TODD LA TORRE: Why QUEENSRŸCHE Hasn't Staged Livestream Concert During Pandemic

In a recent interview with Aftershocks TV, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre was asked if he and his bandmates have considered staging a livestream concert during the coronavirus pandemic. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've talked about doing a streaming thing. Right now, it's… Especially even a few months ago, even leading up to now, I wasn't comfortable getting on an airplane at that point, when all this was kind of happening. And so just trying to limit the risk of exposure, other members in the band are a little apprehensive to be in a gathering, and then maybe there's a production crew. It's something that we've obviously talked about, but it's a matter of getting together and rehearsing out a special type of a set. Instead of just playing a normal set, you wanna do something unique and special that maybe is something that people will never see again, and get 'em to tune in. And, again, that requires days and days of rehearsal."

He continued: "I think just because of the pandemic, even though a lot of bands are [doing it and] it appears to be quite lucrative, from a safety perspective, we've still just been a little apprehensive for that reason… It's a tough dilemma, because on the one hand, you wanna do everything you can do be as safe as you can. On the other hand, you are human, and you can't live in a bubble forever. How do you balance those two things with some semblance of sanity and still be cautious? I don't know. So, it's weird."

Last month, QUEENSRŸCHE regrouped for the first time in a over a year at wrestling icon Hulk Hogan's former estate in Belleair, Florida to work on demos for its upcoming follow-up to 2019's "The Verdict" album.

Guitarist Michael Wilton told Canada's The Metal Voice about the musical direction of the new QUEENSRŸCHE material: "It is what it is. I can't describe it. I have a hard time telling people what my guitar style is. I have no idea what I do technically or whatever. This is — I think it's just organically happening. We've got a lot of ideas. So now we're just building it. And that's kind of the joy of doing this as a band, is we get to see it happen in real time and see the songs build from the riff to the finished song. And we're in that process right now. So it's kind of hard to say where we're going or what we're doing. Our producer, Zeuss [Chris Harris], if this is any indication, he says it sounds like QUEENSRŸCHE … I think we're just going with our gut right now. You don't wanna take too many drastic chances in this day and age. So I think it's more of a continuation of 'The Verdict', maybe, in some sense. We're riding that wave. It's been good to us. [Laughs]"

QUEENSRŸCHE's next disc will apparently mark the recording debut with the band of Casey Grillo, who replaced original drummer Scott Rockenfield in 2017.

This past January, Rockenfield shot down suggestions that he quit QUEENSRŸCHE or retired from playing music. The drummer, who hasn't performed with QUEENSRŸCHE in more than four years, took to his Facebook page to say that fans "have not been given the facts by any means" and implied that he would offer more details at a later date.

Scott's comments marked the first time he has publicly addressed his status with QUEENSRŸCHE.

The drum tracks on "The Verdict", were laid down by QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre.