GEOFF TATE On Performing Entire 'Operation: Mindcrime' Album Again: I'm Giving The People What They Want

Don De Leaumont of The Great Southern Brainfart recently conducted an interview with original QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Asked about his 30th-anniversary tour for QUEENSRŸCHE's landmark "Operation: Mindcrime" concept album during which he is performing the LP in its entirety, 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. You know who from? The promoters. I know people don't think of it from that perspective. I'm sure they must think that, 'Oh, Geoff Tate, he can't put that album away. He's just gonna keep playing it and playing it.' No, I wanna put it away. But the promoters just [say], 'You've gotta play 'Mindcrime' on this tour. You've gotta do it.' 'Ahh… Okay. One more time?' 'Just one more time.' [Laughs]

"But 30 is a good time," he continued. "I'm singing strong. I feel good. I've got a great band playing it who loves the album. And the fans are loving it and turning up in good numbers, and the promoters are happy. Everything's good. So I'm happy. I love the album; I love the songs; it's a very special record for me. Would I like to play other music? Yeah. [Laughs] I would. But this is what people want to hear from me at this point, so I'm giving them what they want."

The "Mindcrime" set covers all 15 songs from the album including such fan favorites as "Revolution Calling","Operation: Mindcrime", "I Don't Believe In Love" and the closing track, "Eyes Of A Stranger". As fans might remember, Geoff performed the album in its entirety on tour in 2013 to celebrate its 25th anniversary.

"Operation: Mindcrime" — one of the most iconic concept albums of all-time — was the album that thrust Geoff Tate's unique social consciousness, style and expertly crafted lyrics into the international spotlight.

Proving the music has stood the test of time, in 2006, Geoff and his QUEENSRŸCHE bandmates brought the theatrical interpretation of the "Mindcrime" saga to audiences all over the world. In October of that year, an epic performance was filmed and recorded, resulting in "Mindcrime At The Moore", an album/DVD set released in July of 2007 that would debut at #1 on the Billboard Music DVD chart. It would mark the band's first #1 chart debut, quickly selling over 50,000 units, achieving gold status.

In all, Geoff Tate has sold more than 25 million albums at the helm of QUEENSRŸCHE, the band he fronted for 30 years from their inception through 2012, earning three Grammy nominations, five MTV Music Video Award nominations and one MTV Music Video Award along the way. One of those Grammy nominations was for "I Don't Believe In Love" (1990, in the new category of Best Metal Performance),a song that appears on the "Operation: Mindcrime" album.

As for Geoff's current musical endeavor, his band OPERATION: MINDCRIME has released three albums in three years as part of a trilogy: "The Key" (September 2015),"Resurrection" (September 2016) and "The New Reality" (December 2017).

The band currently on tour features Kieran Robertson from Scotland on guitar, Bruno Sa from Brazil on keyboards, Jack Ross from Scotland on bass, Scott Moughton from Canada on guitar, Josh Watts from England on drums and Geoff Tate's daughter Emily, who is singing the parts of Sister Mary. She's also in the band TIL DEATH DO US PART, who are special guests on this tour.

The U.S. tour comes hot on the heels of the band's European trek that began earlier this year, hitting venues in such countries as Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Interview (audio):