUEENSRŸCHE logo once again occupied the screen. Of course, they were not finished.

The atmosphere of “Operation: Mindcrime” returned through the taped intro before “Anarchy-X” led into “Revolution Calling.” It was an excellent way to open the encore and reinforced just how strongly the evening was anchored around that album. “Empire” came next and, as always, received huge participation from the audience, who seemed to sing along to almost every lyric line. I cannot remember exactly when it happened, but at some point, Todd asked who was seeing QUEENSRŸCHE for the first time, and I was genuinely amazed to see quite a few hands raised.

I smiled when the singer added that “some of you may have felt embarrassed to raise your hand,” because it made me think I probably would have done exactly the same thing. More importantly, though, it must feel great for the band to still see new people discovering them after all these years. The band introductions followed before it was time for one final trip back into “Mindcrime”. Wilton once again appeared first, casually throwing out riffs before the closing “Eyes Of A Stranger” took shape. And if there was one song capable of putting the final punctuation mark on a set so heavily rooted in QUEENSRŸCHE’s classic years, this was it. Over roughly 85 minutes, QUEENSRŸCHE delivered a set built overwhelmingly around the material that established their identity. Even after having seen this band so many times, I still love hearing Todd say: “We are the one and only QUEENSRŸCHE.” There could hardly be a more fitting goodnight. Until next time, then.

QUEENSRŸCHE setlist:

01. "Queen Of The Reich"
02. "Operation: Mindcrime"
03. "Walk In The Shadows"
04. "Speak"
05. "I Don't Believe In Love"
06. "Best I Can"
07. "Warning"
08. "Neue Regel"
09. "Behind The Walls"
10. "Take Hold Of The Flame"
11. "Jet City Woman"
12. "Screaming In Digital"
13. "Anarchy-X"
14. "Revolution Calling"
15. "Empire"
16. "Eyes Of A Stranger"

QUEENSRŸCHE