May 23, 2024

Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) is NOW AVAILABLE for purchase directly from the publisher. Thank you to everyone who pre-ordered, talked about, or otherwise supported this behemoth of a book. I started pulling things together for this back in 2021, after 26 years of having a website detailing all the live shows performed by Queensr˙che's original lineup. As you can no doubt tell by this website, my abilities in web design are limited, so with the help of my friend Brian Naron, and our designer, I was able to bring the band's concert history to life in Roads to Madness. I hope you enjoy it. I certainly had a blast writing and putting it together.

That said, the journey is far from complete. We have a book signing scheduled for June 29, 2024, at East Street Records, in Seattle, Washington. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Brian Naron and I will be there to sign copies of Roads to Madness, and it'll be a great event to mingle, listen/watch to live Queensr˙che recordings being played in the store, and a panel of guests (TBA). In addition, James Beach, the primary author of Building An Empire: The Story of Queensr˙che (co-written by myself and Naron) will also be there to sign copies of that book. Check out the flyer:

In addition, as I have time, I'll be adding anecodtes, photos, and other things that didn't make it into the book into the Side Roads section, which is basically a digital appendix for Roads to Madness. So, the future will be busy supporting this book, and digging in on my next project, which will be announced later in 2024. Take Hold! - Brian H.

April 11, 2024

Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) is printing as I type this. All the final proofs were approved. I expect the books to be delivered to the publisher in early May, and off to those of you who pre-ordered after that. Thank you! If you haven't ordered yet, get on it! Pick up your copy now!

Brian Naron and I appeared on an episode of Progressive Palaver podcast. The two of us discuss Roads to Madness, and various topics related to Queensr˙che. Check it out!

March 15, 2024

Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) will be at the printer next week, and should be in-hand and ready to ship to everyone by late-April/early-May! If you haven't pre-ordered yet, don't wait - order now! The pre-order will run through Sunday, April 14, 2024. After that, the price of the limited edition hardcover goes to $99.95 (pre-order price of $74.95), and the paperback goes to $59.95 (pre-order price of $49.95). The hardcover version is limited to 200 copies, and over half of those are already accounted for. So, order soon!

What can you expect? I'm glad you asked. Below are some sample pages of what to expect (for full size images, right-click and open in a new tab or a new browser):

As you can see, a lot of work went into making this book a statement piece for your music room or den. This isn't a novel. It's a reference guide meant to sit on your coffee table, look up the shows you went to (or wanted to), and see all the imagery from the tours that Queensr˙che undertook in the 1980s and 1990s. And the above photos are just the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous full-page, full-color, concert photos throughout the book, including some rare shots of the band members' first gigs playing together as "The Mob." Roads to Madness is every Queensr˙che fan's dream. Order now!

In addition, a signing event for both Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) and Building An Empire: The Story of Queensr˙che is being planned for late-June 2024, in the Seattle area. I'll be on-hand, as will James R. Beach and Brian L. Naron, to sign both Queensr˙che books. More on that as the details are finalized.

December 30, 2023

Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che received some nice promotion over the holidays from some notable hard rock and heavy metal news websites. Check out the coverage on Blabbermouth and Sleaze Roxx. Thanks to them for spotlighting the book!

As I type this, the book is with the designer, who is inputting my second round of text edits, and then will be inserting all the images. I anticipate having something to review in the next week or so. Once I have approved everything and it is set for the printer, sample pages will be posted here as images. Can't you feel it coming?

November 21, 2023

Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che Available For Pre-Order

LONGVIEW, Wash. -- Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) is now available for pre-order at nwmetalworxmusic.com. The book will be published in March 2024.

Queensr˙che is one of the pioneers of progressive heavy metal. Roads to Madness covers the band’s beginnings in the 1980s as an opening act for titans such as Ronnie James Dio and Metallica, to Queensr˙che’s heralded days as a headliner in arenas and amphitheaters throughout the 1990s. The book is a deep dive into all the concert dates that feature Queensr˙che’s original lineup of Chris DeGarmo, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield, Geoff Tate, and Michael Wilton.

The oversized tome spans over 450 pages, and includes verified setlists, tour history essays, fan commentary on shows, stage banter, live photos, show memorabilia imagery, and much more.

Three versions of the book are available:

A full color, limited hardcover edition, signed by the authors, featuring a glossy dust jacket and an 11x17 poster of the front cover. Only 200 copies of this edition are available. ($74.95 pre-order price.)

A full color, standard paperback edition. ($49.95 pre-order price.)

A full color, electronic edition as a high resolution .pdf. ($14.95.)

Roads to Madness was authored by Queensr˙che biographer and historian Brian J. Heaton, and Pacific Northwest metal music archivist Brian L. Naron. The duo previously collaborated with James R. Beach to write Building An Empire: The Story of Queensr˙che, which was published in October 2021.

November 8, 2023

A big thank you to hosts Steve and Ray, and their producer, Tim, for having me on I Remember Now: The Queensr˙che Podcast. Check out the episode, titled "Building An Empire on the Roads to Madness," here, and it is available wherever you get your podcasts. We discuss a bit about Building An Empire: The Story of Queensr˙che, and my new book, Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997), and what readers can expect from it.

Speaking of the latter, the book is at the designer, as I type this. With some luck, we'll have the information we need so the publisher can set a price for the book, and get it up for pre-ordering in another week or so. Hopefully, no later than Thanksgiving.

October 30, 2023

Uploaded links to various podcast appearances, interviews I've conducted with the band, and random op-eds and essays to the Side Roads section of the site today. More to come!

October 27, 2023

Welcome to RoadsToMadness.com, the online home of Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) by Brian J. Heaton.

Here you'll also find some great additional details on the band that did not make it into the book, and further interviews with and articles on Queensr˙che done by the author over the years. As time goes on, further information and features will be added to the site.

You can pre-order Roads to Madness: The Touring History of Queensr˙che (1981-1997) next month on NW Metalworx Music. Until then, get your Queensr˙che fix by ordering Building An Empire: The Story of Queensr˙che, the first biography of the band.

E-mail:
roadstomadnessbook@gmail.com

Facebook:
facebook.com/roadstomadnessbook

X (Twitter):
@queensrychebook