Dream Theater 14/02/2014

"Along for the Ride"

 

Febuary the 14th is traditionally celebrated as Valentines day in many countries around the world. Some people love it, others hate it. For some, it's a way to express their love and devotion to their signifianct other, whilst others feel it's a commercial trap! 

This Valentine's day was pretty special for me. No, not because I recieved over 300 cards from adoring women (which I definitely did), but because I went to see one of the most musically talented bands in the world.

Having spent 7 hours on various trains getting from Cornwall to London, I headed to Wembley Arena to see Progressive Metal Band Dream Theater.

Now, in my experience I've recived three different responses to Dream Theater, the most common being "who?", the second being "Yeah, they're not for me" and the third being some variation on "I love them!". Like Marmite, you either love them or hate them. Renowned for their complicated music, they aren't everyone's cup of tea! I've heard several people say that the band's music lacks "soul" and is simply complicated time signatures and self indulgent solos. Some of this is partly true, but with a little patience you'll notice that the band has some softer songs, with some incredibly emotive playing. So yeah, give them a chance!

I however am very much a fan, and this was my first time seeing them live.

Wembley Arena Outside

 

Setlist:

Set 1

False Awakening Suite (Recording)

The Enemey Inside

The Shattered Fortress

On The Backs Of Angels

The Looking Glass

Trial Of Tears

Enigma Machine (With drum solo)

Along For The Ride

Breaking All Illusions

Set 2

The Mirror

Lie

Lifting Shadows Off A Dream

Scarred

Space Dye Vest

Illumination Theory

Encore:

Overture 1928

Strange Deja Vu

The Dance Of Eternity

Finally Free

Illumination Theory Outro (Recorded)

The band started at around 19:30 and finished around 22:30, so we were treated to good amount of music. The band were incredibly tight (as expected), and though not the most active of bands, their light show was brilliant, as were their cameramen, who captured excellent close up shots of the various musicians. 

The four instrumentalists in DT are all virtuosi, and can most definitely be considered some of the best in their specific instrumental field.

 In my opinion, the only weak link in the band is their singer, James Lebrie whose voice I find a little lacking in emotion, and a little hit and miss in live recordings. I can safely say that on Friday, he was on top form, and did an excellent job of whipping up the crowd too!

This tour was to promote the band's "new" album (it came out in September), so there were a fair few new songs in the set (though not as many as I'd expected). The band was also celebrating the 20th birthday of their album "Awake" so the second set featured the last 5 songs from that album, including the tune "Space Dye Vest" which had never been performed live by the band until this tour. Another rarity was "The Shattered Fortress" which again had never been played live till this tour. The band' encore featured 4 songs from their album "Metropolis pt 2, Scenes From A Memory", which was celebrating 15 years. 

Other tunes in the set included a smattering of newer songs, with a few older tunes as well. Personal highlights included: Space Dye Vest, Breaking All Illusions and Illumination Theory.

As expected, the band all played amazingly, and as their all incredible musicians, it was difficult deciding who to focus on during the songs! Despite being a drummer, I found myself watching their keyboardist Jordan Rudess quite a bit! Drummer Mike Mangini featured a short drum solo during "Enigma Machine", and showed off why he is the world's fastest drummer with his ridiculously quick technique. Bassist John Myung and Guitarist John Petrucci were also incredible. 

Jordan Rudess tearing up the keytar

Despite the concert lasting around 3 hours, I could happily have sat and listened to another 3 hours of music! I can honestly say that Friday's gig was one of the best I've been to, and I cannot wait for the next chance to see this band live!