COLUMBUS, OH-
“I remember now. I remember how it started. I can’t remember yesterday. I just remember doing what they told me.”
The iconic opening to Queensrÿche’s epic opus about a junkie/assassin named Nicky, Dr. X—“the man with the cure” to all that ails society—Mary, the woman who soothed Nicky’s angst, and the Priest who enslaved her. The album and lyrics transcend time, as most of the themes fit perfectly with the state of the world today. It is visionary and still relevant—a timeless statement on corruption, greed, and lust of the flesh. Funny, in my youth, I identified so much with Nicky and his plight. Now that I’m older, I kind of agree with Dr. X.
I remember being introduced to the album by a studio owner whilst my band was on a break from rehearsal. He told me of Geoff Tate’s 8-octave vocal abilities. I was intrigued. I remember being blown away by the album—its orchestration, lyrical content, and performance. I remember seeing the first videos that began to tell the story with the actors. I remember going to the Operation: Mindcrime tour hoping to see it live, but they only performed bits and pieces of the album.
I remember when it was announced that they would perform the whole album in its entirety on the Empire tour and knew I needed to be there. I remember seeing it all live with the full production at the Long Beach Arena. Wow. It was amazing. Then I remember they released the Operation: Livecrime box set, which had a VHS tape and/or a cassette or CD. I remember going to the Wherehouse (a now-defunct record store) on my lunch break the day it was released to purchase it. I have loved this album for 30-something years.
Now its life has come full circle, as I witnessed the final U.S. tour performance of the album in Columbus, OH. Geoff Tate and his international band performed it in its entirety at TempleLive, and it was amazing. Mind you, there was no video production, but it wasn’t needed. The songs stand on their own. Geoff’s voice is still as powerful and charismatic as ever. His band—which includes guitarists James Brown, Amaury Altmayer, and Dario Parente, drummer Danny Laverde, new bassist Jimmy Wynen, and Clodagh McCarthy handling keyboards and the part of Suite Sister Mary—filled the role with perfection.
The band stepped off the stage for a few minutes as they prepared for “Side 2” of the album, with Geoff addressing the crowd briefly before breaking into “The Needle Lies.” The climax of the album/set is a flurry of angst-filled songs of forlorn and regret. “Waiting for 22” is the moment Nicky wrestles with all that has happened and Mary’s death. Tate still emotes the songs so well to evoke the emotions of the characters. I found myself thoroughly involved as usual.
The audience was at a frenzied point as they sang along to “Breaking the Silence,” “I Don’t Believe in Love,” and “Eyes of a Stranger.” The bottom line, in my opinion, is that the material is much more than a rock album—much more than a rock opera. I have often wished they would screenplay it and make it into a movie like The Who’s Tommy or Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Maybe someday.
As we reached the end of the Operation: Mindcrime portion of the show, the band wasted no time breaking into a series of Queensrÿche hits with “Jet City Woman,” “Empire,” and of course “Silent Lucidity.” They also spent some time with songs from Operation: Mindcrime II with “Murderer?,” “The Chase,” “I’m American,” “If I Could Change It All,” and “Junkie’s Blues.” To close out the night, Geoff hit the classic “Take Hold of the Flame,” which really shows off his vocal prowess—even now at 66, he defies all the critics who claim he has lost his voice. Fools—go see the show, then you’ll know.
The first leg of the tour ended as of 4/25, but the second leg will pick up in September with more dates on the western side of the country and then Europe. Go see it. You won’t regret it.
Follow Geoff Tate on Facebook, Instagram and X.*********************
LIVE CLIPS
