GEOFF TATE Says Performing QUEENSRŸCHE's Entire 'Empire' Album Is A 'Completely Selfish Endeavor'

Australia's Heavy magazine recently conducted an interview with former QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On rehearsing QUEENSRŸCHE's 1988 classic album, "Operation: Mindcrime" more than three decades after its release for a run of 30th-anniversary tour dates:

Geoff: "It was an enjoyable task to go back and delve into it and really listen to it again and see what it was that was there, which is interesting from my standpoint, because oftentimes as time goes by, you don't revisit the album so much as you remember it and you play the songs. Because it was the 30-year anniversary, I wanted to present it in a way that was more in line with how the record was recorded. I really listened to it closely and figured out a lot of things that I had sort of forgotten that I did on previous tours and different times of playing the record. I wanted to revisit the album and do more of an album-like version of the songs. That was quite different and pretty enjoyable, too, to go back and listen to it again with fresh ears."

On revisiting his thoughts and feelings from 30 years ago:

Geoff: "[Laughs] It definitely was a journey. I was surprised to see and recognize how the subject matter of the album is so similar to today, that even though 30 years ago so much has changed, mostly technological things have changed night and day, but I think the basic human sort of qualities that we have, the same human issues that we struggle with are still there. We haven't surpassed where we've been yet, like social justice, I think. In terms of human beings dominating each other, the rich getting richer, that's really stayed the same. Not too much growth in that area. [Laughs] Maybe there will never be. Maybe that's just the way it is. It is a different world now than it was in the mid-'80s. It's exciting to see the changes that are out there, but I think we could do a lot more. I think we can go further."

On the changes he's seen in the music industry over the last 30 years:

Geoff: "I've seen technology really blossom as well as the existing technology that was in place, especially the invention of digital technology and how it has completely changed our lives. I've seen the growth of personal computing and how that's changed and translated into making music now. I've seen the collapse of the record industry and studio industry. Quite a few changes, really, economically within the record business. Economically, it's radically changed now compared to what it used to be. Quite a few changes, really. Some of them, I think, for the better. Others are not so good. [Laughs]"

On whether there were any songs on "Operation: Mindcrime" that he never played live prior to this tour:

Geoff: "Not with 'Operation: Mindcrime', because I've performed it before in its entirety, but, I am launching a new tour now. Australia is the last place for presenting 'Operation: Mindcrime' in its entirety for its 30-year anniversary; these are the last shows of the tour. I'm a beginning a new tour now which is the 30th anniversary of the [1990 QUEENSRŸCHE] 'Empire' album. I'm playing that album for the first time. Yes, there are songs on there that I've never played live. I'm really looking forward to presenting that. It's from a completely selfish endeavor. It's my own want to finally play the music."

Tate will perform the QUEENSRŸCHE albums "Rage For Order" and "Empire" in their entirety on the "Empire 30th Anniversary Tour" in 2020.