by photojournalist Dan Fernandez
December 3, 2025, was a night to remember for fans of legacy metal as two giants of the genre took the stage with Accept opening for Queensryche. After an abrasively hot end to the month, Wednesday night brought in some much needed cool temperatures making it the perfect night to be out on the town for a show. As curtain time fast approach fans were eager to get the music started and they sure as heck were not disappointed when it did.
Opening the night was German heavy metal band Accept who formed in Solingen in 1968. Undergoing multiple lineup changes over the years their current roster consists of Wolf Hoffmann on lead guitar, vocalist Mark Tornillo, Philip Shouse on rhythm guitar, drummer Christopher Williams and bassist Martin Motnik with Hoffmann being the only original member. As of 2024, Accept has released an impressive seventeen studio albums with their fifth album, 1983’s Balls to the Wall becoming certified gold in the United States and Canada while rocketing them into position to be one of the key bands in the famed German Heavy Metal Scene of the 80’s and 90’s. The group has sold more than 17 million albums to date with their most recent release being 2024’s Humanoid. With their no holds barred approach, heavy melodies and Williams’ prowess on drums the band has garnered a cult following of fans around the globe, which was on full display as a fan handed me a custom leather jacket to toss to the Motnik as I exited the photo pit. True to form Accept delivered an electric 11 song set that set the stage and got the venue nice and toasty for headliners Queensryche.
Queensryche, an American progressive metal band formed in 1980, first as Cross+Fire, then The Mob before settling on their well-known nomenclature in 1982. Rooted in Belleview, Washington the crew came onto the scene with their self-titled EP Queensryche in 1982, followed up by their first full length album “The Warning” in 1984 and “Rage for Order” in 1986. Although these early albums gained the band moderate commercial success it wasn’t until 1988’s “Operation: Mindcrime” that they gained massive critical and commercial success. This gem was followed by the release of “Empire” which vaulted them to the top of their genre and lead to their first full-fledged tour as a headlining act. The rest is history with Queensryche continuing to garner fans across the globe while being awarded multiple Grammy Awards, Billboard awards and MTV Video Music Awards along the way.
The fan’s at Jannus Live showed out for Queensryche, exuberating a passionate energy that reverberated through the crisp night air. As true, seasoned showmen the second the guys of Queensryche took the stage they had already cranked the night up to 100 and did not let that enthusiasm dip until the show was long over, with both bands notably shaking hands and interacting with fans as they left the stage at the end of their respective sets.
No matter what your favorite Queensryche album was you were near guaranteed to hear at least one song from it as the band riffed off a set from 7 different albums and EP’s, including a little ditty that had not been played live in 15 years.
Queensryche came out swinging with their anthem “Queen of the Reich” followed by classics “Walk in the Shadows,” “Breaking the Silence,” “I Don’t Believe in Love,” “Arrow of Time,” “Take Hold of the Flame” and “In Extremis” among many others in their 19 song, 2+ hour long set. Start to finish, Queensryche set the bar high with no relenting in sight, keeping the crowd rocking throughout the duration of the evening. The fever pitch had reached peak level as the encore began which included fan favorites “Neue Regel,” “I Remember Now,” “Anarchy-X” and “Revolution Calling.” All in all, this show turned out to be one hell of a holiday treat especially for the old-school fans who’ve been riding with Queensrÿche since day one. It felt like a true Tampa homecoming for the band’s own hometown heavy hitters founding member, guitarist Michael Wilton, frontman Todd La Torre, and drummer Casey Grillo.
