In a recent interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern", ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate opened up about his upcoming "Operation: Mindcrime – The Final Chapter" tour and his new solo music. The tour, set to kick off on March 18, 2025 in Tucson, will mark the last time the 65-year-old vocalist performs the band's classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album in its entirety.

Why This is the Last Time

When asked why this is the last time he is performing "Operation: Mindcrime" in full, Tate had a simple yet humorous answer. He said, "Well, because it’s gonna take me a couple of years [to hit all the cities and countries around the world], when I’m almost 70. [Laughs] That’s a good reason, I think." It shows his practicality and sense of timing.Regarding his new music, over the last couple of years while preparing for this tour, Geoff revealed that they have quite a few songs written for the album. He mentioned that they will release a song one at a time over a two-year period. And in the meantime, he is finishing up the "The Big Rock Show" tour which ends in Scandinavia in January. It's a slow process that takes him about two to two and a half years to reach everywhere.

Musical Direction of New Solo Material

Geoff described the musical direction of his new solo material as having more of an early QUEENSRŸCHE feel. The new songs are super heavy and some of them are incredibly technical, like algebra. You need a calculator when listening to them. [Laughs] And of course, some of them are very emotional. It's the last chapter in the 'Mindcrime' series, following the exploits of Dr. X and Nikki and Sister Mary, and picking up at a particular point in their story to do a detailed exploration of what is happening at that time. He is extremely happy with everything so far and can't wait for people to hear it.When asked if there will be "some of those political interplays" within the lyrical themes on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Tate said, "Oh, I think so. Yeah, I think that people will be able to detect little bits of what’s happening around them. And it’s an interesting time right now — very interesting. Especially next week [after the 2024 U.S. presidential election], it’s gonna be really interesting [laughs] what happens. So, we’ll see."

About "Operation: Mindcrime II"

In a 2016 interview with East Valley Tribune, Tate looked back fondly on "Operation: Mindcrime II". He admitted that he hadn't listened to that album since he recorded it. However, he believed it was a new story and went down well live with the audience. He had no complaints or regrets about it.During QUEENSRŸCHE's 2012 legal battle with Tate over the rights to the band's name, guitarist Michael Wilton submitted a sworn declaration. He claimed that the idea to make "Operation: Mindcrime II" was first brought to the table by Geoff's wife and the band's then-manager Susan Tate. The band was hesitant as they didn't want to lessen the original. But Susan and Geoff hired a budget producer and took control without much input from the rest of the band. Scott Rockenfield, Eddie Jackson and he were squeezed out of the musical direction and business decisions, and the project suffered. He was frustrated as he was often excluded from the writing process and final recordings. It was only years later that he became aware of the issues during the final recording and mixing.In April 2014, a settlement was reached after a nearly two-year legal battle. Tate sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement allowed Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson to continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.Tate's replacement, Todd La Torre, has released four albums with QUEENSRŸCHE so far: 2013's "Queensrÿche", 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance".