Former Queensrÿche vocalist Geoff Tate delivered a rare, stripped-down acoustic performance last Saturday night, January 24, at Calabouço Rock Bar in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The intimate, sold-out event drew a crowd of just 200 fans and invited guests and marked Tate’s sole appearance in Latin America, according to Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda.
For the 16-song performance, Tate was joined by a diverse group of musicians from across Europe and Brazil. Italian guitarist Dario Parente and Irish guitarist James Brown provided the core acoustic accompaniment, alongside Irish saxophonist and backing vocalist Clodagh McCarthy. The lineup also featured Brazilian musicians Carlos Ross on percussion, Gus Monsanto on bass and backing vocals, and Lula Washington on additional guitar, with Irish musician Tomas McCarthy adding bagpipes to the mix.
The Rio De Janeiro show included several unexpected additions to the setlist, including Queensrÿche material rarely performed live. Among the highlights were “Sign Of The Times” from 1997’s Hear In The Now Frontier, “Out Of Mind” from 1994’s Promised Land, and “Until There Was You“, a B-side later included as a bonus track on the expanded 2006 edition of 1999’s Q2K.
Fan-filmed footage from the Calabouço Rock Bar performance can be found below.
In a new update regarding the long-awaited third installment of the saga, Tate revealed that Operation: Mindcrime III will retell the story from the perspective of the antagonist, the shadowy demagogue Dr. X.
Earlier this month, while speaking to Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, Tate explained that this shift in point-of-view will result in a much darker, more assertive record.
“And Dr. X‘s perspective is completely different, ’cause he’s not the victim at all. So it’s very aggressive, and, yeah, I’m looking forward for people to hear it,” Tate told the station.
He elaborated on the narrative distinction between this upcoming release and the previous two chapters:
“[It will tell the tale from] the perspective of Dr. X, how the story happened from his point of view. Which is kind of interesting, I think, because we’ve only heard it from Nikki‘s point of view, and he’s been sort of this victim throughout the whole story.”
Musically, the shift to a more aggressive protagonist seems to be influencing the composition. When asked if the new material serves as a throwback to the complex, heavy style of early Queensrÿche, Tate agreed, promising a sound that diehard fans will recognize.
“Yeah, I guess so. It’s got some complex arrangements, which Queensrÿche was pretty into during our writing. It’s just very aggressive sound-wise. And stylistically, I would say, it’s very Queensrÿche.”
For Tate, revisiting the Mindcrime universe isn’t just about nostalgia; it is an extension of his lifelong interest in sociology and psychology. He clarified that the expansion into a trilogy wasn’t always the master plan, but rather a natural evolution of his curiosity about human behavior.
“No, it’s kind of an ongoing story. I am fascinated by social science — why human beings do what we do, and groups of people that seem to have patterns over time, following in the footsteps of their generation. That kind of stuff just is fascinating to me. And so that was the basis for the story of Operation: Mindcrime. And so I just kind of explored that — human nature and what happens to a guy who gets convicted of m*rder and sent to an insane asylum and then graduates to a prison and then finally gets out after 20 years in prison. Does he still have the motivation for revenge against the people that put him there? That’s kind of the focus of Mindcrime II, the revenge aspect of it.”
As for when fans can expect to hear the villain’s side of the story, the finish line is in sight. Tate confirmed that tracking is complete, and he is aiming for a summer release. However, logistical hurdles remain due to the busy touring schedules of both himself and his collaborator, Disturbed bassist and producer John Moyer.
“It’s all recorded. We’re just doing the mixing stage of it right now. With [producer and Disturbed bassist] John [Moyer] touring and me touring, it’s a bit of a challenge to get us in one place so we can actually confer and listen to the music and make mix notes. So we have to kind of line it up where we have several days that we can devote to it. So that’s coming up very soon. So we hope to be finishing it up and releasing it this summer.”
Meanwhile, Queensrÿche announced a bunch of European tour dates for this summer.
Headline Dates (w/ Special Guest Rivers of Nihil):
- June 12 – Köln, Germany @ Essigfabrik
- June 16 – Hamburg, Germany @ Markthalle
- June 17 – Frankfurt, Germany @ Batschkapp
- June 22 – Manchester, UK @ Club Academy
- June 23 – London, UK @ Islington Assembly Hall
- June 30 – Lund, Sweden @ Mejeriet SE
- July 01 – Hannover, Germany @ Pavillon
- July 02 – Lindau, Germany @ Club Vaudeville
Festival Appearances:
- June 13 – Leeuwarden, Netherlands @ Into The Grave
- June 14 – Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic @ Rock For People
- June 19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest
- June 20 – Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal Meeting
- June 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Copenhell
- June 26 – Oslo, Norway @ Tons Of Rock
- June 28 – Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska
- July 03 – Colombier-Saugnieu, France @ Plane’R Fest
- July 05 – Cartagena, Spain @ Rock Imperium Festival
