QUEENSRYCHE operation:mindcrime

October 15, 2006

“How embarrassing, I’m wearing the same dress as Sister Mary.”

 

Kai took me to see operation:mindcrime II at the Moore tonight. That’s right, Queensryche! I had never heard the concept album before, but as far as I can tell, the story is that this priest develops a strain of heroine that allows him to control people’s minds whenever he calls them and says “mindcrime!” into the phone. He gets all the nuns hooked on heroine and then sends them out into Seattle to get all the young boys hooked as well. The lead singer of Queensryche becomes a client of Sister Mary who is secretly a dirty whore on her day off. They fall in love but because he’s a troublemaking anarchist, the priest phones Sister Mary one day and says “mindcrime! Put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger!” Which she does, because it’s a mind crime. Then, the heartbroken lead singer of Queensryche gets framed for the murder and goes to jail for 18 years. When he’s freed, he puts on a suit and kills three lawyers. He finds the priest and crashes into his limo with his motorcycle in an alley behind The Rendez Vous but doesn’t get hurt as bad as the priest who was in the limo. He drags the priest into his industrial loft and kills him. Then he sits on the couch trying to decide whether to kill himself and how he might kill himself–with a sledgehammer? No. With cigarettes? No. Too slow. With a noose? This goes on for three songs, with the ghost of Sister Mary pulling her hair out hoping he doesn’t do it. Then he overdoses on heroine and is reunited with the whore/nun and they descend into hell happily ever after.

This was an awesome show. The trip to the ladies room was a little disturbing, though. I had to wait in line behind fifty year old women with missing teeth in black leather mini-skirts. But who can blame them for loving a band that can put on this sort of cheesy show and still pull off cool? The best part was the marching band that came on stage during two songs. The theater was packed and it was extra exciting seeing as how Queensryche is a local band (Jet City==home of Boeing). It was total old school rock n’ roll and I’m glad Kai dragged me along.

In addition to operation:mindcrime I & II, the band also performed an encore of Walk in the Shadows and Jet City Woman.