Intense Dream Theater Weekend
Holy shit.
Holy shit.
It’s been a few days now, but I am still so amazingly impressed by last Saturday's Dream Theater concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and all I can say is Holy Shit. The band was as tight as ever, and seemed like they prepared a whole lot for the show. There was a mood in the air, I don't know if it was being on the band's home turf, or the fact that it was the 20th Anniversary Tour Finale, or that it was being filmed and recorded, or the classiness of the venue, or all of the above; either way, the mood was invigorating. Waiting for the show I could not help but to feed off the positive vibes of everyone in the concert hall. Everybody - from the front to the back, to the very last seat in the balcony - was in intense anticipation for what we all expected to be the concert to end all concerts.
And it certainly was just that.
The curtains rose, and the whole crowd was louder than any crowd of any show I have ever been to, and then the band just kicked right into high gear. Energy, emotion, the whole deal - it was all there from the start. From the show's opener, the band played better than I have ever seen them, and why shouldn't they have? It was the pinnacle of their 20-year long career, from humble college students playing local bars and now to selling out Radio City Music Hall, with little convincing needed to get fans from across the country to as far as overseas to make the trip out. A response like that obviously means the band had much reason to celebrate. To give back to us, the fans, they pulled out some old favorites, lesser played favorites, some real old favorites, and some unreleased cult favorites. By the end of the first set, the high the crowd had at the start was even higher, and well all here so happy to know that another hour or so of music was in store for us.
Enter the second set. Sure, some of us made the prediction, and maybe some hints were dropped that some of us paid attention to, and maybe some of us ignored. All that matters is that we were right, and the buzz in the air got even stronger. Dream Theater was joined by the Orchestra that joined them for their latest album. Not only that, but the second set started with their 40-minute piece, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which when combined with the orchestra was incredibly powerful with certain sections being flat out moving. The Orchestra stayed for the remainder of the show, playing a rendition of another tune with the band, and then performing the two tracks they recorded with the band - the way they were intended to be performed. Those two tunes are amazing in their own right on record, but in the concert hall joined with the orchestra, they took on lives of their own. There really was nothing like it. For an encore, arguable one of their most famous songs was performed in its entirety along with the orchestra. Simply amazing.
Dream Theater always mentioned in interviews that performing with an orchestra was a dream of theirs, and 20 years after their inception they realized it in front of 6,000 of their fans from all over the country and other parts of the world. I am so glad that I did not pass this concert up and that I was able to be a part of such a momentous occasion of my absolute favorite and most respected band. They know so well how to please the fans, and they went so far beyond that last Saturday night. The buzz is still high, as is evident on the forums - this kind of reaction does not happen to every band, making Dream Theater so special to us fans.
After the show, we listened to Dream Theater's live recording of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Showing how they themselves are fans and are just the same as us while at the same time giving something to us fans as a sign of their appreciation for us, they showed their appreciation to Pink Floyd by performing Dark Side in its entirety with careful attention given to all of the sonic nuances that make that album what it is. Dark Side of the Moon is soft, atmospheric, ethereal, and relaxing - the perfect listening experience after such an intense show. Again, Dream Theater impressed us all again, by faithfully performing Dark Side as it was meant to be heard, with tunes like Us and Them and Any Colour You Like being just as moving as the originals.
I have yet to see this band do wrong - from giving the fans memorable music, to memorable concert moments, to just walking up to fans on the street and giving them pictures and autographs, to actual interaction with the fan base via the fan clubs and forums that exist and actually releasing songs and albums that the fans jokingly demand, hell they even played a fan's rendtion of their own tune, Trial of Tears, during the intermission, imagine how those fans must feel! Dream Theater have once again cemented their position as the greatest band I have ever been introduced to, and with all they have done for the fans, I don't see them ever stopping until the end, and I doubt I will ever bite my tongue with what I just said.
Set 1:
The Root of All Evil
I Walk Beside You
Another Won
Afterlife
Under a Glass Moon
Innocence Faded
Raise the Knife
The Spirit Carries On
Set 2 featuring Jamshied Sharifi and the Octavarium Orchestra:
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
i. Overture
ii. About to Crash
iii. War Inside My Head
iv. The Test That Stumped Them All
v. Goodnight Kiss
vi. Solitary Shell
vii. About to Crash (Reprise)
viii. Losing Time/Grand Finale
Vacant
The Answer Lies Within
Sacrificed Sons
Octavarium
Encore again with Orchestra:
Metropolis Pt. 1
Holy shit.
It’s been a few days now, but I am still so amazingly impressed by last Saturday's Dream Theater concert at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and all I can say is Holy Shit. The band was as tight as ever, and seemed like they prepared a whole lot for the show. There was a mood in the air, I don't know if it was being on the band's home turf, or the fact that it was the 20th Anniversary Tour Finale, or that it was being filmed and recorded, or the classiness of the venue, or all of the above; either way, the mood was invigorating. Waiting for the show I could not help but to feed off the positive vibes of everyone in the concert hall. Everybody - from the front to the back, to the very last seat in the balcony - was in intense anticipation for what we all expected to be the concert to end all concerts.
And it certainly was just that.
The curtains rose, and the whole crowd was louder than any crowd of any show I have ever been to, and then the band just kicked right into high gear. Energy, emotion, the whole deal - it was all there from the start. From the show's opener, the band played better than I have ever seen them, and why shouldn't they have? It was the pinnacle of their 20-year long career, from humble college students playing local bars and now to selling out Radio City Music Hall, with little convincing needed to get fans from across the country to as far as overseas to make the trip out. A response like that obviously means the band had much reason to celebrate. To give back to us, the fans, they pulled out some old favorites, lesser played favorites, some real old favorites, and some unreleased cult favorites. By the end of the first set, the high the crowd had at the start was even higher, and well all here so happy to know that another hour or so of music was in store for us.
Enter the second set. Sure, some of us made the prediction, and maybe some hints were dropped that some of us paid attention to, and maybe some of us ignored. All that matters is that we were right, and the buzz in the air got even stronger. Dream Theater was joined by the Orchestra that joined them for their latest album. Not only that, but the second set started with their 40-minute piece, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, which when combined with the orchestra was incredibly powerful with certain sections being flat out moving. The Orchestra stayed for the remainder of the show, playing a rendition of another tune with the band, and then performing the two tracks they recorded with the band - the way they were intended to be performed. Those two tunes are amazing in their own right on record, but in the concert hall joined with the orchestra, they took on lives of their own. There really was nothing like it. For an encore, arguable one of their most famous songs was performed in its entirety along with the orchestra. Simply amazing.
Dream Theater always mentioned in interviews that performing with an orchestra was a dream of theirs, and 20 years after their inception they realized it in front of 6,000 of their fans from all over the country and other parts of the world. I am so glad that I did not pass this concert up and that I was able to be a part of such a momentous occasion of my absolute favorite and most respected band. They know so well how to please the fans, and they went so far beyond that last Saturday night. The buzz is still high, as is evident on the forums - this kind of reaction does not happen to every band, making Dream Theater so special to us fans.
After the show, we listened to Dream Theater's live recording of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, recorded at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. Showing how they themselves are fans and are just the same as us while at the same time giving something to us fans as a sign of their appreciation for us, they showed their appreciation to Pink Floyd by performing Dark Side in its entirety with careful attention given to all of the sonic nuances that make that album what it is. Dark Side of the Moon is soft, atmospheric, ethereal, and relaxing - the perfect listening experience after such an intense show. Again, Dream Theater impressed us all again, by faithfully performing Dark Side as it was meant to be heard, with tunes like Us and Them and Any Colour You Like being just as moving as the originals.
I have yet to see this band do wrong - from giving the fans memorable music, to memorable concert moments, to just walking up to fans on the street and giving them pictures and autographs, to actual interaction with the fan base via the fan clubs and forums that exist and actually releasing songs and albums that the fans jokingly demand, hell they even played a fan's rendtion of their own tune, Trial of Tears, during the intermission, imagine how those fans must feel! Dream Theater have once again cemented their position as the greatest band I have ever been introduced to, and with all they have done for the fans, I don't see them ever stopping until the end, and I doubt I will ever bite my tongue with what I just said.
Set 1:
The Root of All Evil
I Walk Beside You
Another Won
Afterlife
Under a Glass Moon
Innocence Faded
Raise the Knife
The Spirit Carries On
Set 2 featuring Jamshied Sharifi and the Octavarium Orchestra:
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence
i. Overture
ii. About to Crash
iii. War Inside My Head
iv. The Test That Stumped Them All
v. Goodnight Kiss
vi. Solitary Shell
vii. About to Crash (Reprise)
viii. Losing Time/Grand Finale
Vacant
The Answer Lies Within
Sacrificed Sons
Octavarium
Encore again with Orchestra:
Metropolis Pt. 1