Beginning In February

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On February 3, Geoff Tate and his new band OPERATION: MINDCRIME will be hitting the road for over thirty dates on what will mark the band's first major U.S tour of the year (see full tour itinerary below). This comes hot on the heels of their extensive European tour in November and December that took them to such countries as Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The trek was the band's first in support of its debut album, The Key, which came out on Frontiers Music Srl in September 2015.

For the forthcoming U.S. tour, Geoff Tate will be joined by several of the stellar musicians and bandmates who performed on OPERATION: MINDCRIME's The Key, including guitarists Kelly Gray (QUEENSRYCHE) and Scott Moughton (Geoff Tate), drummers Simon Wright (AC/DC) and Scott Mercado (CANDLEBOX) and keyboardist Randy Gane (MYTH).

Perhaps one of Geoff Tate's most ambitious recordings to date, The Key examines what one might do if they discovered "the key" to changing the way we view the world, the way we look at time, the way we travel and could essentially change the human condition... for better or for worse.

The Key is the debut album under Tate's new OPERATION: MINDCRIME banner, a creative platform that continues in the spirit of the historic album of the same name, spawning concepts as grand as the music, and intertwining the intensity of the former QUEENSRYCHE vocalist's iconic past with the provocative, progressive mindset that has made him one of music's most resolute forces and frontmen.

What can fans expect on this tour? The unexpected.

According to Tate, "I plan to play songs from Empire, Operation: Mindcrime 1 and 2, Rage For Order and my new album, The Key, along with favorites from all the other albums I recorded under the name QUEENSRYCHE," adding, "My band's name may have changed but the songs remain the same."

Tate has sold more than 25 million records at the helm of QUEENSRYCHE, the band he fronted for 30 years from their inception through 2012, earning three Grammy nominations, five MTV Music Video Award nominations, and one MTV Music Video Award along the way.

The landmark concept album Operation: Mindcrime thrust Tate's unique social consciousness, style and expertly crafted lyrics into the national spotlight in 1988, and was followed by Empire in 1990, the album that delivered QUEENSRYCHE to arena-headlining status and sold more than three million albums on the back of hit singles and radio staples "Silent Lucidity" and "Jet City Woman".

By the time the band released Promised Land in 1994, Geoff Tate was universally acknowledged as one of the greatest frontmen in rock and metal, and a driving force behind one of the most innovative bands in mainstream music.

From Mindcrime and Promised Land through 2009's overlooked gem American Soldier - Tate's ambitious concept album that explores the consequences of war as told through the voices of veterans - Tate's 13-album tenure with QUEENSRYCHE was marked by exploration, intrigue, bold risks and gratifying results.

The Key continues in that fine tradition.

Come February, OPERATION: MINDCRIME will be bringing fans just what the doctor ordered with the usual surgical precision.

Call it "a musical journey to the center of your brain."

Let the "Operation" begin.

OPERATION: MINDCRIME will wrap up the initial leg of their tour in Geoff Tate's hometown of Seattle, Washington with a performance at The Neptune on March 18.

OPERATION: MINDCRIME U.S. Tour 2016

• 2.3 - Strummer's in Fresno, California
• 2.4 - The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California
• 2.5 - Ramona Mainstage in Ramona, California
• 2.6 - Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada
• 2.9 - Psychedelic Ballroom & Juke Joint in Reno, California
• 2.10 - Saint Rocke in Hermosa Beach, California
• 2.11 - The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California
• 2.12 - The Catalyst in Santa Cruz, California
• 2.13 - Ace of Spades in Sacramento, California
• 2.15 - Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Arizona
• 2.16 - Livewire in Scottsdale, Arizona
• 2.18 - Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque, New Mexico
• 2.19 - Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas
• 2.20 - Alamo City Music Hall in San Antonio, Texas
• 2.21 - Scout Bar in Houston, Texas
• 2.23 - 12th & Porter in Nashville, Tennessee
• 2.24 - Capone's in Johnson City, Tennessee
• 2.25 - Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina
• 2.26 - Lincoln Theatre in Raleigh, North Carolina
• 2.27 - Headquarters Live in Salisbury, Maryland
• 2.28 - Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pennsylvania
• 3.1 - Gramercy Theatre in New York, New York
• 3.2 - The Paramount Theater in Huntington, New York
• 3.3 - The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, New York
• 3.4 - The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York
• 3.5 - Tupelo Music Hall in Londonderry, New Hampshire
• 3.7 - Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Maryland
• 3.9 - Jergel's Rhythm Grille in Warrendale, Pennsylvania
• 3.10 - House of Blues in Cleveland, Ohio
• 3.11 - The Token Lounge in Westland, Michigan
• 3.12 - Tailgaters Grill in Bolingbrook, Illinois
• 3.13 - The Cotillion in Wichita, Kansas
• 3.17 - Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon
• 3.18 - The Neptune in Seattle, Washington