Queensrÿche offered ‘obscene’ money to reunite with Geoff Tate

Geoff Tate said he’s “not really expecting” a reunion with Queensrÿche, despite highly profitable offers to do so.

In a January 24 interview on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Tate revealed that the band’s classic lineup had “been offered just obscene amounts of money to get back together and do one tour — one tour and we’d never have to tour again. And a couple of people in the band turned it down; they’re not interested in doing it.”

Tate further explained that “money is not the motivator” when it comes to reunion discussions. “Getting together for an artistic dream isn’t a motivator either, so what do you have? You have nothing.”

In 2012, Queensrÿche fired Tate and replaced him with new singer, Todd La Torre. Tate formed his own version of Queensrÿche, and for a while both bands released new albums and toured under the Queensrÿche name. A settlement was reached in 2014, giving drummer Scott Rockenfield, guitarist Michael Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson control of the Queensrÿche brand, while Tate was allowed to form the band Operation: Mindcrime, named after the title of Queensrÿche 1988 concept album bearing the same name.

We weren’t really friends, you know — we were business associates. From my perspective and my involvement, it wasn’t an emotional sort of brotherhood kind of thing that some people might think existed. That wasn’t my reality with them.

We had our time, and I’ll always be grateful for that time that we had.That was a time, and it doesn’t mean that that time has to go on forever.

Queensrÿche vocalist, Geoff Tate

Queensrÿche sold more than 6 million albums in the U.S. alone between 1988-94, and have amassed sales of more than 20 million albums worldwide over the course of their career.