Dream Theater, Philadelphia 28 March 2006

Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic

   I was fortunate enough to spend last evening with Dream Theater. 
I bought a pair of tickets, and in the end I couldn't unload the second
one, but I only paid $60 for the pair and each ticket was $50 through
Ticketmaster.  So, an extra $10 doesn't hurt.  This was at
the Tower Theater in Philadelphia, a small venue that maybe seats
1500-2000 people.  I was in the 11th row in the orchestra right,
in the aisle between the center and right sections.  Forgive me if
these descriptions duplicate some of the other reviews.  As the
lights went down and the curtain rose, a montage of the past 20 years
of Dream Theater went up on the screen, and then the guys took the
stage and opened with "The Root of All Evil".  Started pretty
good, it's not among my favorite tracks on the new album, but
whatever.  Then things got interesting.  They went all the
way back to the days when they were called Majesty and played a song
from that time (from other sites I think it's called "Another
Won").  The set list then went in chronological order, which helps
me a lot in remembering!  Before the first intermission, we were
treated to:

"A Fortune in Lies"

"Take the Time"

"Caught in a Web"

"Peruvian Skies" (with a bit of "Wish You Were Here" and "Wherever I May Roam" thrown in)

"Raise the Knife" (first time I ever heard this, it was absolutely
awesome.  Apparently it was an outtake from the Falling into
Infinity sessions.)

then the first set ended with "Home".  Such a strong finish, they
were brilliant on this.  By this time I was really going nuts with
my various air instruments.

The second set began with the introduction to "Six Degrees of Inner
Turbulence" before the guys came back on stage, at which point they
launched into "War Inside My Head" and "The Test That Stumped Them
All".  This was followed by "Endless Sacrifice", which was among
my favorites of the evening.  The three songs that opened the
second act were so unbelievable - Portnoy flying all over the kit and
having a great time (always had a big smile on his face), Petrucci and
Myung flying (when they "dualed", as it were, that was so great), the
tradeoff guitar/keyboard solos between Petrucci and Rudess - and let me
add, as other posters have done, that LaBrie was in fine form, and in
fact it was probably the best vocal performance I've heard from him
live (I've been to two other shows).

The second set ended really strong; you know, based on what they did it
was clear I haven't given Octavarium enough spins and have been
ignoring it too much.

"I Walk Beside You"

"Sacrificed Sons"

"Octavarium"

Jordan's keyboard solo for the intro to Octavarium was stunning, the
use of the continuum board and the "slide guitar" made for incredible,
moving sounds that really set the mood.  Then we all went nuts as
John came out with his double neck - what progger worth his/her salt
doesn't love the double neck?  
They were nice enough to come out for an encore, ending the show in
brilliant fashion with "Wait for Sleep" and "Learning to Live".

Like I said, the performance on the last three songs were really,
really great, especially the last two; it made me grab Octavarium for
the car when I got home so I could get into it more.

What can I say?  I think I still favor the time I saw them perform
the entire SFAM, but this was an incredible performance, seeing them go
one by one through their catalog was a real treat.  They're
finishing up the world tour on Saturday night at Radio City Music Hall,
and I think a DVD will come out of that performance (correct me if I'm
wrong), so everyone can enjoy!

Post Reply	Page 12 >