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Show was fantastic love Queensryche's music for a long time now so it was great to see Geoff Tate live played for hour and a half support band the truce were pretty good only down call was we were waiting over an hour outside in the hallway before being left in but once left in the band's didn't disappoint 5 star show.

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Ex-QUEENSRŸCHE Singer GEOFF TATE Announces Tour Celebrating 35th Anniversary Of 'Operation: Mindcrime'

Former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate will celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band's classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album on tour in 2023. The European leg of the trek will include a nine-show run of dates in June.

Speaking about the tour, Tate said: "It's strange to think about, but this is my perspective. I wasn't actually even gonna do it again. I get requests — so many requests — to play this record in its entirety… So Ahh… Okay. One more time, just one more time."

U.K. tour dates:

June 14 - Sheffield, UK @ Corporation June 15 - Wolverhampton, UK @ KK's Steel Mill June 16 - Nuneaton, UK @ Queen's Hall June 17 - Newport, UK @ The Neon June 18 - London, UK @ The Garage June 20 - Bradford, UK @ Nightrain June 21 - Blackpool, UK @ The Waterloo June 22 - Buckley, UK @ Tivoli June 23 - Newcastle, UK @ The Cluny

Originally released in May 1988, QUEENSRŸCHE 's third studio album, "Operation: Mindcrime" took the quintet to an entirely new level. The concept, revealed through the songs, revolves around the character of Nikki , a recovering drug addict disillusioned with a corrupt society. Drawn into a cult-like revolutionary group headed by Dr. X (voiced by the late and beloved British actor Anthony Valentine ), Nikki is manipulated to assassinate political leaders until his friendship with nun Sister Mary finally opens his eyes to the truth. Regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time, "Operation: Mindcrime" was certified platinum in 1991 in the U.S. and was ranked in the "Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time" by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Rolling Stone included it on a similar list, noting that "nearly 30 years after its initial release, 'Mindcrime' feels eerily relevant."

The original "Operation: Mindcrime" album weaved themes of religion, drug abuse and underground, radical politics. By contrast, 2006's "Operation: Mindcrime II" was regarded as an unnecessary sequel that many felt cheapened the original album, despite being a decent record in its own right.

In a 2016 interview with East Valley Tribune , Tate said that he looked back fondly on "Operation: Mindcrime II" . "I haven't listened to that album since I recorded it," he admitted. "However, it was a new story. Overall, it went down well live with the audience. I have no complaints or regrets about it."

During QUEENSRŸCHE 's 2012 legal battle with Tate over the rights to the band's name, guitarist Michael Wilton submitted a sworn declaration in which he said the idea to make "Operation: Mindcrime II" was first brought to the table by Geoff 's wife and QUEENSRŸCHE 's then-manager Susan Tate . "The band was hesitant and did not want to lessen the original," the guitarist claimed. "But Susan Tate and Geoff Tate hired a budget producer and took control without really any other input. Scott Rockenfield [drums], Eddie Jackson [bass] and I were squeezed out of having any input in the musical direction or business decisions, thus the project suffered. During the initial writing phase, I would show up to bring my input to the creative process only to find that the producer, the new guitar player (who were both staying with the Tates at the time),along with Geoff Tate had been up late the night before or up early that morning and had written the songs without me. I was then told my ideas were not needed as the songs were now done. I could, however, 'bring my own style' in during the recording after learning to play what they wrote for me. In frustration, I gave up on the writing process knowing that I would at least get to make changes in the studio to bring back the QUEENSRŸCHE sound into these songs that we were known for. The final straw was when they refused to let me to be a part of the final recordings and mixes. I was shut out and they had the nerve to replace some of my parts on my songs. They denied me flying to San Francisco to be a part of my band, telling me that everything was ready to go and I was not needed. Had the communication been better, and had I been aware that parts needed to be recorded or rewritten, I would have been there. It was not until years later that I even became aware of the issues during the final recording and mixing of 'Operation: Mindcrime II' . It was all under the control of Geoff and Susan Tate . Call it delusions of grandeur, but they were convinced that this was going to sell three times more than the original, and to date (six years later) this album has sold fewer than 150,000 copies. The original album sold over 500,000 copies within a year."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Wilton , Rockenfield and Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton , Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE , while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate 's replacement, Todd La Torre , has released four albums thus far with QUEENSRŸCHE : 2013's "Queensrÿche" , 2015's "Condition Hüman" , 2019's "The Verdict" and 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance" .

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Queensryche – Operation: Mindcrime – What’s the Full Story?

classicmetalhawk

February 15, 2023

Queensryche’s ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ – a great Classic Heavy Metal Album in its own right, and one of the all time great Classic Heavy Metal concept albums. But have you ever wondered what about the full story the band were trying to tell on the album? Maybe got confused by an occasional gap? If so, you’re in the right place. Step right up to hear it in full.

Misinformation

Isn’t the internet great? When Classic Metal Hawk was growing up and listening to all the Classic Heavy Metal bands featured on here for the first time, there was no internet. And that meant that any questions you might have had about bands, or musicians, or songs, or albums were sometimes a lot more difficult to answer.

You could ask friends who liked the same kind of music. But not if you wanted reliable information. Yes, The Hawk was fed a ton of confident stories by friends back in the day who said they had some inside line (‘a friend of mine works for the record label…’). Spoiler – mostly utter bullshit.

Trusted Sources

Magazines on the other hand were a great help. In the UK, Kerrang and Metal Hammer were bibles at the time for knowing anything. Release dates, tour dates, line-up changes, any other news and gossip. In a funny way, that pre-internet magazine era was inconvenient, and yet at the same time memorable. Having to actually turn up physically at a shop and buy a paper magazine. But it definitely generated an air of anticipation whenever a new issue came out about what discoveries would lie within. And what do people do for posters anyway, now that there’s nothing tangible to buy any more?

But The Hawk is digressing unforgivably. What if the Classic Heavy Metal question burning you up wasn’t featured in a magazine, and none of your friends knew anything? Then what were you supposed to do? So yes, just googling the answer like we all do these days might not have quite the same air of romance, but at least you get to know what you want.

Operation: Mindcrime

Which brings us, at long last, to the point of this post – exactly one of those specific questions that Classic Metal Hawk lost so much sleep over back in the day. Namely: What is the exact storyline being told on Queensryche’s ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ album.

(NB: Let’s get this out of way up front. The Hawk’s keyboard does not feature a ‘y’ with an umlaut over the top, and he can’t be bothered to look for one. Therefore all articles about Queensryche on here will feature only the regular ‘y’ instead. The umlaut feels a bit stupid anyway – there, I’ve said it.)

‘Operation: Mindcrime’ was Queensryche’s third studio album, and probably the one that paved the way for all the future success that followed. Not their biggest ever seller (the next offering ‘Empire’ did better), ‘Mindcrime’ was nevertheless a big breakthrough both critically and commercially.

The Concept

One of the reasons for the success was that in ‘Operation: Mindcrime’, Queensryche pulled off a concept album / rock opera that probably was and is one of the greatest ever examples in rock and heavy metal. The songs are progressive compositions and stand extremely well alone, but put together they tell a story with an unusual amount of depth and rigour, in large part due to development of different characters as the album progresses – Nikki, Doctor X, Sister Mary, the Priest. That combination of storyline and musical composition was what got the critics raving, but the band were able to deliver it in the form of an album that people still wanted to listen to. No mean feat at all.

However, for The Hawk’s money, in spite of all the bands best compositional efforts, there are still unanswered questions on that story that are difficult to resolve just by listening to the record. It just always felt a bit incomplete. Maybe that’s partly deliberate – sometimes, works of art are made ambiguous by design. The creators treat their audiences like grown-ups, and let them put their own interpretations on stuff. And that’s great for people with enough imagination.

But The Hawk found it a little frustrating. Sure, the themes are obvious – drug addiction, anarchy, murder, love. But how do all those bits fit together exactly?

The Story In Full

Today, the internet means we can piece that all together with a degree of confidence. So, what do we now know about the full story?

There’s the main protagonist, Nikki. He was a deadbeat, down and out heroin addict – though still lucid enough to harbour intense political anger about the corruption and hypocrisy he sees all around him. And this means he is naturally drawn to anarchist ideas – tearing down all the corrupt structures of society, and replacing them for the benefit of the people. So when fate brings him into contact with the head of a shadowy revolutionary organization, there’s already something of a meeting of minds – a Revolution Calling.

The villain in question, known only as Doctor X, has developed mind control / brainwashing techniques to help ensure the obedience of his followers, and this is where the album’s title comes from. Nikki falls under Dr. X’s spell and ‘Mindcrime’ is the trigger word that transforms him into Dr X’s puppet. (Dr X is abe to play on Nikki’s heroin addiction as well, giving him even more leverage).It reminds The Hawk a bit of Operation Blackbriar from the Jason Bourne movies – assets are trained, brainwashed, and can be activated at any time on the command of the organization. And just like in those movies, Dr X activates Nikki to perform assassinations on behalf of his organization.

This is actually one of the ambiguities of the story. Nikki is naturally sympathetic to the idea of anarchy / revolution, so why does Dr X have to manipulate him with a combination of heroin addiction and brainwashing? Maybe Nikki would have come on board anyway. But maybe he wouldn’t have gone as far as to murder for his ideals if it were not for the mind control. Who knows?

Sister Mary

Anyway, Nikki is certainly a big supporter of Dr X’s ideas, and becomes an influential figure in the criminal organization. As a reward for his loyalty, he is offered (via a corrupt priest) the services of sometime prostitute and nun Sister Mary. Naturally, love starts to bloom between the 2 organizational drones, and Nikki starts to question his actions and those of the organization. As with any cult, this one is built on corruption, with loyalty to the leader being the only important trait for members – much more so that furthering the supposed aims of the organization.

Assassination Plot

This is proved when Dr X notices the developing relationship between Nikki and Mary, and orders Nikki to kill both her and the priest. It’s both a test of Nikki’s loyalty, and a way to rid himself of the potentially subversive Mary all at the same time. Still under the influence of the Mindcrime program and somewhat under Dr X’s control, Nikki travels to the church intending to carry out the orders, and indeed murders the priest. But then humanity breaks through, and Nikki can’t bring himself to kill his new love.

Instead, he confronts Dr X, telling him that both he and Mary have had it. They are going to leave the organization together. But Dr X still has plenty influence over Nikki even though the brainwashing had failed to get him to murder Mary. The guy started out as a heroin addict after all, and so Dr X only has to paint a grim picture of life as an addict back on the streets to have Nikki’s doubts come flooding in.

Mental Breakdown

Unsure of what his next move should be, Nikki returns to Mary only to find her dead, and he suffers a full-on breakdown upon making the discovery. Did he kill Mary under the Mindcrime influence without remembering? Did Dr X murder her as punishment for threatening to leave? Either way, Nikki can’t cope with his loss. He runs through the streets in the grip of insanity calling Mary’s name. That attracts the attention of the police, who find a gun on him and accuse him of Mary’s murder.

By this time, Nikki has suffered a total memory loss and ends up in a mental institution, which is where we find him at both the start and the end of the story. In the beginning, he has no memory, but then starts to have recall, piecing together the rest of the story.

Stranger to Himself

The album ends with one of the strongest songs on the album – ‘Eyes of a Stranger.’ Nikki looks into the mirror on the wall of his institution and only sees a stranger. He can no longer recognize himself at all.

Incidentally, the question of who did actually kill Mary is never resolved on the album – the band revealed on a later DVD, ‘Mindcrime at the Moore’ that her death was actually a suicide. But for Classic Metal Hawk, that’s more of a sideshow. The real tension that is brought to bear on the album lies in Nikki really not knowing what had happened. It’s only that unbearable combination of losing her and wondering if might be responsible that drives him over the edge into insanity, and the climax of the story.

A Classic Tragedy

And maybe Nikki would have felt responsible for her death even if he hadn’t actually pull the trigger. After all, meeting him had set in train the events that led to Mary’s death. They weren’t safe to have a real relationship within the organization, nor could they be permitted to leave. So, as for Romeo and Juliet , the tragedy was inevitable. It’s a classic storyline to go onto a classic heavy metal record.

Apparently, Queensryche singer Geoff Tate had become friendly with members of the Quebec separatist movement when he lived in Canada. He also had been friends with heroin addicts who ended up destitute. Together, these provided the main sources of inspiration for the Mindcrime concept.

‘Eyes of a Stranger’ and ‘I Don’t Believe in Love’ were released as singles, and became the first by the band to chart in the US, introducing them to a wider audience for the first time. So, as said, the songs stood well on their own, and helped pave the path to success. But it’s the whole album played end to end that really makes everything stand out. It’ s the full Shakespearean story of anarchy, love, and tragedy that makes the songs fully come to life.

The Sequel – Truth is Angrier than Fiction

The characters are later revisited during Operation: Mindcrime 2, a follow-up released fully 18 years later in 2006. By then, tensions within the band were approaching breaking point, and caused at least as much intrigue as the storyline in the Mindcrime sequel. So that’s worthy of a separate article.

In the meantime, at least now you know why Nikki was so highly strung.

Thanks internet. Let’s play out with another ‘Operation Mindcrime’ track, just because we can. Here’s ‘The Mission’, where Nikki starts to question some of his life choices.

Did The Hawk miss out any important parts of the Operation: Mindcrime story?

Share them in the comments below, if so, or send feedback direct to The Hawk . We’re on a mission here to get it complete. (And comment on the songs while you’re at it!!)

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35th Anniversary of Operation Mindcrime Tour @ Matanuska Brewing Company

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Geoff Tate announces UK dates for ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ tour

The former Queensrÿche singer will be playing the album in full

Former Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate has announced a set of UK dates as part of the European leg of his tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ album.

Speaking about the tour, Tate said: "It's strange to think about, but this is my perspective.

“I wasn't actually even gonna do it again. I get requests — so many requests — to play this record in its entirety…

“So Ahh… Okay. One more time, just one more time."

‘Operation: Mindcrime’ was Queensrÿche’s breakthrough third album.

Released in 1988, it was a concept album and rock opera set in a dystopian future and established the US band as prog-metal superstars.

Watch: Queensrÿche - 'Eyes Of A Stranger'

Singer Tate acrimoniously split from Queensrÿche in 2012 and subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming that he had been illegally fired from the band.

He later launched his own version of Queensrÿche before losing rights to the name.

He toured to mark the album’s 25th anniversary in 2013 and also renamed his band Operation: Mindcrime.

Geoff Tate ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ tour dates 2023

Geoff Tate will be performing the classic concept album in full at following UK venues

Sheffield Corporation - Wed 14th

Wolverhampton KK’s Steel Mill - Thu 15th

Nuneaton Queen’s Hall – Fri 16th

Newport, The Neon - Sat 17th

London, the Garage - Sun 18th

Bradford Nightrain – Tuesday 20th

Blackpool, The Waterloo - Wednesday 21st

Buckley Tivoli - Thursday 22nd

Newcastle, The Cluny - Friday 23rd

Gallery: Stonedeaf Festival 2019, featuring Geoff Tate

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Operation: Mindcrime

Operation: Mindcrime are a progressive rock band from Seattle, Washington, featuring former Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate.

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Official website operationmindcrime.com

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Operation: Tour — Geoff Tate talks performing and upcoming album

By Alan Sculley

G eoff Tate is returning to Tucson. He’ll take the stage at the Rialto Theatre on Tuesday, April 16.

During his 30 years as singer and primary songwriter in Queensryche, Tate never concerned himself with getting his name recognized. In fact, the names of all of the band members were largely unknown to many music fans.

That wasn’t a problem for Tate, who wanted to promote Queensryche as a band — until he had a stormy parting of ways with the group in 2012.

“When the breakup happened and we went our separate ways, people didn’t know my name as much as they knew the word Queensryche,” Tate said. “Of course, I had spent all of those years promoting that name.”

That explains why he has yet to record any albums under his own name. His first three post-Queensryche albums — the thematically connected “The Key” (2015), “Resurrection” (2016) and “The New Reality” (2017) — were released under the band name Operation: Mindcrime.

As Queensryche fans know, “Operation: Mindcrime” is the name of that band’s signature release — a 1988 concept album that traces its main character, a heroin addict named Nikki, on a path to becoming an assassin for a revolutionary group plotting to overthrow a country’s government.

“Operation: Mindcrime” introduced Queensryche to a significant audience of heavy metal/hard rock/progressive rock fans and set the stage for the 1990 album, “Empire,” which became a triple-platinum hit behind its crossover single, the ballad “Silent Lucidity.”

“I kind of had to start with something that people recognized in order to market myself and to sell tickets to my shows,” Tate explained. “They knew the words ‘Operation: Mindcrime,’ and that’s what we used as a way of kind of segueing into me being a complete solo artist now. They had to learn who I was, which sounds so weird, but it’s very true.”

Tate has since gone on to release two more albums, this time under the name Sweet Oblivion featuring Geoff Tate. Those albums, a self-titled 2019 release and 2021’s “Relentless,” will be joined by a third Sweet Oblivion album this year, assuming current plans hold.

As on “Relentless,” Tate partnered with Aldo Lonobile to write and produce the third Sweet Oblivion album. (The main songwriting and production on the self-titled album was handled by Simone Mularoni.)

“We really clicked, and I think we’ve got another really cool album in the works right now,” Tate said, noting the third Sweet Oblivion project is heading into the final production stage. “It’s still pretty early to talk about it. I can’t really talk about it too much. But I definitely see it coming out (this year).”

The Operation: Mindcrime name also ties into the sequence of events that led to Queensryche’s dismissal of Tate. Tensions had been growing within the band, and the situation came to a head in spring 2012 when the band fired Tate’s wife, Susan, who was managing Queensryche, and Tate’s stepdaughter, Miranda, who ran the fan club.

The conflict spilled into the public eye at an April 2012 show in Sao Paulo, Brazil, when a backstage fight broke out between Tate and the other core members of Queensryche. After that messy incident, Tate was given his walking papers.

This led to lawsuits over the dismissal and who would own the rights to the Queensryche name.

In the end, the two sides settled. The band, in a May 2014 statement, said it had bought out Tate’s portion of the Queensryche name and allowed Tate through August 2014 to bill himself as the “original singer of Queensryche” or “formerly of Queensryche.” After that date, Tate could no longer use the Queensryche name in any form, while the other band members would have exclusive rights to it. Tate, in turn, gained sole rights to perform the “Operation: Mindcrime” album in its entirety at “unique performances,” as well as “Operation: Mindcrime II,” the 2006 sequel to the original album.

“What we settled on in the court case was that they bought the (Queensryche) name from me. So that is something I deal with,” Tate said. “It’s probably a good thing because none of them, I don’t think, could have survived if they had to go by their own names rather than the one Queensryche. It worked out for both parties really well.”

Queensryche, with original members Michael Wilton (guitar) and Eddie Jackson (bass) still in the band, remains very much an ongoing entity, having released four albums with new singer Todd La Torre, the most recent of which was 2022’s “Digital Noise Alliance.”

As Tate’s recording output since 2012 suggests, he’s also remained very active as a solo artist. In addition to releasing the Operation: Mindcrime and Sweet Oblivion albums, he’s maintained a packed touring schedule.

Unlike many solo artists that move on from famous bands, though, most of Tate’s touring up to now has not been centered on promoting his post-Queensryche music. Instead, he’s done a series of tours coinciding with the anniversaries of the Queensryche albums “Rage for Order” (1986), “Operation: Mindcrime” and “Empire.”

“I think it was the timing. When you have a 30-year anniversary staring you in the face, it’s hard not to do it,” Tate said. “I’d like to sort of ease back on playing the ‘Operation: Mindcrime’ album in its entirety, but I get so many requests from so many promoters in different places all over the world that want to bring the show there. Again, it’s sort of tough to say no and do something else. But I’ve sort of become interested in compromising with them and say, ‘OK, well we’re doing this show first, but we can be there in 2024 or ’25.’ It’s that kind of thing. I’m just very happy that people want to hear the music, that they’re interested in it. That’s a glorious thing and I’m very humbled by that.”

The only thing that has slowed Tate down over the past decade was open heart surgery in June 2022 that involved installing a valve on his heart.

“It was kind of a surprise to me because I didn’t really have any symptoms, obvious symptoms,” Tate, 65, said. “I just went in for a checkup and they found that I had a pretty serious issue that I needed to get corrected. I just thought I was feeling normal for a guy my age. Since the surgery, and getting the valve replaced, I feel 15 years younger. I feel incredible. I have so much more energy and so much more wind power. I just feel great.”

Tate has tour dates on the books for much of 2024, with a good number of the shows part of his Big Rock Show tour. The shows, he said, will encompass his entire career with Queensryche and his solo work.

“It’s got a set list of songs that comprise all of the different records I’ve released over the years,” Tate said. “These are the singles, the radio singles, the video singles, from the albums. I’m also adding some deep cuts for the hardcore fans, songs I haven’t played before.”

Geoff Tate’s Big Rock Show Hits

WHEN: 8 p.m., Tuesday, April 16

WHERE: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress Street, Tucson

COST: $30-$40 INFO: www.rialtotheatre.com

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