At a jam packed Croxton Bandroom, Geoff Tate and his band delivered a stellar set of the iconic Queensryche album Operation: Mindcrime, from front to back.
Espionage and Black Majesty delivered their old school metal, but it was clear this would be a tough opening slot, when you are competing with a crowd who’s anticipation for tonight would have been building for weeks, even months.
After having been on the road celebrating the 30 year anniversary of the album for the best part of 2 years, tonight was the final date on this tour. So after two years touring the album, you’d expect a pretty tight and kick-ass set, and that’s indeed what was delivered. Geoff Tate, the man, the voice was in fine form, with that legendary vocal range on full display.
Playing the role of the protagonist Nikki, Tate brought a sense of showmanship to the performance, playing out some of those pivotal lyrical moments in songs such as Revolution Calling, Operation: Mindcrime, Speak. From the outset, the crowd fed off the energy from the band on stage and threw it back in spades. The band of merry Scots, Irish and English lads held their own delivering the intricate playing that this album is known for. Queensryche or no Queensryche, when it’s all said and done, it’s Geoff Tate’s performance and vocals that I came to witness. Making it a family affair, his daughter Emily played the part of Suite Sister Mary and of course, that original performance from Pamela Moore is always going to be hard to match live.
The bonus for tonight was also getting four tracks as an encore from the Empire album. Best I Can was performed in blistering fashion, the crowds vocals well and truly warmed up, with the brute force of the crowd gang vocals of “…and I won’t let go” even taking Tate by surprise. Silent Lucidity, introduced by Tate as the song “that I’ve been told over the years people have been married to, buried to, born to and made to” was magical. Empire followed and the crowd wanted Jet City Woman and they got it, to close out the set.
We came to this show knowing what we were going to get – the album front to back, so this review needs to not sweat on the finer details. For me, I was expecting greatness, but this exceeded expectations. So much so, I even relived the album by listening to it in it’s entirety on the drive home. A legendary performance of one of the greatest metal albums of all-time, by an all-time legendary vocalist. This will be one of the years most talked about gigs, no doubt.
PHOTO GALLERY
Photos by Scott Smith: Lens Of Rock
Geoff Tate
Black Majesty
