Before we even begin, I should probably state that I went into this gig being completely unaware of Dream Theater’s music. I’d heard bits and pieces but I’d never listened to one of their albums in full. Whether this is due to lack of time or my general disinterest with songs that go on for ages is hard to say. Nevertheless, I decided to go to the concert with an open mind and see what the quintet would do…
Coming on stage to some rather epic classical music courtesy of Two Steps From Hell, the hall erupted into a thunderous applause before opening the ‘best of’ set with “The Dark Eternal Picture.” With an impressive light show and a good sound, the band held no bars and brought forth songs from all across their back catalogue with new tracks like “Our New World” and classics like “Hells Kitchen” all getting aired. While initially there were some sound issues which resulted in some crackling, these problems were rectified quickly and seemed not to deter the eager fans that lined the room. While it might not have been a ‘typical’ metal crowd, the fans that were there seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves with many of them open-mouthed at John Petrucci’s ability to jump around the fretboard.
Towards the end of the first half, bassist John Myung appeared on stage with his bass and vocalist James Labrie commented: “He’s going to play some Jaco Pastorius for you.” John then proceeded to play a very faithful rendition of “Portrait of Tracy” before transitioning into “As I Am” which again resulted in the audience raising the roof. The band then decided to change it up a gear and chuck in a small cover of “Enter Sandman” which when the crowd sang it back, James commented, “You know that better than you know our lyrics!”. Ending the set with “Breaking All Illusions”, any regular band would have called time on the set to rest and relax.
But Dream Theater are no regular band, and after a short interval, it was time to celebrate the event which many people had come there for… The 25th Anniversary of Images and Words. Arguably considered the album that put them on the map, it’s very easy to see why. With classic songs like “Pull Me Under” and “Take The Time”, the crowd was either singing along or cheering along with many too excited to remain in their seats.
A personal highlight of the set had to be the point when drummer Mike Mangini decided to have ‘a bit of fun’ behind his behemoth of a drum kit. He looked as happy as a kid in a sweet shop with his funny little expressions every now and again causing both me and other of the audience to chuckle a bit. After the story about the rice cooker again got people laughing, James decided to show off his vocal abilities with a superb performance of “Wait for Sleep”.
Coming back on to an encore of “A Change of Seasons”, I can quite honestly say that the band blew my mind. I have genuinely never witnessed a performance quite like this one before, and they have certainly gained a fan with me. I heartily look forward to the next time the quintet come to town and to discovering the wealth of music they have produced.
All photos by Amplified Gig Photography
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