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DREAM THEATER
Tour Live show review |
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The evening was a beautiful summer night, a little humid but no rainfall. The stage had the stop light from the band’s latest album, Systematic Chaos hanging from the grid of lights above the stage. Black ants with red eyes where affixed to the speakers and guitar foot pedals, crawling around different areas of the stage. |
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Bernard Herrmann’s melodic, string driven orchestral music from PSYCHO (not the shower scene cue) ushered my favorite band back to their home turf. The crowd, estimated about 7,000 started going nuts. When that track finished suddenly the famous audio jingle from George Lucas’ THX backed Dream Theater’s Logo on the large video screen before us. |
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The four instrumentalists from DT launched into "Sprach Zarathrustra" the theme from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. The guys were already making their return a special night for us all. |
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I did not read any blogs or Internet news clippings prior to the show because I did not want to know what DT’s set lists had been on this tour. I was hoping they would open with "Constant Motion" off Systematic Chaos and as John Petrucci ripped into his vicious riff, my hopes were realized. |
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This was the fifth time I have seen Dream Theater live. What I liked most about this show was that the band played songs off all of their albums that were NOT THE SAME ONES they usually play. DT constructed new intros for some older songs using instrumentation that didn’t sound remotely familiar and I really dug this. I could barely tell the beginning of "Surrounded," which was a song I hadn’t heard in years. |
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The tightness & chemistry of the band was clearly on display the entire evening, especially standing out in songs such as "Lines In The Sand," "Trail of Tears" and "Blind Faith." The 25-minute pairing of "In the Presence of Enemies Part 1 & Part II" with backing animation of the band fighting a large monster, had everyone clapping and smiling along. |
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It’s pretty amazing to think that Jordan Rudess has been in the band longer now than any previous keyboard player. Rudess was all over the keys on his instrument like only he can do. He even brought out a guitar like version of his keyboard for his jaw-dropping solo. But it’s not only about the flurry of notes this guy plays. The horror film feel of "Forsaken" versus the beauty of "The Spirit Carries On" and "Finally Free," is a small example of the wide ranging diversity of the best keyboardist I’ve ever seen. |
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Rudess and Petrucci acted as the dynamic duo while Portnoy and Myung always took the responsibility of laying down the groove. |
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Petrucci played flawlessly all night. Whether it was the heavy-duty riff of "The Dark Eternal Night" (one of the night’s highlights) or his electrifying soloing, Petrucci always plays with tremendous amount of energy, passion and ability. But the same has to be said of Mike Portnoy. Portnoy pounds out the awesome time changes and always mixes his approach to percussion. These two guys are without question the engines that drive this band, which is reflected in their playing and songwriting. |
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I went to the show with my nephew Kevin Austin and friend Linda Viviano. They both had never seen DT before and truthfully barely knew of their music. After the show both told me it that this show was one of the best they had ever seen. Also Tim Clark, Writer/Producer of HAIR OF THE DOG e-mailed independently of this show to say he saw Dream Theater at the PNC Arts Center and his own words, "Easily the best show I have ever seen. I mean that." I would have to agree with those comments. |
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After the show I took my nephew backstage and we had nice conversations with all the band members except Mike Portnoy. Portnoy was basically playing in his backyard and was most likely with family. |
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Go the websites listed below to find out when Dream Theater will be in your town and I'd do everything in your power to go to the show. They will undoubtedly ROCK YOUR WORLD. |
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Four tour dates – please visit: www.myspace.com/dreamtheater wwww.roadrunnerrecords.com |
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| Mantaray Pictures Homepage | |
