GEOFF TATE: 'It Makes A Huge Difference When You Are Playing With People That Want To Be There'

Dante of RockNightmare.com recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

RockNightmare.com: I have seen QUEENSRŸCHE many times over the years. This is the first time I have seen this lineup. And after seeing the show I couldn't help but to think there may be a newfound passion for the songs on your part. Am I mistaken? Is there any truth to that?

Geoff Tate: Yeah. In a sense, being in a band is a symbiotic relationship. We all feed off of each other. And this group of guys is incredibly positive. They are happy to be where they are, playing the music. It's like a mutual admiration society. We are all enamored with each other as players and as people. And that probably shows. Everyone is performing incredibly well. There is a lot of passion in the music, and it shows in the presentation because of that. The whole tour is really great. Everybody is having a good time. It just makes a huge difference when you are playing with people that want to be there. Doing what we do is a gift and to travel around the world and play shows for people and to perform. I have always been one to think it was a blessing and I am grateful to be able to do that. And I am having a great time and I think the band is as well. And I think it shows live. People pick up on the energy.

RockNightmare.com: What do you like most about playing with this lineup?

Geoff Tate: I really enjoy their musicianship. They are all really great players. They bring a passion to my music that I really love. And they are all really great people as well. They want to be there and they are fun to be around and we have a lot of laughs. That's really important.

RockNightmare.com: If you were awarded the QUEENSRŸCHE name in court, what would the difference be between a QUEENSRŸCHE record and a Geoff Tate solo record?

Geoff Tate: I don't know. That's a good question. When QUEENSRŸCHE first started, Chris [DeGarmo, then-QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist] and I had this no-limits philosophy. We didn't want to be limited in our writing and we didn't want to be limited in our creativity. We wanted to write what we imagined. We didn't want to be dictated to by other people telling us what we can and cannot be. We wanted to find our own art. I always kept that my primary operating philosophy. The challenge is once you have some success over time, people have a tendency to stay where they found you. And at that point, they want you to keep doing what they are comfortable with, and I have never been one to agree with that outlook on things. I want to keep growing and changing and experimenting with my music. And a lot of audiences don't what that. So it is a conflict that arises. So having a solo project gives me the ability to let me create whatever I dream of. I am not limited by other people's expectations. I guess that would be the difference. A solo record would be whatever I imagine, and a QUEENSRŸCHE record would be what people are more comfortable with.

Read the entire interview from RockNightmare.com.