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#Queensryche

There's A Revolution: Geoff Tate closes book on Operation: Mindcrime

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There's A Revolution: Geoff Tate closes book on Operation: Mindcrime

For a man who has performed in San Antonio since the third concert his former band ever played back in 1983, a couple of consistencies have glaringly rung true regarding Geoff Tate:

  • As long as promoters want him to play Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety, he will

  • San Antonians will never get tired of hearing him do so

And why should they?

Widely regarded as the greatest heavy metal concept album in history, the original voice of Queensryche has performed the 1988 masterpiece from beginning to end on at least five occasions in the Alamo City, nearly always at the Aztec Theatre.

Saturday night’s rendition at the Aztec marked what Tate has billed as “Operation: Mindcrime: The Final Chapter.” Though he has said that prior occasions would mark the last time he would play the album live, including as recently as 2025 at the Aztec, this latest performance may have been the most scintillating of them all.

Given the energy, musicianship, enthusiasm and electricity that was vibrant on stage and throughout the venue, it would’ve been easy for fans to forget that Tate had open heart surgery just four years ago — another reason this man and his band should always be appreciated on stage going forward no matter what he chooses to play and something we discussed before his 2022 appearance (watch here).

Accompanied by Irish support acts Ogma and Tomas McCarthy — each of whom employed a musician that pulled double duty in Tate’s band, and neither of which had even been mentioned by the Aztec as being on the bill — Tate donned a black cowboy hat and appeared to feel right at home.

His band featuring guitarists Kieran Robertson (Glasgow, Scotland), Dario Parente of Rome and James Brown (Kilkenny, Ireland), bassist “Smilin’ “ Jack Ross (Glasgow, Scotland), one-moniker drummer Baker of Seattle, keyboardist Bruno Sa Ferreira from Rio de Janeiro, cellist Julia-Maria and violinist Ryan Parsons (both of Cork, Ireland) and alto saxophonist / vocalist Clodagh McCarthy from Wexford, Ireland, were impressive throughout the show.

McCarthy, the wife of Tomas, reprised the role of “Suite Sister Mary” following in the footsteps of others such as Sass Jordan and Tate’s daughter Emily Tate. Watch the band in action via ATM footage below during the Mindcrime portion on “I Don’t Believe in Love,” “Waiting For 22,” “My Empty Room” and one of the greatest songs in Queensryche’s catalog, album closer “Eyes of a Stranger.”

There’s no denying Operation: Mindcrime’s influence on metalheads around the world. For this writer, the album was purchased immediately after high school let out on release day with a trip to an Illinois record store six months before the video for “Eyes of a Stranger” even dropped on MTV and would take the metal community by storm.

Following the album’s hour-long performance and chapter closure (theoretically), Tate told his audience, “Guess what? We’re just getting started.”

With that, Tate and Clodagh McCarthy broke out the saxes for a unique jazzy playing of the revolutionary “Can . . . you . . . hear . . . it calling” part of the title track to 1990’s Empire (ATM footage below) that morphed into the second half of the set (see setlist in 65-photo gallery).

Tate was fresh off a New Year’s Eve acoustic set at Deco Ballroom only 39 days earlier in which he delved into deep cuts “Until There Was You,” “I Will Remember” and a pair of Hear in the Now Frontier tracks in “Sign of the Times” and “Chasing Blue Sky” — the latter appears on the reissue edition. So naturally, this night’s performance stuck mostly to the hits including “Jet City Woman” during which Tate brought up a fan named Mitchell Miller onstage to join in the singing.

But that wasn’t all.

At song’s end, Tate presented Miller with a surprising souvenir that he’s sure to treasure forever (ATM footage below).

Then it was time for the one track that wasn’t part of the norm. Not to mention, the most serious part of the show. Turning into an acoustic bit that spotlighted Parsons on violin and Julia-Maria on cello, Tate gave his two cents on the recent trend of violence around the nation without directly mentioning Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Fuck this violence,” Tate said as he took a drink. “Let’s get rid of it. Here’s to those families that have been torn apart by acts of violence.” That segued into the rarely ever played “Blood” from 2003’s Tribe (ATM footage below).

The changing tone was odd given that it came immediately following the happiness of the fan participation on stage. But its inclusion was more important than its placement.

Tate’s concerts that include deep tracks from albums that may not have resonated with Queensryche fans as much as Mindcrime and Empire was something ATM spoke about with Tate before one of his two Aztec appearances in 2014 (watch here).

Ogma played an energetic 30-minute rock set led by singer / guitarist Brown that included an ode to fellow Irish mainstays Thin Lizzy with “Jailbreak,” though that would’ve fit better toward the end of the set rather than the second tune. Watch ATM footage below of original track “Enslaved.”

Tomas McCarthy, meanwhile, wowed the crowd with his own 30-minute opening set. Joined by his aforementioned wife Clodagh on vocals and alto sax and guitarist James Keegan, the Mrs. told the crowd that when they opened for Tate previously at the Aztec, it was their favorite gig of the entire tour due to the venue’s marvel.

The challenge the trio faced of keeping the crowd’s interest and attention due to the fact it doesn’t employ electric guitars or a drummer is akin to what instrumental guitarists face performing live, but they more than pulled it off. Watch the group in action below on the title track to EP Colours, a Grammy-nominated track Tomas McCarthy wrote after the passing of a friend that wasn’t meant to be released musically.

Meanwhile, Tate is said to be working on Operation: Mindcrime III with Disturbed bassist and Austin native John Moyer producing.

That, of course, would leave the door open to Tate eventually playing the original, its 2006 sequel and forthcoming effort live at once.

So does that mean “The Final Chapter” of Nikki’s story with Sister Mary and Dr. X is not so final after all?

Or has it just begun?

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Geoff Tate unwraps classics and rarities with melting pot of musicians

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Geoff Tate unwraps classics and rarities with melting pot of musicians

Geoff Tate’s love affair with San Antonio, and in particular the Aztec Theatre, continued last Saturday night before a devoted, sometimes raucous crowd of approximately 1,000 fans.

But unlike Tate’s three prior Aztec stops, the Dec. 17 show with special guest Mark Daly spanned most of his iconic 30-year stint as Queensryche’s vocalist rather than singling out albums performed in their entirety. No, Tate’s sixth Aztec visit since 2014 in his last seven San Antonio stops — a 2019 trip to the Rock Box being the exception — featured a cornucopia of hits from various albums during a rocking, and Christmas-y, 1-hour and 39-minute showing.

Eleven months removed from performing Rage for Order and Empire from beginning to end last November (coverage here), and only half a year since requiring open-heart surgery as we discussed in our pre-show interview below, Tate continued to amaze as only he can.

Opening with the title track to 1990’s Empire (setlist in photo gallery), the former Queensryche vocalist dug into his vault on seldom-played tracks “Desert Dance” from 2003’s Tribe, “Sacred Ground” off of 1999’s Q2K (ATM Facebook Live footage here) plus “Cold” from 2013’s Frequency Unknown and the emotionally moving "Bridge” courtesy of 1994’s Promised Land (watch both here).

Other than omitting the entire introductory buildup on 1984 classic “Take Hold of the Flame,” to the point where the start of Saturday’s version was nearly unrecognizable, Tate’s and his band’s performance was nearly flawless. The inclusion of deep cuts mixed with Operation: Mindcrime standouts “Breaking the Silence” and “I Don’t Believe in Love” (ATM footage of both below) plus Empire staples “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity” made the evening as well-rounded as it could be.

And before one reads this and thinks they don’t need to hear the latter ballad anymore and be perfectly fine with that, let it be known that the best note emanating from Tate’s oft-imitated never duplicated voice came when he sang the “will protect you in the night” part. The last word of that stretch wasn’t held. It wasn’t screamed. It just sounded as perfect as it could get, enough to raise these eyebrows as the ears perked up. It was one of those moments where you just had to be there to see and hear it.

With the exception of a slight backing track on opener “Empire” — a song that calls for it given the abundance of mixes of Tate’s vocals particularly during the chorus — and a brief echo on finale “Queen of the Reich,” the entire show was devoid of distracting, lengthy delays.

In fact, Tate’s reinsertion of “Queen of the Reich,” a tune he had said he couldn’t relate to lyrically anymore — necessitating an elaboration on his part during our interview below — was a pleasant surprise given that he had insinuated fans would never hear him sing that tune again. Donning a Christmas hat and handing out more to his bandmates, Tate and his crew played a metal version of “Silver Bells” prior to ending the night with that first track from the 1983 self-titled debut EP (ATM footage of both below).

The fact that he not only played the song but attempted the patented opening scream on “Queen of the Reich” especially since he no longer tries it on “Take Hold of the Flame,” and specifically at that point in the show and given his open-heart surgery reeked of Tate sending the message to critics: “Yep, you bet your sweet ass I can still do it if I want to.”

And speaking of Tate’s band . . .

Guitarists Kieran Robertson of Scotland, Alex Hart from Boston and James Brown of Ireland, bassist “Smilin’ “ Jack Ross of Scotland, keyboardist Bruno Sa of Brazil and drummer Daniel Laverde from Cincinnati have also been coming to San Antonio with Tate the past several years. Sa, in fact, played guitar during the 2018 Operation: Mindcrime band performance.

On this night, all but Sa and Robertson pulled double duty as Ross, Brown, Hart and Laverde played with opening act Daly.

The Irish singer and guitarist released four-song EP Nothing to Lose two weeks earlier and hooked up with Tate for this tour thanks in large part to having songwriting credits on Tate’s trilogy of Operation: Mindcrime band albums from 2015-17.

In addition to putting on a stellar showing, Daly impressed perhaps even more with his sense of humor and banter with the crowd. Most of it can be seen via ATM’s footage of his Highly Suspect cover of “Lydia” and the EP title track below, so we won’t give it away. But another non-filmed dose of funny came when he introduced the band and got to Brown.

Referring to him as The James Brown, Daly asked his fellow Irishman how he felt. When Brown shrugged and said, “I feel alright,” the crowd serenaded him with tongue-in-cheek boos.

There’s not much left to say when it comes to Tate performing in San Antonio that hasn’t been mentioned in this space previously. He’s a model of consistency that always gives the crowd what it wants yet still has the gumption to mix things up with obscure tracks when he’s already performed the same classic albums repeatedly.

The fact that Daly opened up the audience’s eyes and ears to his talented musicianship as well made the evening a double whammy of fun and entertainment for those who continue to be dedicated to one of the Alamo City’s virtual adopted sons. And it appears musician and fans wouldn’t have it any other way.

GEOFF TATE SETLIST: Empire, Another Rainy Night (Without You), Desert Dance, I Am I, Sacred Ground, Best I Can, Real World, Breaking the Silence, I Don’t Believe in Love, Cold, Bridge, Screaming in Digital, Walk in the Shadows, Take Hold of the Flame, Jet City Woman, Silent Lucidity. Encores: Silver Bells, Queen of the Reich

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Judas Priest, Queensryche inject Alamo City with double dose of musical excellence

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Judas Priest, Queensryche inject Alamo City with double dose of musical excellence

It may not have been the month-long residency many artists have undertaken in Las Vegas the past several years. But when Judas Priest and Queensryche arrived last week in San Antonio, they packed their buses for more than a one-night stay.

Back-to-back performances at the new Tech Port Center + Arena last Tuesday and Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving before approximately 3,000 fans each night in the 3,100-capacity venue near Lackland Air Force Base saw a combined 90 years worth of molten metal take flight.

Could any other city the world over claim that?

It’s OK. We’ll wait for your answer.

Perhaps that was just part of the reason Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, while giving thanks to the late Joe Anthony for being the first disc jockey in the United States to expose Priest’s music in the 1970s and ‘80s to an American listening audience, said in part: “It feels so good to be back in San Antonio. It’s like home to me . . . the beloved Joe Anthony. Two nights here. It just goes to show that heavy metal is in the heart of San Antonio. It’s the heavy metal capital of Texas as far as I’m concerned.”

Queensryche vocalist Todd La Torre was not to be outdone on Night 2 when he said, “San Antonio is the most metal city.”

The dual nights followed a March 21 appearance by both artists at Freeman Coliseum. For non-math majors, that’s three visits to the Alamo City this year.

And it’s not like those on hand at Tech Port needed 50 years to realize Judas Priest is a special band. Nevertheless, the group’s reception of the Musical Excellence Award earlier in the month at the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, which saw Halford and original bassist Ian Hill reunite (one night only, for now) with guitarist K.K. Downing and ‘70s drummer Les Binks, was the cherry on top of the Birmingham, England, natives’ latest stop. It’s also something Hill discussed with Alamo True Metal here.

Celebrating 50 years of heavy metal and the 40th year of seminal album Screaming for Vengeance, the mighty Priest displayed a vast selection of hits including “Hell Bent for Leather, “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight,” deeper cuts “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” and “Judas Rising” along with the title track to its 2018 and most recent album Firepower, followed by that record’s “Never the Heroes.” Priest played the same identical set each night, but those who only attended Night 2 received an extra song in their classic cover of Joan Baez’s “Diamonds and Rust.”

While it’s easy to say it’s not a complete Judas Priest concert without staples “Victim of Changes,” “Painkiller,” and “Metal Gods,” it was refreshing to see the five-decade mainstays throw caution to the wind, while riding on it, and change things up from previous tours.

But you can also say it’s definitely not a complete Priest showing without guitarist Glenn Tipton, who had been appearing for the encores in recent visits dating back to 2018 but whose bout with Parkinson’s disease undoubtedly prevented an appearance this time around. T-shirts were selling at the merch booth with sales from one specialty top going toward Tipton’s Parkinson’s Foundation.

Guitarist Richie Faulkner, sporting a fresh scar from his ruptured aorta endured onstage in September 2021 in Louisville, Kentucky, and subsequent 10 1/2-hour emergency open heart surgery, demonstrated that every show he plays from here on out is a major miracle of life as he continued to do what he does best on stage.

Veteran producer and guitarist Andy Sneap returned as well, while drummer Scott Travis subbed out his usual introduction of “Painkiller” for the title track to Screaming for Vengeance (ATM Facebook Live footage here).

No professional video was allowed of Judas Priest, but you can watch them via more ATM Facebook Live footage from the first night on “Genocide,” “Steeler,” “Between the Hammer and the Anvil” and “Halls of Valhalla.” Also check out “Beyond the Realms of Death,” “Judas Rising” and “Devil’s Child.”

Recognition from the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame can be a funny thing. It obviously means a lot to the musicians who put in the work and longevity. From a fan standpoint, it only seems to matter when an artist that is long overdue to receive such status doesn’t, thus setting off a chain of rebellious emotions that serves as the basis of heavy metal music in the first place.

Enter bands such as Iron Maiden. Motorhead.

And Queensryche.

Perhaps the latter will get there one day. To its lifelong fans, however, the place among the Rock Hall’s elite doesn’t need to be solidified officially because it already began with the band’s 1983 self-titled EP and full-length follow-up The Warning in 1984.

Queensryche spotlighted those two records among their opening tracks each night (see setlists below and in photo gallery), as evidenced by ATM footage on Night 2 of “En Force.” La Torre, original guitarist Michael Wilton, guitarist Mike Stone, original bassist Eddie Jackson and drummer Casey Grillo kept the hits coming on “Take Hold of the Flame,” “Screaming In Digital” and finale “Eyes of a Stranger.”

Unlike the show in March, Queensryche also brought some terrific new music with them. Having released Digital Noise Alliance on Oct. 7, the band debuted “Behind the Walls” and “In Extremis” (ATM footage below photo gallery). The album marks the fourth already with La Torre on vocals, and fans should start getting used to hearing more of his material without the frontman almost apologetically telling an audience that the group is going to take a break from the classics and hits to unveil new tunes.

After all, La Torre is marking his own decade in Queensryche. So it’s about time fans more than simply try out his other albums The Verdict, Condition: Human and Queensryche and actually keep them in their own regular listening rotation.

At these Tech Port shows, La Torre’s delay throws were much less pronounced and shorter than the March concert at Freeman, mere mention of which in this space caused a seismic reaction among Internet trolls even though the words “lip syncing” were never uttered here. In fact, one of the few times the delay was especially recognizable this time came not via singing but rather when La Torre boasted at show’s end, “We are the one, the only Queensryche,” with the band’s name reverberating throughout the venue.

The Seattle veterans mixed things up both nights more than Priest. Having played “NM 156” and “Operation: Mindcrime” on the first night, Queensryche subbed out “Walk In the Shadows” and “The Needle Lies,” respectively, on Wednesday.

Here’s hoping they’ll go on a headlining tour next year that will feature even more of the past four albums — records yours truly had been listening to consistently long before Internet backlash spewed ATM’s way because Queensryche has always been a personal favorite no matter which of its vocalists is holding the mic.

How many haters could say that about their Queensryche fandom or say they’ve never missed a Queensryche visit to their town the past 17 years?

It’s OK. We’ll wait.

As the long-standing original members, Wilton and Jackson also shouldn’t have to apologize for making new music they should be proud of, nor in effect ask an audience to listen openly to new music. When fresh material mixes with the classic catalog the ‘Ryche possesses, there aren’t many bands that can say every album can hold a candle — or at least a flame — to its predecessor the way Queensryche can.

As if two consecutive shows by these heavyweights wasn’t enough, Night 2 brought out a who’s who of South Texas rockers that took in the action from the Tech Port’s lone suite.

Among the masses were Disturbed bassist John Moyer, Fates Warning/Sebastian Bach/Halford/ex-Riot drummer Bobby Jarzombek (who’s playing for country legend George Strait these days), Riot bassist Don Van Stavern, Heaven Below singer/guitarist and Lita Ford guitarist Patrick Kennison and Buckcherry drummer Francis Ruiz (see photo gallery).

What they heard — Priest’s Harley-Davidson on “Hell Bent for Leather” notwithstanding — was one of the loudest shows in recent memory. And that was before Priest unleashed its blowup Birmingham bull for finale “Living After Midnight.”

What several others heard were arguably the two loudest shows in the Alamo City since Covid-19.

Judas Priest and Queensryche were the right way to celebrate nine decades of music that will always stand the test of time. Not only were they the perfect antidote to drown out one’s annoying family members at Thanksgiving dinner since ears were still ringing 24 and 48 hours later. They were, and will always be, reasons to hold ‘em up high rather than hanging ‘em out to dry.

JUDAS PRIEST SETLIST: Hellion/Electric Eye, Riding on the Wind, You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Jawbreaker, Firepower, Never the Heroes, Beyond the Realms Of Death, Judas Rising, Devil’s Child, Genocide, Steeler, Between the Hammer and the Anvil, Halls of Valhalla, Diamonds and Rust (2nd night only), The Green Manalishi (With the Two-Pronged Crown), Screaming for Vengeance. Encores: Hell Bent for Leather, Breaking the Law, Living After Midnight

QUEENSRYCHE SETLIST (Night 1): Queen of the Reich, Warning, En Force, NM 156, Behind the Walls, Empire, Operation: Mindcrime, In Extremis, Take Hold of the Flame, Screaming In Digital, Eyes of a Stranger

QUEENSRYCHE SETLIST (Night 2): Queen of the Reich, Warning, En Force, Walk In the Shadows, Behind the Walls, Empire, The Needle Lies, In Extremis, Take Hold of the Flame, Screaming In Digital, Eyes of a Stranger

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