S.O.D. "Jet City Woman" by Queensryche

5/1/2015      In honor of the M3 Festival taking place this weekend in Columbia at Meriweather Post Pavilion and every year around this time featuring all of the 80s hair bands, the next three S.O.D.s Will be from a band playing at the festival.  This song is about former lead singer Geoff Tate's first wife who was a flight attendant.  It has to do with coming home to family after a long road trip and Jet City is a nickname for the band's hometown, Seattle.  

     A 1991 release off their album Empire and written by lead singer Geoff Tate and lead guitarist at the time Chris Degarmo who is the cofounder of the band and was with them throughout their most successful and commercial years.  He is a X3 Grammy nominated songwriter and since leaving the band in 1997 is now a professional charter pilot and rarely gets involved with music.    

     Formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, they are still active today playing in their 33rd year with a sound that sometimes seems to be their own genre.  Their 1988 album "Operation: Mindcrime" is considered one of the greatest concept albums of all time.  In 2012 Tate was fired from the band and proceeded to file a lawsuit with his wife Susan against the band, saying he was wrongfully terminated.  Susan was the band's manager 2005-2012.  The case went on until 2014 deciding who had the rights to use the name Queensryche. Within that time both parties used the name and Tate formed his own version of Queensryche with members from AC/DC, Ozzie Osbourne, Dio, Whitesnake, Blue Oyster Cult and Quiet Riot.  In April of 2014 founding members Rockenfield, Jackson and Wilton were awarded the rights to use the band's trademark.  

     Queensryche has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and more than 6 million in the U.S. with nearly half being of the album Empire.