Original Queensryche Lineup Offered “Obscene” Money to Reunite, Says Geoff Tate
Former Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate has added some fuel to the rumors that the band’s classic lineup were in discussions for a reunion tour in recent times.
The most recent version of the reunion rumor (which would have included long absent guitarist Chris DeGarmo) came in October at the same time news of estranged drummer Scott Rockenfield’s lawsuit against the band went public. While saying “there’s more to it than that,” an unnamed source told Metal Sludge that “Todd (La Torre) has caused a lot of problems,” saying the band’s management wants him out.
Now, in a new chat with radio personality Eddie Trunk, Tate addressed the idea of an eventual reunion more generally, saying “a couple of people in the band” weren’t interested despite being offered “obscene amounts of money.” He explained:
“I’m honestly not really expecting that to happen, basically because we’ve been offered just *obscene* amounts of money to get back together and do one tour — one tour and we’d never have to tour again. And a couple of people in the band turned it down; they’re not interested in doing it. So that would really be, I think, the only motivation that would get everybody together was an obscene amount of money. But that didn’t work, so [laughs] there’s really no hope for it after that, I think… Money is not the motivator, and getting together for an artistic dream isn’t a motivator either, so what do you have? You have nothing.
“Obviously, both camps are happy in the position they’re at. I know for myself, I love my life — I love what I’m doing and I love traveling and playing music for people. And so far, I’m still kicking it at 63, still happy and healthy.”
Tate continued, saying he’s happy with both the band’s legacy and his current projects:
“We did hold it together for years and years and years. It was a really, really tightly run ship and it was very lucrative and we had a lot of great records and did a lot of world touring and made a lot of friends and played a lot of music together. And we had our time, and I’ll aways be grateful for that time that we had. That was a time, and it doesn’t mean that that time has to go on forever. There’s new times to be had and there’s more music to be made, there’s more songs to be sung and more audiences to play music for.”
Tate, who split from the band in 2012, said in a 2019 interview that he believed Rockenfield and the band were embroiled in a lawsuit — which ended up coming true — then in 2020 he said the drummer has “a lot of medical problems,” which has not been confirmed.
Rockenfield has been absent from Queensryche (and the public eye) since going on paternity leave in 2017 but he reappeared last year with a new website, Queensryche2021.com, that featured a band photo with guitarist Parker Lundgren (who has since left the band, replaced by former guitarist Mike Stone) and vocalist Todd La Torre cropped out. In October, reports surfaced indicating that Rockenfield had sued the band, claiming he was wrongly dismissed and that he still legally holds the rights to one-third of the band’s businesses with Michael Wilton and Eddie Jackson.
Earlier in January, Casey Grillo (ex-Kamelot), who has been performing live with the group since Rockenfield’s extended absence began in 2017, said he would be drumming on the next Queensryche album. That would mark the first time Grillo performed behind a full kit on record for the band. Vocalist Todd La Torre, who is also a drummer, played drums on The Verdict, released in 2019.
[via Blabbermouth]
