Concert Review
Geoff Tate
Saturday October 18, 2025
Riviera Theatre
North Tonawanda, NY
Review/Photos: Joseph Suto
The concert brought many concert goers out of the woodwork. As soon as this show was announced it brought a sense of joy to many who did not have to travel out of town to see it. No they could stay in the friendly confines of the Buffalo area and on a Saturday night no less. The Riviera Theatre was the place to be and Geoff Tate and his band put on one of the best shows this theatre has seen. The crowd was on its feet from the time the lights went out and Tate took the stage all the way through the end of “Eyes Of A Stranger”. That song was the final song from the esteemed Operation Mindcrime album which was performed in its entirety for the last time in the area. Tate will have hit 66 countries and countless cities after all is said and done with the tour.
Billed as Operation Mindcrime The Final Chapter Tate sung the songs with such ease and the precision and sounded amazing. It didn’t hurt that the sold out crowd sang along throughout the night. His band included the three guitar attack of Kieran Robertson, Dario Parente and James Brown. Bassist Jack Ross, Baker on drums, and Clodagh McCarthy on keys and vocals rounded out the band. These guys were equally as important delivering the songs with such authenticity you would have thought they played on the original release.
What can be said about the play of Mindcrime. Playing that album in full is a highlight itself. He also included three songs from Operation: Mindcrime 2 afterwards. I don’t think many were familiar with them as most sat down for the first time. “I’m American” has always been to me the highlight from that second album and it sounded real good. After that Tate did three songs from the Empire album. Oddly enough Empire, not Operation: Mindcrime remains Queenrÿche’s biggest selling album to date with over 3 million copies sold.
Tate was feeling nostalgic as he told the “greybeards” in the crowd as he delved in one of the greatest songs of all time in “Take Hold of the Flame”. As soon as Tate started to sing his first note you can feel the goosebumps pop up. Following up with “Queen of the Reich” was a great way to end the night. Tate showcasing some of the greatest songs he was ever involved with and still being able to deliver them with top notch performances was a pure treat for everyone. Tate and Queensryche were referred to as the thinking man’s metal band in their prime and were different from your regular metal band. Tate still seems to carry on that persona as you can rest assured after this tour he already knows what he wants to do next. Hopefully he will tour again in the near future and make it back to the Riviera.
Set List
Operation: Mindcrime Set
Anarchy- X
Revolution Calling
Operation: Mindcrime
Speak
Spreading the Disease
The Mission
Suite Sister Mary
The Needle Lies
Electric Requiem
Breaking the Silence
I Don’t Believe In Love
Waiting For 22
My Empty Room
Eyes of A Stranger
I’m American
The Chase
If I Could Change It All
Empire
Jet City Woman
Silent Lucidity
Encore
Take Hold of the Flame
Queen of the Reich
