OPERATION: LIVECRIME

A masterpiece progressive metal live act!

Having spun the CD for three days in a row with a lot of excitement and energy, last night I took the DVD version of the seminal concept album by Queensryche "Operation: mindcrime" performed live and renamed as "Operation: LIVEcrime" - what a creative title! Yes, this DVD which I purchased sometime in 2003 blew my mind at first time when I watched it. And, last night was my 6th watching it in its entirety. As the studio album is truly a groundbreaking record and provides me with a joy when I listening to it, this DVD has created another excitement as I can see the live atmosphere which is very dynamic and lively. All members of the band perform their roles flawlessly.

The Performance

The show kicks off with large screen depicting a cartoon movie with a nurse having a one-way conversation with her patient - which I believe it's a young man named Nikki - who stayed hopelessly in bed. After the nurse left him he said "I remember now .." .. well, you know it, it's the first ambient start of opening track "I Remember Now" (1:17). And .. man .. when the music gets into its way through instrumental track "Anarchy-X" (1:27) I can see how rocking the performance is, especially when I see how Mr. Rockenfield plays his drum with his energetic body movement. So powerful! I think Rockenfield is one of the best rock drummers I have ever known thus far. The other three members of the band dress-up wonderfully as true rockers with all of them using microphone as they do backing vocal work. On guitars, Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton move around the stage (quite a big stage). Eddie Jackson on bass guitar even though less energetic compared to the other guitar mates but he casts himself as true rocker as well. I would say they dress like eighties rockers. Geoff Tate was not on stage yet when this track was performed.

The musical break brings the show to the first lyrical part where Geoff Tate (vocal) jumps into the stage and sings wonderfully in "Revolution Calling" (4:39). WOW man!!! This is what I call the greatest rock concert with great live vibes that I have ever seen. I cannot imagine how if I were there with the crowd. Definitely, I would go crazy: doing my headbanging and emulating how Geoff Tate is singing. Or, I would emulate how DeGarmo plays his guitar. Yeah, it's a true adrenalin exploder, really! "Revolution calling / Revolution calling / Revolution calling NOW!" uuughhh . I cannot bear it anymore - when I watched this DVD last night I shout the lyrics (lucky me, the DVD has an option to turn the lyrics on) outloud and I didn't really care how my neighbors would say about me. Philosophically, it's not my fault. It's their faults having a rocker neighbor like me! Phew! What a great enjoyment last night. It also happens with the following tracks "Operation: Mindcrime" (4:40), "Speak" (3:47) and "Spreading The Disease" (4:07). Guess what? When the DVD reaches "The Mission" (5:27) my best favorite track of this live set, my emotion was really at the peak man! The band delivers this wonderful track perfectly and lively. Geoff Tate sings powerfully. As usual, when it reaches the minute 2:48 (approx) I really enjoy the soft guitar riffs and orchestral arrangement. And, I keep repeating this track over and over because of this catchy segment. WONDERFUL! Another peak occurs when Pula Moore sings together with Geoff Tate through "Suite Sister Mary" (10:41). Speechless. It's a terrific show! After the completion of "Suite Sister Mary" the band provides a break where Tate having a conversation with the crowd. "More?" . "It's . The Needle Lies" - JRENG! And the music flows in uplifting mood with a what so called progressive metal style. Yeah, it's arguably that this album was the pioneer of progressive metal genre. I think so. And from this track onward, the music is much more lively and dynamic where the crowd are getting crazy with the show. FANTASTIC!

Summary

Overall, this DVD is a must for anyone who loves rock concert. Especially, this album is to me like a rock opera because there is a storyline of the whole concert. Each musician is a great contributor to the show. Geoff Tate is one of the best rock singers. Rockenfield is a great drummer. DeGarmo and Wilton guitar playing is stunning and rocking. Also, the DVD set has an extra the story behind mindcrime through interview with Geoff Tate. I like the way Tate mentioned about searching a character that suits Sister Mary. Great interview. Highly recommended! Keep on rocckin', keep on proggin' ..!

Progressively yours, GW

Just a thought ... I think, if you are amazed with a rock concert DVD and you still keep emulating part(s) of the show while silently sing the lyrics or melodies inside your mind, that's when you must give that live DVD a FIVE STARS rating. That's what I do here. Even after listening and watching the DVD last night, this morning I still sing ".. my mission changed the world" while emulating Geoff Tate style and DeGarmo guitar playing with catchy melody. It cheers up my day ... Music IS emotion!

LiveCrime - The Best of a Crazy Summer

Some disclaimers: I am a Mindcrime fanatic. I missed this tour.

Ok here's the backstory which all Queensryche fans who were there know. The band started as an Iron Maiden clone with a singer that was probably better than Dickinson and a band that just kicked live, see youtube videos of Queen of the Reich from early in their career. They had become increasingly progressive up to their seminal concept album Operation: Mindcrime which critics completely went hogwild over, including the Guitar mags, which led me to pick up the album. (I already had Queen of the Reich on a compilation album, and loved it, but didn't have Warning or Rage for Order at that point) The band's long touring to support the album, which included opening for Metallica on the Justice tour, added fire to flames as they were gaining in popularity. A few videos were frequently shown on Headbangers ball, but still only the metalheads understood what a piece of musical history was in their hands.

I think that both the band and the record company knew that a perfect storm had developed. Metal bands were making huge money on crossover songs...Extreme made a bundle on the actually worthy More than Words while in the biggest slap in the face of all metal, shredmeisters Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan pull in the bucks on Mr. Big's schlock To Be with You. Queensryche, maybe pressured, jumps aboard, and makes a more radio friendly, but solid album, Empire, which includes the Comfortably Numb rip-off Silent Lucidity. Just like the bands I mentioned, the single explodes and Queensryche makes a gazillion dollars.

Now headliners, Queensryche makes perhaps the best decision of their careers. They announce that Operation: Mindcrime will be performed in its entirety. Everyone and their little sister sees the tour, and this video/CD combo chronicles what was indeed an amazing tour.

In those days, I didn't have the cash to go to multiple big shows in the same summer and I picked the Use Your Illusion tour that year. In accords with my standard practice of seeing bands an album after their perfect tour, I saw Queensryche on the Promised Land tour, and probably 2/3 of Mindcrime was played there. Even then, in slightly smaller venues, the band played flawlessly, Tate was a master showman, his voice unbelievable.

Whoa, lots of backstory for a review, but that's what this set is, a record of my absolutely favorite metal band at their peak, on a tour I missed. The performances are stellar. The incredible tom grooves of Spreading the Disease, the intensity of Suite Sister Mary, and the still all too precise social commentary of Revolution Calling, all of these are what made this band great. When Tate states in the middle of the disc -For those of you who don't know our music, you're probably wondering what the he!! is going on.- I always felt a sense of satisfaction.

At the time, again strapped for cash, I bought this set to have a CD copy of the music rather than replacing the tape that was still functioning at the time. When that medium failed and this CD was the only Mindcrime I had, it left a little to be desired. Tate's substitution of We pay for wars in Saudia Arabia during the first gulf war was pushing the metaphor too far, and frankly I needed the original to fall back on.

I have that now. And so this set serves it purpose. Putting me there that summer, on the tour I missed, the chronicle of what may be metal at its peak. It's not the first place to go for newcomers to this band and especially not for newcomers to metal, but for prog-head and metal-heads, this is what it was all about.

This is the full concert experience where Queensryche play every track from the masterpiece 'Operation Mindcrime'. The great thing about watching the live show is that you discover so many nuances and perspectives on the album that you have grown to love over the years. As I stated OM is a definite masterpiece so it would be difficult to go wrong with watching the live concert. I expected great things having grown to adorre the studio album and I was not disappointed. Tate's vocals on the DVD are as excellent, sometimes better, than the studio versions.

The live concert begins with a screen that the audience would see. It depicts a nurses shapely legs walking in a hospital towards the door of the main protagonist, Nikki. The crowd cheer becasue they immediately recognise they are about to hear Revolution Calling. The animation is well drawn and effective. She says to her patient , 'sleep well... you bastard...' casuing the crowd to cheer loud again. Then the voice over drones 'I remember now'... Everyone screams because they also remember.

Soon Chris De Garmo hits the stage and pounds out the 'Anarchy-X' riff. The lights are excellent throughout the concert with shades of blue, red and green. Rockenfield's drums absolutely dominate live and the band move very well, never posing, but cool as ice. Tate grabs the mike and powers out 'Revolution Calling'. The audience sing in synch and seem to know every word of every song. It is an exhilirating experience to see them enjoying the music so much and Tate performs and acts every song wonderfully. Eddie Jackson on bass stands rock solid for the most part but they all look great and dress up in typical 80s metal regalia.

I had chills when Pamela Moore sang with Geoff Tate the epic 'Suite Sister Mary'. She looks ghost like as the wind blows her hair back and she stands in a vision of white. Her raspy vocals are as heartfelt as the album version. The acting is great too and its all performed so sincerely, never pretentiously. Even the death scenes work.

We see more entertaining images of the animation on screen as the story progresses.

The concert breaks for a half time and Tate actually tells the audience that some of them probably don't know what the heck is going on, but he states this is Operation Mindcrime, and of course the crowd go wild in appreciation. The second part of the show is not as good as the first but still great. They blast gems such as 'The Needle Lies', 'Breaking The Silence', 'I Don't Believe In Love' and 'Eyes Of A Stranger' and then its all over after a mind blowing collage of nasty images of death and destruction.

Features on the DVD include a breakdown of what the story is about, and some galleries of albums and the band's bio. 104 minutes of pure prog heaven. This is as good as it gets. One of the greatest concert experiences you will see.

Queensryche is one of the most famous and influential bands from entire rock music, they delivered some absolute stunning albums some of them are known as the perfect triangle Rager for order, Operation mindcrime and Empire. They gained so much popularity after releasing their masterpiece of the genre - progressive metal - Operation mindcrime that they will release a truly amazing concert named Operation Livecrime in 1991 on VHS and re mastered and issued on DVD in 2001. The album Operation mindcrime is entirely played here on this concert and the prestation of the musician is hard to describe in words. The music is very well combine with some animation shown on screen to give to the public a more pleasent view of the story. The original Queensryche lineup is present with Geoff Tate, Michael Wilton, Chris DeGarmo, Scott Rockenfield and Eddie Jackson at the full capacity, every musician shines here not less, brilliant performance. Some guest is invited on piece Suite sister Mary - Pamela Moore who did an excellent work, her voice very crisp and cold but fiting like a glove in this kinda of piece All the pieces of the album is top notch played, but I prefer Eyes of the stanger, I don't belive in love, Suite sister Mary or Breaking the silence, the rest are beyond words. So, a top notch band and a top notch video live recording, I was very impressed when I saw this concert a few years ago on VHS,but as I said before on many reviews that I don't rate or review an album only if I have it, now I bought it and own it on DVD and the same reaction from me ? on some moments my hair from arms were standing like antenas. The DVD has some bonus tracks , 2 pieces unreleased before The lady whore black and Roads to madness, an interview with Geoff Tate about the story behind this concept and how they made the album, pictures, etc. So, a higly recommended DVD, Queensryche here shines at every second they've play with Mr. Tate delivering some of the most brilliant performance I ever heared and seen from vocals department, superb voice and very smooth and elegant when needed. 5 stars easy one of the best concerts, DVD's, VHS you name it , from rock music, not only from progressive metal field or progressive rock. Recommended for sure, one of the albums who has a special place in my heart and in my collection.