Operation: Mindcrime is in the heavy metal pantheon, the brainchild of Queensryche frontman Geoff Tate as well as guitarist Chris DeGarmo. The concept record details the saga of protagonist Nikki, whose sentiment was unequivocally set forth in the opening verse: "For a price I'd do about anything except pull the trigger; for that I'd need a pretty good cause." For fifty-nine magical minutes, Tate and his Queensryche bandmates captivated the listener with a tale of how Nikki became a political revolutionary after being manipulated by mastermind Dr. X and corrupt priest Father William, and fell in love with another tragic figure Sister Mary. The saga ends with Nikki relegated to a mental hospital after Sister Mary committed suicide due to emotional and mental torture by Father William and Dr. X. Although Queensryche released several transcendent records - the Queensryche EP and The Warning in particular, but also commercial breakthrough Empire - Mindcrime is the magnum opus.
Queensryche performed all of Mindcrime on several tours, as has Tate. However, Tate promoted his current tour as Operation: Mindcrime - The Final Chapter, stating that the seminal record would not be performed in its entirety again after the conclusion of the cycle. Thus, it is a must-see for fans of not only metal but brilliant song craftmanship.
Tate's band performed Mindcrime cover-to-cover in spell-binding fashion. Geoff sounded ageless, effortlessly performing songs that are nearly forty years old. The capacity crowd at Patchogue Theater on Long Island, New York devotedly sang along to every word of classics such as "Revolution: Calling," "Operation: Mindcrime", "I Don't Believe in Love", and "Eyes of a Stranger."
Tate employed a three-guitar arrangement and Clodagh McCarthy played the role of Sister Mary, partaking in a thrilling vocal duet with Geoff during "Suite Sister Mary". Each of the band members was fantastic and more than did justice to the landmark record.
After the Mindcrime portion of the performance, Tate and co. performed three Operation: Mindcrime II tracks - "I'm American", "The Chase", and "If I Could Change It All". Then, to the delight of the audience, came a trio of Empire hits - the title track, "Jet City Woman," and "Silent Lucidity."
For an encore, Tate performed two of the earliest songs he ever penned - "Take Hold of the Flame" and the incomparable "Queen of the Reich." Before the epic closer, Geoff paid homage to the late, great Ace Frehley (who passed away earlier that day), mentioning that Frehley was a "native of The Bronx [who would] go down in musical history" and concluding with "let's do one more for Ace" before launching into "QOTR", which Tate said was inspired by Ace. The tribute to the iconic former Kiss guitarist was an unforgettable conclusion to a tremendous twenty-two track performance that spanned nearly two hours.
Operation: Mindcrime - The Final Chapter tour will continue into early 2026 and Tate promised the third and final Mindcrime record would be released as well.