Another GIGANTOUR Review

I just got back from Gigantour's stop in Pittsburgh, and I must say that even though I can't hear a damn thing, I am really really pumped.  What an awesome show from start to finish.  At $33, this concert was a bargain to say the least!
Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

When I arrived, Nevermore was on the mainstage, and they were pretty much a standard metal band, and didnt impress me much.  The lead guitarist was good, but their songs were bad, the highlight being a heavy metal cover of Simon and Garfunkle's 'The Sound of Silence'.  The singer was trying waaaay to hard and was clearly struggling on his lame high notes. 
Final Score: Nevermore 5/10

Next, my friends and I sort of milled around and went to check the second stage where Dry Kill Logic was playing.  We didnt stay there long enough for me to give a fair review of them.

Next on the mainstage was Dillinger Escape Plan.  I must say they were far better than I expected live.  They pull off the sound quite well and keep all their craziness together.   The entire band jumped and flailed around to the music, and they were all in all quite intense.  They thankfully played songs that I knew, which made their set a bit more enjoyable.  Still, DEP is hard to swallow any day.
Final Score: Dillinger Escape Plan 8/10

No sooner had DEP finished up than Symphony X was starting on the second stage.  They were amazing.  It's sad that they had to be stuck on the tiny little second stage when their sound is so huge.  Still, they were impressive.  The singer is one of the best live metal vocalists I have ever seen.  He was incredibly dynamic and used his voice well, one of the few I've ever heard sound better live than on recordings.  They played good songs, though none I was familiar with, but I will have to become familiar with soon!  A great set, the only detraction being that they were on the second stage and were mixed badly.
Final Score:  Symphony X 9/10

Next we ran to the mainstage to catch the start of Fear Factory.  They were much better than I expected them to be live.  The drummer is incredible, though he is the only really talented member of the band.  I still have chest pains from his double kick drum.   They played a good, well balanced set that covered most of their material, including old favorites like 'Shock'.  They even played one from their next record.  A good sounding band, their only detraction being that all their songs are pretty much the same: lots of interesting double kick combos accompanied by screamed lyrics and low, fast-picked guitar riffs.
Final Score: Fear Factory 9/10

Then all I had to do was wait around and find a good spot to watch Dream Theater. 
wow.
wow wow wow.
Just awesome.  They played a predominantly metal set, but they kept the energy flowing so well!  They opened with the first track from Octavarium, then went right into 'Honor Thy Father' (which, honestly I'm not keen on, but it was good anyway).  From what I can remember of the set, they played a great version of 'The Mirror' which led into 'Lie'.  Also on the list was 'Peruvian Skies', which was nice.  And then, I couldn't believe my ears... They played 'Home'!!!!  It's always been one of my favorite DT songs, and I thought they never played it live!  It was insane!  I was on Petrucci's side of the stage, about 20 feet from the stage so I could hear and see everyone perfectly.  Myung was quite audible and played exquisitely.  Portnoy was intense as usual.   LaBrie was his same old trying-too-damn-hard self, but his vocals actually impressed me.  He sounded much clearer and less pitchy than he does on the Budokan CD.   They went out with 'As I Am' and ended it with a crescendo that I swear lasted at least 2 minutes (no exaggeration!).   Then, just as I was disappointed with the lack of an instrumental medley, they encored with 'Pull Me Under' which led into a 5 minute instrumedley, and they finished brilliantly by cycling back through their set, playing a bar or two from each song on the list.  They were everything I hoped they would be.  I hope someday I get to see them in a more 'pure' DT setting where they can do a 4 hour double set!
Final Score: Dream Theater 11/10 

DT was such a high note that my buds and I decided to just skip Megadeth and head on out.  None of us really like them, but we were getting hungry and didnt want to pay for an over-priced over-cooked burger at the venue.  plus, the only damn good thing about Megadeth was Marty Friedman, and he wasnt there so screw it. 

anyway, sorry about starting another thread that involves DT, but I had to share my thoughts on a great music performance.  hope some other folks here get to see this show.