Operation: Mindcrime
June 25, 2018
Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
It’s hard to believe that one of the greatest all time concept albums of all time turns 30 this year. When Operation: Mindcrime was released back in 1988, I had never heard anything like it. Even just the singles themselves, “I Don’t Believe in Love” and “Eyes of a Stranger” were unlike anything I had ever heard but then to find out that it was a full on concept album took my mind completely over the edge.
To celebrate 30 years of Operation: Mindcrime, Tate and long time friend/guitarist Scott Moughtan assembled a band of new, young blood featuring Kieran Robertson from Scotland on guitar, Bruno Sa from Brazil on keyboards, Jack Ross from Scotland on bass, and Josh Watts from England on drums. I also have to say that it’s pretty fukcing eerie how relevant the lyrical content of so much of this material is unfortunately relevant in this day and age. I couldn’t think of a better album to be played in a more ideal time.
The band took to the stage as the intro for “I Remember Now” filled the room and as the band launched into “Anarchy X” the crow lost it. “Revolution Calling” brought a roar from the crowd as Geoff made his way to the stage and he sounded absolutely amazing. Maybe it was having this new band of young blood but whatever it was, Tate was energized, he looked like he was having the time of life, and vocally he sounded the best I have heard him in years. Song after song this line up just crushed the Mindcrime material like the shit had been written and released a week or so prior. It felt and sound fresh and it sounded exciting.
The interplay between the band members added to a much more dynamic and dramatic presentation of the material and, as always, seeing Geoff slip into his character is always a fucking treat. Despite all of the Queensryche vs. Geoff Tate bullshit over the years, it’s just been really fucking nice to see Geoff in such a great place. He was having the time of his life and to even see him slip out of character from time to time to just enjoy the show to crack a joke or two was such a great way to see him.
The band delivered the Mindcrime material flawlessly then returned to the stage for a few more songs consisting of, “Best I Can”, “Silent Lucidity”, “Empire”, and “Jet City Woman. As much as I would have loved to have heard some more deep cuts or even some of Geoff’s stellar solo material, this wasn’t why we were here. We were here to celebrate Operation: Mindcrime and regardless of how many times I’ve heard it along with the four songs in the encore, it was like I was hearing them for the first time. “Silent Lucidity” made me cry, “Best I Can” had me feeling empower and “Jet City Woman” just reminded me of how that song never gets old for me.
I get it; people still don’t like Geoff Tate. They dislike him for reasons that they only “think” they know about and that’s all fine and good. If you want to go see that little dude who can “hit the notes”, by all means go for it. I saw them and thought they were about as exciting as watching paint dry. As for Tate, let me just say this, regardless of how you feel about him, to say that Tate is incapable of delivering a top notch performance obviously hasn’t seen one of these shows.
Tate sounds so passionate and full of fire and his partner in crime Scott Moughton is steering the ship in a way that would make Chris DeGarmo proud. The haters talk about how he’s stranded in the past living off one album while the “other band” is out there covering their own back catalog. All that aside, I see nothing but great thing for the future from Geoff and whoever he chooses to work with. Geoff Tate is a true artist and I hope that he will always continue to be the guy who pushes that big fucking button that always reads “DO NOT PUSH.”
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