GEOFF TATE'S OPERATION: MINDCRIME TO EMBARK
ON EXTENSIVE U.S. TOUR BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY
UPCOMING CONCERT PERFORMANCES TO FEATURE MAJOR HITS AND
FAN FAVORITES SPANNING GEOFF TATE'S ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER AS THE
ORIGINAL FRONT MAN OF QUEENSRYCHE, ALONG WITH NEW SONGS
FROM OPERATION: MINDCRIME'S RECENTLY RELEASED DEBUT ALBUM, "THE KEY"
On February 3, Geoff Tate and his new band, Operation: Mindcrime, will be hitting the road for over thirty dates on what will mark the band's first major U.S tour of the year (see full tour itinerary below). This comes hot on the heels of their extensive European tour in November and December that took them to such countries as Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The trek was the band's first in support of its debut album, The Key, which came out on Frontiers Music Srl in September 2015.
For the forthcoming U.S. tour, Geoff Tate will be joined by several of the stellar musicians and bandmates who performed on Operation: Mindcrime's The Key, including guitarists Kelly Gray (Queensryche) and Scott Moughton (Geoff Tate), drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC) and Scott Mercado (Candlebox) and keyboardist Randy Gane (Myth).
Perhaps one of Geoff Tate's most ambitious recordings to date, The Key examines what one might do if they discovered "the key" to changing the way we view the world, the way we look at time, the way we travel and could essentially change the human condition... for better or for worse.
The Key is the debut album under Tate's new Operation: Mindcrime banner, a creative platform that continues in the spirit of the historic album of the same name, spawning concepts as grand as the music, and intertwining the intensity of the former Queensryche vocalist's iconic past with the provocative, progressive mindset that has made him one of music's most resolute forces and frontmen.
What can fans expect on this tour? The unexpected.
According to Tate, "I plan to play songs from Empire, Operation: Mindcrime 1 and 2, Rage for Order and my new album, The Key, along with favorites from all the other albums I recorded under the name Queensryche," adding, "My band's name may have changed but the songs remain the same."
Tate has sold more than 25 million records at the helm of Queensryche, 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.
The landmark concept album Operation: Mindcrime thrust Tate's unique social consciousness, style and expertly crafted lyrics into the national spotlight in 1988, and was followed by Empire in 1990, the album that delivered Queensryche to arena-headlining status and sold more than three million albums on the back of hit singles and radio staples "Silent Lucidity" and "Jet City Woman."
By the time the band released Promised Land in 1994, Geoff Tate was universally acknowledged as one of the greatest frontmen in rock and metal, and a driving force behind one of the most innovative bands in mainstream music.
From Mindcrime and Promised Land through 2009's overlooked gem American Soldier - Tate's ambitious concept album that explores the consequences of war as told through the voices of veterans - Tate's 13-album tenure with Queensryche was marked by exploration, intrigue, bold risks and gratifying results.
The Key continues in that fine tradition.
Come February, Operation: Mindcrime will be bringing fans just what the doctor ordered with the usual surgical precision.
Call it "a musical journey to the center of your brain."
Let the "Operation" begin.
Operation: Mindcrime will wrap up the initial leg of their tour in Geoff Tate's hometown of Seattle, Washington with a performance at The Neptune on March 18.
OPERATION: MINDCRIME ONLINE:
OPERATION: MINDCRIME OFFICIAL VIDEOS FROM THE KEY:
OPERATION: MINDCRIME U.S. TOUR 2016
FEBRUARY
3 - Strummer's in Fresno, California
4 - The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California
5 - Ramona Mainstage in Ramona, California
6 - Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada
9 - Psychedelic Ballroom & Juke Joint in Reno, California
10 - Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach, California
11 - The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California
12 - The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California
13 - Ace of Spades in Sacramento, California
15 - Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Arizona
16 - Livewire in Scottsdale, Arizona
18 - Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico
19 - Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas
20 - Alamo City Music Hall in San Antonio, Texas
21 - Scout Bar in Houston, Texas
23 - 12th & Porter in Nashville, Tennessee
24 - Capone's in Johnson City, Tennessee
25 - Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina
26 - Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina
27 - Headquarters Live in Salisbury, Maryland
28 - Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pennsylvania
MARCH
1 - Gramercy Theatre in New York, New York
2 - The Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York
3 - The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, New York
4 - The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York
5 - Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, New Hampshire
7 - Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Maryland
9 - Jergel's Rhythm Grille in Warrendale, Pennsylvania
10 - House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio
11 - The Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan
12 - Tailgaters Grill in Bolingbrook, Illinois
13 - The Cotillion in Wichita, Kansas
17 - Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon
18 - The Neptune in Seattle, Washington
