The historic Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, welcomed singer-songwriter Geoff Tate (of Queensryche fame) back to town on Wednesday night. Built in 1966 to honor Atlanta’s performing arts community and to memorialize Helen Lee Cartlidge — who, along with 100 other arts patrons, perished in the 1962 Orly plane crash — Center Stage is an iconic live-performance destination that has played host to Sir Elton John, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry, just to name a few. The roughly 1,000-capacity venue strikes a rare balance between classic theater architecture and gritty rock-club energy, creating an atmosphere where general admission fans feel connected to the stage no matter where they’re standing.
Bookended by his wife, Clodagh, and fellow guitarist James Keegan, Tomas McCarthy led the early audience through a focused, intimate set starting at 8:00 p.m. that leaned on feel over flash. McCarthy’s vocals were controlled and expressive, carrying a natural warmth that kept the performance grounded and authentic, complementing his self-described “nimble, melodic guitar playing and raucous, hard-rock–based grooves.”
The 40-minute set flowed smoothly, with arrangements that felt lived-in and confident, allowing songs to breathe while maintaining momentum. McCarthy’s onstage presence — and natural chemistry with his wife — was understated yet engaging, drawing the crowd in through musical sincerity anchored in their Irish roots. It was a measured start, setting the emotional tone for what was still to come later in the night.
Band
Tomas McCarthy – Vocals, guitar
Clodagh McCarthy – Vocals, saxophone
James Keegan – Vocals, guitar
Next up on the night was Irish hard rock band OGMA, a newly formed outfit that had just started touring a few weeks ago and delivered a punchy 30-minute set of covers and originals. The band featured guitarist James Brown, who not only pulled double duty by performing with Geoff Tate’s band later in the evening, but is also a familiar face to fans who have previously caught Mark Daly & the Ravens on the road. Rounding out OGMA were Colin Frecknall (drums), Jimmy Wynen (bass), and lead singer/guitarist D.J. O’Sullivan. OGMA performed like seasoned veterans, brought an energetic stage presence, and showcased a bright future as they continue to develop their original material. Don’t shortchange them by showing up late for doors.
OGMA
Colin Frecknall – Drums, vocals
Jimmy Wynen – Bass, vocals
James Brown – Guitar, vocals
D.J. O’Sullivan – Vocals, guitar
Setlist:
1.) Keep Movin’
2.) Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy cover)
3.) A New Day
4.) All Right Now
5.) Uaigness
6.) Enslaved
With the clock ticking past the 10:00 p.m. hour and the Operation: Mindcrime stage backdrop lit, the band took their spots to the album’s introduction track, “I Remember Now,” before blasting into the instrumental “Anarchy-X.” Legendary frontman Geoff Tate presenting Operation: Mindcrime in its entirety played less like a standard concert and more like a fully realized rock theater experience — focused, dramatic, and deeply reverent to the 1988 source material. His band was clearly committed to telling the album’s story front to back with precision and intent, elevated by the three-guitar attack of Brown, Dario Parente, and Kieran Robertson.
Vocally, the 67-year-old Tate remained the captivating anchor of the evening. His delivery leaned heavily on expression and narrative clarity, emphasizing phrasing and emotion over sheer power, which served the concept album perfectly. Songs like “Speak,” “I Don’t Believe in Love,” and “Breaking the Silence” landed with weight and nuance, drawing knowing reactions from an Atlanta crowd that clearly understood every turn in the storyline. Rather than rushing through familiar material, Tate allowed moments to breathe, letting tension build and release as the Mindcrime plot unfolded.
The extended band backing Tate was tight and disciplined, handling the album’s shifting tempos and layered arrangements with confidence. Guitar tones stayed sharp and articulate, the rhythm and string sections remained locked in throughout, and the quieter passages — especially during “Suite Sister Mary” — added a cinematic sense of drama that elevated the performance beyond nostalgia. When additional vocals or backing harmonies were used, they enhanced the theatrical feel without overshadowing Tate’s presence.
What made the show resonate most for me was its sense of purpose. This wasn’t a greatest-hits package or a casual anniversary run-through; it was a deliberate celebration of Operation: Mindcrime as a complete body of work. The multi-generational audience responded accordingly, singing along to key lines, reacting audibly to dramatic peaks, and treating the band’s performance with an almost reverential attention.
By the time the final notes of “Eyes of a Stranger” faded, the impact was undeniable, especially when I realized I had sung along to every verse of every song. Tate’s performance reinforced why Operation: Mindcrime remains one of the most influential concept albums in metal history. Seeing it performed live, in full, felt like witnessing a classic novel read aloud by its original narrator, and it was not to be missed.
Following the conclusion of Mindcrime, Tate and crew delivered fan favorites in “Empire” and “Jet City Woman,” before emphatically closing their main setlist with the powerful “Take Hold of the Flame,” pulled from Queensryche’s first studio album, The Warning (1984). After a brief stage exit, the band returned for a two-song encore that began with the Grammy-nominated hit single “Silent Lucidity.” The show concluded with Tate belting out the iconic “Queen of the Reich,” completing an enjoyably exhausting, nearly two-hour set.
Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime – The Final Chapter Tour marches on for a few more weeks, wrapping up its U.S. dates on Saturday, February 21, at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, Colorado.
Band
Geoff Tate – Vocals
James Brown – Guitar
Jack Ross – Bass
Kieran Robertson – Guitar
Dario Parente – Guitar
Robert Ray Baker Jr. – Drums
Bruno Sa – Keyboards
Clodagh McCarthy – Backing vocals
Julia-Maria Quirke – Cello
Ryan Parsons – Violin
Setlist:
1.) Anarchy-X (Queensryche song)
2.) Revolution Calling (Queensryche song)
3.) Operation: Mindcrime (Queensryche song)
4.) Speak (Queensryche song)
5.) Spreading the Disease (Queensryche song)
6.) The Mission (Queensryche song)
7.) Suite Sister Mary (Queensryche song)
8.) The Needle Lies (Queensryche song)
9.) Electric Requiem (Queensryche song)
10.) Breaking the Silence (Queensryche song)
11.) I Don’t Believe in Love (Queensryche song)
12.) Waiting for 22 (Queensryche song)
13.) My Empty Room (Queensryche song)
14.) Eyes of a Stranger (Queensryche song)
15.) Empire (Queensryche song)
16.) Screaming in Digital (Queensryche song)
17.) Jet City Woman (Queensryche song)
18.) Blood (Queensryche song)
19.) Take Hold of the Flame (Queensryche song)
Encore
20.) Silent Lucidity (Queensryche song)
21.) Queen of the Reich (Queensryche song)
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.