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As lead singer of Queensryche, Todd La Torre knows what it’s like to have a song take you back to a teenage cruise with a best friend.
He was that teen, listening on cassette tape to the very heavy metal band he now fronts – his favorite band since the age of 14.
“I met those guys [the band] when I was a teenager and saw them sell out the arena where I live,” said La Torre, who joined the band about four years ago and has released two albums with Queensryche – the latest, “Condition Human,” landed at No. 27 on the Billboard 200 last year.
Did he think back then he’d be the band’s lead singer?
“[expletive] no,” he said. “I never thought I would even know them, let alone sing in the band.”
La Torre, the former lead singer of Crimson Glory, is all about making new music and fans these days as the band works on a new album and tours – including a July 15 stop at Fiesta Days in McHenry. But he knows the value of fans who've followed Queensryche since the band's beginning in 1982 with the release of a self-titled four-song EP that launched them into sold-out arenas.
He was one of those fans. And so when he and the rest of the band takes the stage at Fiesta Days, you can bet they’ll play old favorites – such as 1990’s hit “Silent Lucidity” off the album, “Empire” – along with their new songs.
[ McHenry Fiesta Days schedule of events ]
“Some people will criticize, ‘That’s just nostalgia. They’re living off the past,’ ” he said. “Well, ... everybody is. … Every band you go see built a career on big hits, and that’s how a lot of people know these songs. To me, it’s like what’s wrong with that. ...
“I love it when I see a band and they play something old school, and it takes me right back to a time when I was younger and I had more time in life to do things and people alive who are no longer alive. It’s that connection. That’s a very powerful connection to make with somebody. … To see the band, to take all that in, that’s a pretty unique experience. There’s not a lot of bands that can do that.”
La Torre now sees generations of fans at Queensryche concerts, parents bringing their children, who sing along with all the songs.
That, to him, is a mark of true success.
“That’s a testament to any band’s music when you start crossing generations. It’s not like you were a band and, a few years later, you were in the bargain bin and nobody gives a [expletive],” he said.
Queensryche hails from the days of rock giants such as Iron Maiden, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Judas Priest and Def Leppard. These were bands instantly known when their songs came on the radio, La Torre said.
There’s not much of that these days, he said.
“Now, when I turn on the radio I don’t know who it is, not because I’m not current with the music, even though I’m not, but from a sound perspective, that singer sounds like every other singer. It’s really hard to have that identity or I’m not seeing it,” he said.
As for Queensryche, the band’s not done creating, La Torre said, looking to make each new album unique from the rest.
Queensryche’s already performed with many of those bands he grew up rocking out to in the car.
“The band’s done everything and come full circle,” he said. “Just to do this for a living is all we could ask for.”
FIESTA DAYS:
QUEENSRYCHE
WHEN: 9:15 p.m. July 15
WHERE: Petersen Park, McHenry
COST & INFO: The band behind several Top 10 hard rock anthems and 11 gold and platinum plaques will perform as part of Fiesta Days' Music Fest. VIP reserved seating is sold out. General admission: $15 at gate; 10 years and younger free. ($10 online pre-sale). Information: www.mchenryfiestadays.com or 815-385-4300.