Geoff Tate Operation:Mindcrime The Final Chapter at Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit

Detroit,Michigan(April 9,2025)- Detroit’s Saint Andrew’s Hall became the setting for a farewell that was anything but quiet. Geoff Tate — the unmistakable voice behind Queensrÿche’s landmark Operation: Mindcrime — brought his “Final Chapter” tour to the Motor City for what was billed as one last run through of the album that helped rewrite the boundaries of metal and progressive rock. If anyone walked in expecting a sterile, note-for-note playthrough of familiar hits, they were in for a sharp reality check. This wasn’t a nostalgia act going through the motions. This was a performance with teeth, carried out by a frontman who still has plenty to say and a band determined to do the material justice.

The night opened on an entirely different wavelength. Irish singer-songwriter Tomás McCarthy took the stage, joined by his wife Clodagh on backing vocals and percussion, along with guitarist James Keegan. The trio offered a stripped-back set rooted in folk-rock, with hints of blues and singer-songwriter storytelling woven throughout. McCarthy’s voice carried a quiet confidence, and the arrangements were understated but effective — proof that an acoustic guitar and a well-delivered lyric can still hold their own, even in a room bracing for heavy riffs and high drama.

Clodagh, in particular, would leave her mark on the night, stepping into a much larger role later in the evening. But for the moment, the band played it straight, offering an earnest and engaging performance that stood as a refreshing contrast to what was waiting just around the corner.

Once McCarthy’s set came to a close and the house lights shifted, the mood inside Saint Andrew’s Hall began to change. The stage crew moved quickly, breaking down the folk setup and reassembling the space for what felt like something entirely different — something heavier. A quiet buzz spread through the sold-out venue as the unmistakable Operation: Mindcrime backdrop unfurled behind the drum riser. For longtime fans, that alone was enough to stir the senses. The opening narration of “I Remember Now” began to spill from the speakers, the familiar voices and static-laden soundscape setting the wheels in motion. The crowd didn’t need an introduction; everyone knew exactly what was coming.

But that didn’t lessen the punch when the band stepped into place and launched straight into “Anarchy-X,” the album’s instrumental overture. Even after all these years, the opening track landed like a brick through glass — sharp, purposeful, and unmistakably Queensrÿche. Moments later, the opening riff of “Revolution Calling” cut through the room, and Geoff Tate stepped onstage, slipping seamlessly into his role as both vocalist and narrator. His presence, even now, is as commanding as ever.

What followed was an unbroken front-to-back performance of Operation: Mindcrime — played in sequence, without shortcuts or cut corners. The band tore through each track with surgical precision. “Speak,” “Spreading the Disease,” and “The Mission” arrived back-to-back, each one hitting with the kind of weight and clarity that proved this was far from some halfhearted run-through of an old record. The three-guitar front line of Dario Parente, James Brown, and Amaury Altmayer provided the kind of layered sound that allowed the album’s complex arrangements to fully take shape in a live setting, from the heaviest riffs down to the smallest melodic details.

One of the night’s standout moments arrived when Clodagh returned to the stage to take on the role of Sister Mary for the album’s centerpiece, “Suite Sister Mary.” The duet between her and Tate was both theatrical and powerful, capturing the emotional gravity of one of the record’s most pivotal songs. Even when a few minor technical hiccups threatened to interrupt — like the occasional shared mic — the moment never lost its weight. The crowd, locked into every word, was too invested to care about anything beyond what was unfolding onstage.

As the set moved into the album’s back half, the energy inside Saint Andrew’s never let up. Tracks like “The Needle Lies,” “Breaking the Silence,” and “I Don’t Believe in Love” were met with full-throated singalongs, the crowd delivering the kind of collective backing vocals that only happen when an album has truly embedded itself into people’s lives. By the time “Eyes of a Stranger” arrived, the band pushed the performance into its emotional and musical peak, nailing the closing track with the same conviction it demanded in 1988.

“Should we continue?” –Geoff Tate.

After a brief pause, Tate and company shifted gears into material from Operation: Mindcrime II — a sequel that, while never quite reaching the iconic status of its predecessor, still holds its place in the larger narrative arc. Tracks like “I’m American” and “The Chase” gave diehard fans a deeper cut into the Mindcrime saga, before the setlist made room for a few of Queensrÿche’s most beloved non-Mindcrime anthems.

When “Jet City Woman” and “Empire” rolled out, the audience was more than ready. These were the songs that had helped define an era, and the band played them with the same sharp focus and voracity as the rest of the set. Whether or not the sequel albums carried the same personal weight for each fan, it was impossible to deny the care and detail put into every song on the 24-cut setlist.

The night’s final stretch saw the band delivering a trio of classics, starting with the haunting, near-orchestral tones of “Silent Lucidity.” Tate’s delivery here was especially striking, his voice cutting clean through the mix with the kind of precision that has long been his trademark. Any doubts about his vocal strength at this stage of his career were swiftly put to rest.

Just as the house lights threatened to signal the end, the band returned for an encore, tearing through “Take Hold of the Flame” before unleashing one last shot of adrenaline with the timeless “Queen of the Reich.” It was a full-circle moment — a closing chapter that felt more like a statement than a farewell.

If this truly was the final time Operation: Mindcrime would be performed live in its entirety, Tate and his band gave Detroit a sendoff worthy of the album’s legacy. No forced sentimentality. No fluff. Just a catalog-defining record, played the way it was always meant to be: live, loud, and unrelenting.