GEOFF TATE Likes Playing Smaller Places On 'Operation: Mindcrime' 35th-Anniversary Tour: 'It Seems So Much More Personal'

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate spoke about what it has been like to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the band's classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album on tour in 2023. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "At first I was sort of, do I want to go out and tour this record? And in retrospect, I'm very happy I did. Because I've gone out on the 30th anniversary, and now it's the 35th anniversary, and it does take me a while to get everywhere in the world. And we try to take it to places where smaller towns and cities, where people can come and see the show and not have to travel a long distance. And I like that. I like being close to the audience and in a smaller venue where people can feel it more and they can see the look on your face when you're performing. It just seems so much more personal."

He continued:  "The record, to me, is a very personal record. It's about the transition of this guy who goes through a lot of challenges and heartbreak. And I try to portray that with the performance as well. And if you're in a big giant place, I don't think people pick up on that. They don't see it that way. And so I like the smaller venues where people get to see that and feel it. But I love performing the record and I'm happy that all these different promoters around the world asked for it, 'cause I probably wouldn't do it if they hadn't asked for it."

Joining Tate in his backing band are James Brown on guitar, Amaury Altmayer on guitar, Jack Ross on bass and Danny Laverde on drums.

In August, Tate told Mike Hsu of the 100 FM The Pike radio station that he was "on the second round of writing" his autobiography.

Geoff celebrated his 64th birthday on January 14 during his concert at Amaturo Theater in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Tate will return to the U.S. in early 2024 for a co-headlining tour with VANDENBERG, the band led by former WHITESNAKE guitarist Adrian Vandenberg.

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.

Tate was replaced in QUEENSRŸCHE by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

In the summer of 2022, Tate underwent an aortic valve replacement at the Universitäts-Herzzentrum Freiburg-Bad Krozingen (University Heart Center Freiburg) in Bad Krozingen, Germany.