Legendary vocalist Geoff Tate is preparing to return to Brazil, this time performing the iconic Queensrÿche , Rage For Order and Empire . The Celebration Tour will pass through Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, respectively on January 19th and 20th.
In an interview with Wikimetal , in addition to his expectations for the shows, Tate also spoke about his autobiography, his state of health after the heart surgery he underwent, and much more.
“I’m feeling great. I had surgery in June and it seems to have affected me in a very positive way. I feel much better, with a lot of energy. I feel like I’m 30 years old again, you know? It’s a huge difference from how I was feeling before.”
Regarding the shows taking place at Solar de Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro and Tokio Marine Hall in São Paulo , Wikimetal wanted to know what it's like to play these two legendary albums in their entirety.
“When I started the tour celebrating these two albums, it was a huge challenge. Now I'm used to it. The challenge is getting into the mental state of these records, which are very different. Rage For Order is like 36 years old or something like that. It took me a while to immerse myself in them and make them make sense to me. But I love playing these records now, and they are very different from each other. Rage is very dark and intense. In the show, after a short break, we come back with Empire , which is totally different. It's more acceptable and sociable, so to speak. Lighter. I love playing both because they are so different.”
Empire , released in 1990, four years after Rage For Order , is Queensrÿche's biggest commercial success.
“When we release an album, we usually only play 2 or 3 songs from the new album. And we mix the set with classics from other albums. So this is practically the first time I get to play several of these songs. I hope the audience falls in love with them as much as I did.”
Geoff Tate plans to finish his autobiography sometime in 2023 and also spoke about the topic with Wikimetal .
“I’m very close to finishing the project, which ended up being much bigger than I initially imagined. I’ve always kept diaries, so I thought, ‘I’ll just take everything I’ve already written and publish my biography.’ When I showed it to my editor, he said, ‘Yes, there are many interesting stories there, but I still don’t know who you are.’ So I took that criticism and went back to thoroughly examine every part of my life. It’s taking much longer than I expected, and it’s tiring, but I should finish it this year.”
The former Queensrÿche vocalist also spoke about the iconic album Operation: Mindcrime , which he also intends to play in its entirety on a future tour, possibly later this year.
“Maybe I’ll do a new tour just for this album. Maybe not. I don’t know. I feel like I should do it before I get too old and can’t sing these songs anymore, you know? And about Mindcrime , over these 35 years there have been several attempts to make a film with that story. It almost became a Broadway musical too. Many people have been interested in producing something. I hope to see something like that while I’m still alive. In other media, it would become something different from what it already is. It’s a good story with very interesting characters, especially combining the two parts of Operation: Mindcrime .”
To conclude the interview with Wikimetal , after being praised for the quality of his voice, which remains brilliant, Geoff Tate left a beautiful message for his fans in Brazil, reflecting on his recent heart surgery.
“I think we have to take care of ourselves. I was never really an extreme guy in terms of clubbing and partying. I've always been kind of conservative in that sense. Sure, I like to drink and have fun, but I never went to the extremes of excess, like many of my colleagues did. And that, I suppose, contributed to my physical longevity.”
“But nobody knows what will happen at any given moment in the future. I never imagined I would have heart surgery with them opening my chest. I had never been sick in my life. And I had never been to a hospital before. But there I was.”
"Ultimately, we never know what the future holds. So I think the important thing is to live well, you know, to try to be happy. To find things that make you happy and immerse yourself in them. And to treat people with respect, dignity, and kindness. And to have patience."
Geoff Tate will perform on January 19th at Solar de Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro and on January 20th at Tokio Marine Hall in São Paulo .
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