Accept and Queensrÿche Deliver a Metal Masterclass in St. Pete

Queensrÿche returned once again to their home away from home in Jannus Live in St. Pete on Wednesday night with a bit of a chill in the air, or what we call Winter in Florida. This wasn’t just another Wednesday night gig, though. This was a summit meeting of heavy metal royalty.

On one side, Accept, the German architects of speed and power metal. On the other, Queensrÿche, the American pioneers of progressive metal, and arguably the hardest-working band in hard rock & metal, who always seem to be on the road, a ship or creating new music.  

 The chill waned and the temp elevated quickly, though, as their tourmates on the “Volume & Vengeance Tour” in Accept took the stage at an early start time of 6:50 pm.  

Accept wasted zero time with pleasantries. They opened with the sonic shrapnel of “The Reckoning” (from their recent Humanoid album), immediately proving that their 2020s output stands shoulder-to-shoulder with their 80s classics.

The visual focal point, as always, was founding guitarist Wolf Hoffmann. In 2025, Hoffmann remains an ageless marvel of efficiency and classical melody fused with Marshall-stack aggression. His lead work on “Restless & Wild” & “Midnight Mover” extended into the crowd, with them chanting the choruses with the band.  

Vocalist Mark Tornillo, well over a decade into his tenure, commanded the stage with a gritty, blue-collar ferocity that honors the band’s legacy while carving his own path. He didn’t just sing the songs; he gargled gravel and spat fire.

Their set was relentless, with the band in precise rhythm. Hoffman, bassist Mark Motnik & rhythm guitarist Phil Shouse broke out the synchronized stage moves during “Metal Heart” which were reminiscent of KKs and Glens in the older days of Priest. By the time they closed their set with the obligatory, earth-shaking stomp of “Balls to the Wall,” the Jannus courtyard was a churning sea of fists.

This was my first time seeing Accept, and I regret it as they were really great and hearing “Fast As A Shark” live was one of the highlights of my concert year. In full transparency, I saw UDO many years ago in a small club as he was good, but the band’s performance and Hoffman’s playing and crowd interaction on Wednesday night will be much more memorable. This show also has me diving into their catalogue, new and old, and listening to it as I write this.

Following Accept is a tall order, but if any band could shift the atmosphere from a bludgeoning to a surgical strike, it’s Queensrÿche.  Putting out music for over 40 years now and being fronted by Todd La Torre for the last 12 or so, fans know what to expect from their live performances and they still come out in droves.

Whether it’s in Pomona or at a hometown show for Todd, drummer Casey Grillo and close to now home Michael Wilton (Sarasota), Queensrÿche fans young and old, support this band while playing new material and their classic deep cuts and hits.

Tonight’s flavor for the attendees was more of the latter than the former and seeing the setlist prior to the show, it was a no-brainer to attend once again.  For others in the crowd, including many of the band’s friends and many of my own, we were treated to another classic and professional Queensrÿche performance.

After setting the tone by pumping “The Mob Rules” through the house speakers, the band went all the way back to their 1982 EP by starting off with “Queen of the Ryche” then directly into “Walk in the Shadows” from Rage for Order. Both of these are very difficult to sing, especially to start the set, and it takes some pipes to start a show like that.

The band did not take a break, though, as they went directly into “Breaking the Silence” and “I Don’t Believe in Love” from Operation Mindcrime.  

La Torre then addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming out and said hello to some old friends in the crowd and introduced the only song and my favorite from the Condition Human release in “Arrow of Time.”  

The opening riffs from this song rang out as Wilton and fellow guitarist Mike Stone stood on their risers and caught he attention of everyone in attendance, as this song has a bit of a different tone than most classic Queensrÿche songs. It was placed in a perfect spot in the set as the band then went back once again to the time machine in “NM 156.”    

Todd then talked about putting this set together and how the band wanted to give the old “Ryche” heads something they haven’t heard live in many years, and they did that with “London” from Rage for Order.

This was the first time that “London” has been a part of Queensrÿche’s setlist since 2009 and a first for this lineup, and I personally loved it.

It wasn’t all classic material though, as the band played two from their last release and 4th with Todd in Digital Noise Alliance. They were “Behind the Walls” and “In Extremis” and they got a strong reaction from the crowd as they are both well-written and sound fantastic live.

The stage setup was minimal with a few futuristic backdrops and excellent lighting, with no need for video screens as the band let the music do the talking during hits “Jet City Woman” and the title track from “Empire.”

The band finished up with an encore that included “Neue Regel” which like “London” goes bank to their tour in 2009 and then apropos for 2025 a trifecta from Operation Mindcrime in “I Remember Now” “Anarchy-X” & “Revolution Calling.” Once again, the crowd with their fists in the air, yelling “There’s a Revolution!!!  “There’s a Revolution!!!.”   

The 2025 Queensrÿche & Accept “Volume & Vengeance Tour” brought together a distinct mix of metal that continues to be supported without limitations. The crowd was engaged with most staying to the last note and departing after Queensryche took a group pic on stage, which included the crowd behind them.  

Queensrÿche & Accept were brilliant, and I highly suggest seeing Accept on this tour as they don’t get to the States very often but be prepared as you will definitely “Walk in the Shadows” and get your…….. “Balls To The Wall.”