Geoff Tate Show Is the ‘Best Ever at Jake’s Backroom’ [Gallery]

I was never a huge Queensryche fan growing up. The group was just slightly before the time when I started listening to heavy metal music, so I wasn't as excited about the former lead singer for the band, Geoff Tate, visiting Lubbock as I have been with other touring groups.

My manfriend, on the other hand, is an enormous fan of the album Operation: Mindcrime and specifically Geoff Tate, which meant that I couldn't pass up the chance to make it a date night when Tate's group, named after the rock opera album, stopped in the Hub City.

Tate took the stage just before 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 19th, and kept rocking until midnight, keeping Jake's Backroom packed and pumped through the entire set.

Some who attended may have noticed how Tate sounded like he was under the weather when he said his "hello" to the audience, and that would be an accurate assessment. I was unable to get an interview prior to the show so that he could save his voice to put on the best show possible. And he delivered.

As the crowd was leaving the building, I heard tons of comments about how Geoff Tate and Operation: Mindcrime was "hands-down, the best show ever to be performed at Jake's Backroom." If you didn't get a chance to make it to the show, I managed to capture some photos while I was there.

Enjoy the gallery, and if you need some listening inspiration today, I highly recommend Operation: Mindcrime to put you in a good mood.