3 - Excellent.. brilliant. The album is great but so much better live.

 

Between the Buried and Me - very good though the vocals could hardly be heard and kind of less interesting after 3

 

Opeth - Excellent, though due to a stupid stage problem (the curtain felt down during the performance(?!) of the "baying of the hounds", they interrupted their set for at least 40 minutes and they had to play a shorter set, which also hurt DT's set.... Great performance.

 

DREAM THEATER - I can't be objective about this. I just... well... If I was a fan before, now I'm a f**king 100% fanboy no matter what nobody says.... I paid for the complete package so I met the guys and had my book autographed.... The pic I will post as soon as they send it to me.... They are so professional, so respectful to their fans, so down to earth (there goes the "pretensious" argument) and so f**king good playing their instruments, that...well.... expect only 10% objectivity from me from now on...... With any other band I can be 100% objective... with THE DREAM, it's difficult.

 

They had to play a shorter set because of the f**king curtain problem with Opeth so I didn't get to see the second encore that they've been doing in other locations... But it was enough just to see "Strange Deja Vu", "Forsaken", "Take The Time", "Surrounded", The Dark Eternal Night", "Constant Motion", a great medley, and some out-of-this earth soloing by Petrucci and Rudess....

 

My book signed by them.... Consider me a lost cause for the war against fanboyism....

 

 

 

 

Progressive Nation 2008 at The Fillmore at Jackie Gleason Theater, Miami Beach Florida.

 

The theater had a capacity of probably 3000 people. It was 50% full by the time the second band left the stage but halfway through Opeth's performance it was already full. 90% of the people was wearing DT shirts. Yes, this could've been hell for some people around these places..

 

The concert opened with THREE. They played for about 35 minutes, a very good selection out of their great album "The End is Begun" (review coming tomorrow, as I happened to listen to the album the night before). This performance was excellent. After DT, the best of the show. The singer is amazing with his instrument (I confess ignorance about the name of that kind of guitar), only playing with his fingers, with amazing skills and at times bordering on flamenco style. The drummer was another highlight, with excellent skills but also with great showmanship, playing with his sticks, playing to the crowd, very energetic. Both the bass player and the electric guitar player were obsucer but very professional and skilled. The percussionist added to the performance, especially in a cymbal-only solo he and the drummer shared. There was a short solo section, which was outstanding. Great stage presence of the band, very good sound (actually, the best of the night... or my ears were dead by the end).  1/2 (over 5)

 

The second band was BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME. They really don't look like the music they make (if such a ridiculous idea exists). When they took the stage I was almost waiting for some emo , even though I had heard "Colors". Their performance was good but the least inspiring. First, their song selection was not spot-on. Second, the sound was a mess, with the vocalist almost impossible to hear. Also, except for the vocalist, the rest of the band lacks stage presence. Unlike THREE, BTBAM is much better on record. But a good performance anyway. /5 

 

OPETH came next and, well, it's OPETH so quality was guaranteed. All wearing full black (except for Akerfeldt who was wearing a PAATOS shirt), their personas are huge and the sound very heavy. Akerfeldt is quite the funny guy, which is weird after you hear him sing like Satan  Halfway thorugh their amazing "The Baying of the Hounds", the curtain felt down.... yes... (?!?).... it was good luck that nobody was standing below where it felt, or someone's head could've suffered. They finished the song as professionals (it was so stupid, Akerfeldt, the guitar and the bass player before the curtain, and the drummer and keyboard hidden behind (?!?!)......) They left the stage and then we got 40 minutes of hell... Well, actually, that almost killed the crowd... Stupid people in the theater probably don't care much for metal events...Well, they came back staright with one of their heaviest songs (to lift the crowd up) and suddenly they announced their last song (?!?!?!?!?!).... Of course, if they had continued, DT would've taken the stage much later than expected... So they played a cut from the upcoming "Watershed", very good, and they left. Very good performance, considering the circumstances.... Akerfeldt can sing and growl...and PLAY. He's the all-star in the band. Good sound, though my ears were almost dead by then.... /5

 

And after 30 minutes or so finally DREAM f**king THEATER took the stage. I have to confess my weakness when I finally saw them live. Well... enough embarrasment, I didn't look like a teenage girl when The Beatles arrived to America.. but close... They opened with Constant Motion... they soloed in every damn song.... At one time Petrucci's guitar got disconnected and Portnoy, Ruddess and Myung very professionally improvised a weird jamming (kind of weak, though it was getting better until Petrucci returned). When they started with "Strange Deja Vu" from "Scenes from a Memory" yours truly reached Hannah-Montana-teen-girl-fan-like madness .... Then they didn't stop and gave me "Surrounded" and when they played "Forsaken" I really finally died..... The sound was not the best ever. the guitar overpowered every other instrument by a mile, and it was difficult to hear the rest except for when good John P. stopped playing altogether. My ears also were gelatin by now.... (I was 5 feet from the stage so...probably my position wasn't the best from an acoustics point of view) .... They played "Take The Time" (read - more teenage embarrasment from me) and they left... (they had played "the Dark Eternal Night".... A funny video of Mario Bros 1 played with "the Dark eternal night" and with Mike instead lof MArio aired and they returned.... They only played a medley here... covering a lot of songs, and suddenly.... they left! For good!! f**kING CURTAIN!!! I couldn't see Metropolis live! Well, they gave their best anyway. They had to leave for Orlando and they still had to go with the meet and greet so  I understand and forgive THEM, not the idiots at the Fillmore. Fantastic soloing by Petrucci, fantastic everything. The true LEADER of the progressive-metal world gave their best and I was satisfied. Decent sound, Labrie was hard to hear at the beginning, better later on. Myung as always reserved but important. Rudess a master, he soloed with Petrucci in the pic in my sig. Portnoy the heart of the band... and well.. Petrucci..../5

 

Afterwards I waited for 30 minutes so that the children showered and I met them, had my book signed, my pic taken with them, they're so cool and nice, not pretentious or arrogant. They make their fans feel important. They care for their fans. And that was it.

 

Basically, a great concert that could've been so much better (again, damn curtain!!!!)..... An experience i have to repeat... And to every fan of any of these bands, whenever you can, go see them LIVE.

 

Overall:

 

Sound

Performances

Crowd  (great with 3, good with BTBAM, great but cooled with OPETH, insane with DT)

The T's objectivity in this review 1/2

 

 

thank you very much.

 

That's true. I have been to a few concerts now and DT is by far the most dedicated to their fans....   I hope they come back with next album (when, if) and I'll see them again... and vip again..

 

 

 

That was actually a prank played by Dream Theater, someone told me that. It was on Mike Portnoy's forum or something.

 

 

I find that hardly believable... What would be the point???? Making  3000 fans get angry???