After enduring several days of severe weather, torrential rains and flooding in Kentucky rock fans finally had something to look forward to this night. Geoff Tate, the legendary voice of QUEENSRŸCHE, was making a stop in Louisville, KY on his Operation: Mindcrime – The Final Chapter tour. The tour kicked off March 18th in Tuscon, AZ. The stop on April 8th at the Mercury Ballroom was a little over the halfway mark of the first leg of the tour. But based on the performance given you would have thought it was the first stop on the tour. We will go into more details on that a little later.
The Mercury Ballroom, located in the heart of downtown Louisville, KY, has an intimate yet electrifying atmosphere. I can’t think of a better place to see such an incredible show and the fans agree as there was a great turnout. The venue was packed with eager concert goers all there in support of Geoff and his incredible band performing Operation Mindcrime in its entirety for the final time.
Kicking the night off was the incredibly talented Tomás McCarthy accompanied by his wife Clodagh on saxophone and backing/dual lead vocals and guitarist James Keegan. Hailing from Cork, Ireland, this acoustic trio performed an amazing set of Irish folk/rock songs including “Stand Your Ground” and “Colors” off the upcoming debut EP, Colours, due out May 30th. During their relatively short, but high-energy set Clodagh performed ‘Siúil a Rúin”, sung in English and Irish Gaelic that was captivating, while Tomás and James played beautiful acoustic riffs in perfect harmony. They finished their set with a cover of “Out on the Western Plains”. Tomás is the opening act for the entire run of the US tour. If you are planning to catch a show on this tour, do yourself a favor and be sure to get there early so you do not miss out on this up-and-coming artist.
With a quick change over of the stage it was time for the man of the night, Geoff Tate. The lights went out as “I Remember Now” started and the crowd came alive with excitement. The band members made their way on stage and when the lights illuminated, the band came to the front of the stage to melt the faces of the crowd with “Anarchy-X”. Geoff made his entrance and took center stage for “Revolution Calling” to a packed house all singing along. It was evident from the first note that Geoff brought his A-game, despite the grueling tour schedule and having only one night off out of the past eight days.
The energy on stage was incredible and that energy was felt by all in attendance and reciprocated back. The crowd sang along with “Operation Mindcrime”, “I Don’t Believe in Love”, and “Eyes of a Stanger”. Geoff Tate concluded the “Operation Mindcrime” portion of the show and told the audience “… and we’re just getting started”. In the second half of the setlist, Tate continued to give the audience an incredible performance which included hits “Jet City Woman” and “Empire”.
Of course, a Geoff Tate performance would not be complete without the biggest hit off the Empire album,” Silent Lucidity”, which is about a person having a lucid dream. However, the performance everyone in attendance saw on this night was definitely not a dream. Without any doubt, Tate still sounds as good as he always has proving that while Operation Mindcrime may not ever be performed in its entirety again, Geoff clearly isn’t done rocking out on stage.
I have been fortunate enough to see Geoff Tate a couple of times prior to tonight’s show, including aboard the Monsters of Rock Cruise in 2022, and he never disappoints. If you have never seen Geoff perform live, do not miss this opportunity to do so. Also, be sure to get there early so you do not miss out on an incredible performance by Tomás McCarthy. The first leg of the tour runs through April 25th ending in Boise, ID and picks back up starting September 5th in Peoria, IL. The full list of remaining tour dates is below.
Remaining Tour Dates:
- April 13th – Fort Wayne, IN – Clyde Theatre
- April 15th – Cleveland, OH – TempleLive
- April 16th – Columbus, OH – TempleLive
- April 17th – Plainfield, IN – Hendrick’s Live
- April 18th – St Louis, MO – Delmar Hall
- April 19th – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
- April 21st – Green Bay, WI – Epic Event Center
- April 22nd – Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
- April 23rd – Fargo, ND – Sanctuary
- April 25th – Boise, ID – Revolution Center
- September 5th – Peoria, IL – TempleLive
- September 6th – Des Plaines, IL – Des Plaines Theatre
- September 7th – Iowa City, IA – First Avenue Club
- September 9th – Thunder Bay, ON – Thunder Bay Community Auditorium
- September 23rd – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall
- September 24th – Franklin, TN – Franklin Theatre
- September 25th – Greenville, SC – Radio Room
- September 26th – Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues
- September 27th – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
- September 28th – Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore
- September 30th – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
- October 1st – Hopewell, VA – Beacon Theatre
- October 2nd – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
- October 3rd – Greensburg, PA – Palace Theatre
- October 4th – Jim Thorpe, PA – Penn’s Peak
- October 5th – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live
- October 7th – Derry, NH – Tupelo Music Hal
- October 8th – Hartford, CT – Infinity Hall
- October 9th – Newton, NJ – Newton Theatre
- October 10th – Red Bank, NJ – Count Basie Theater
- October 11th – Tarrytown, NY – Music Hall
- October 12th – Fairfield, CT – Sacred Heart Theatre
- October 14th – Providence, RI – The Strand
- October 15th – Boston, MA – The Wilbur
- October 16th – Patchogue, NY – Patchogue Theatre
- October 17th – Homer, NY – Center for the Arts
- October 18th – North Tonawanda, NY – Riviera Theatre
- November 6th – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
- November 7th – Las Vegas, NV – Theatre at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
- November 9th – Fresno, CA – Tower Theatre
- November 11th – Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
- November 13th – San Diego, CA – Observatory NP
- November 14th – Beverly Hills, CA – The Saban Theater
- November 15th – Agoura Hills, CA – The Canyon Club
- November 16th – San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House
- November 19th – Bremerton, WA – Admiral Theatre
- November 21st – Edmonds, WA – Edmonds Center for the Art
- December 31st – San Antonio, TX – Deco Ballroom and Event Center
We at CGCM Rock Radio would like to thank Mercury Ballroom, Tomás McCarthy, Geoff Tate, and all the fans who came out to support the artists, the venue, and the live music community. Because of fans like those in attendance, these artists are able to do what they love and bring live music to a town near you!
Check out our photo gallery from the show below.
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Carla Shields
Email Me at: Carla Shields
