I don’t know, haven’t ever noticed him lip syncing and I’m not really concerned about it. Following DT over the last years, I’ve been more concerned about James’ general mood. He seems tired, it even shows in his appearance, perhaps from all the criticism he’s received over his voice. I hope I’m wrong but he doesn’t seem very well to me. It doesn’t seem far-fetched because touring is such a physically and mentally draining process. I can’t imagine periodically giving shows every night for decades.
When it comes to criticizing individual members (past or current) James always picks up the heat. And it has been going for a long time. Damn, I've even stumbled upon some comments in his "good" days when people still crucified him on the way he sings. Today, when it's understandable he can't deliver as he did 20 years ago - I believe it must be frustrating. Their use of backing tracks for back vocals was funny at the moment (Petrucci opens his mouth, and you can hear Portnoy) but I would rather hear James sing poorly live than lip-sync. I don't know which gig it was, but I knew when the band came out, the sound was crystal clear and my first thought was "Shit, that's backing track!" It took me some time to realize it wasn't, just a damn good sound technician and a band on fire. Still, that showed me I'd rather get what I get live than to see some guys jumping on stage when somebody pressed 'Play'.
Even though The Grammys are a joke, still cool DT finally won.
Surreal I took the family to see them only 2 1/2 weeks ago and now the song they opened with wins a Grammy.
DREAM THEATER was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, which is being held tonight (Sunday, April 3) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. DREAM THEATER was nominated for "The Alien", a track from its...
Saw Dream Theater the other week. For the first time. It was a fun experience. Already being in Zagreb, Croatia and seeing Maiden, and having no one else to go with, I decided to come early and position myself right on the barrier in front of Petrucci's mic. Something I haven't done in a decade or so. WARNING: Low quality pics in the post.
Devin Townsend was awesome. I'd put that guy opening for anyone. I've been listening to his tour material for the past month or so, and I was so glad I did. The sound was a bit off, but damn, his presence and voice was enough to warm up an already stuffy arena. As a headliner, it might be too much for me, but 10 songs - perfect. Definitely need to see that guy opening for someone again.
Devin, not giving a fuck about the audience or his band, decided to visit empty stalls. While playing solo.
Unlike Maiden 5 days before, Dream Theater came on quite "weak" but as the gig went on, so did the crowd liven up a little. Setlist here: SETLIST 10 songs, 4 from new album and not a lot of hits. But after the gig, it made me think - they don't really have hits, do they? "Pull me Under" definitely, "As I Am" probably, and maybe one of those piano songs from SFAM? Even their "Greatest Hit" compilation, I wouldn't call a lot of songs there hits.
Stage design was a bit meh, not really a fan of those screens. Although, some of the animations were nice.
But they were great. Petrucci really is the One, the Muad 'Dib, the One with the Force, the Boy Who Lived. Standing 2 meters (78.74 inches) from him, seeing him pulling out his Majesty 8 string model and shredding something makes you go "Huh, it doesn't really look that complicated, does it. I might pull it off with some practice." But then he goes on and on and on, and you remember how hard those licks are, and then you give yourself a slap and continue enjoying whatever Petrucci is doing.
The One Who Bends Time and Space
They really were professionals, all of them - yes, including James. Although, he was so little on the stage that someone who doesn't know a lot about Dream Theater might conclude he was a hired gun. The sound was loud, like, really loud. I saw Maiden 5 days earlier, and it seemed like a lullaby compared to this. Mangini's snare rolls felt like someone holding a pneumatic drill on my forehead. Myung was also a bit quiet in the mix. And man, has he gotten old, he looks almost 40. Rudess is... Didn't quite notice it on the videos, but live, he has this gentlemanlike aura around him. It felt like he should be wearing a tuxedo. Damn, it made me feel like I need to wear a tuxedo just to listen to him.
I talk about how gentleman-ish he is, and then I post a picture of him with keytar. A bit contradicting, I admit.
Anyway, the song I was looking to was saved for the end - The Count of Tuscany. It is my favorite song of theirs, and don't ask me if I'm joking because even I don't know. What I know is that I went completely ape-shit when it began. And the icing on the cake - caught Petrucci's pick with which he played the song!
In fear of losing it, I clutched this MF in my fist all the way home, even drove with it in my hand.
After the gig, I had a smoke to chill down a bit before the drive, and I spoke with one of their drivers (who is a huge Maiden fan, has Powerslave Eddie and Derek Riggs sign tattooed on his legs). While we spoke, the band exited the arena, passed us and went to their buses. I don't know why, but it was such a good feeling seeing them on the road. In March 2020, I planned to see them in Hungary, but then all hell broke loose. And I remember thinking "Damn, I should've seen them earlier, who knows when (or IF?!) the next chance will come." But it did. And I went.
So Mr. Petrucci, Mr. Rudess, Mr. Myung, Mr. Mangini and Mr. LaBrie - thank you for a wonderful evening!
Pull Me Under is the only song of theirs that could be considered a hit - and I use that term loosely. The beauty of seeing Dream Theater is that you’re guaranteed to get a radically different set every time they tour. I wish other bands would follow this model.
It’s not that I think Dance is bad or meaningless, only tedious to listen to. I usually skip it when it comes on. SoC and especially Erotomania are more enjoyable instrumentals.
I don't really play it on its own, but I never skip it as a part of the album. I myself find it to be actually rather catchy and quite easy on the ear for something containing so much "meaningless wankery" - the flow of that track is honestly quite good. It's probably One Last Time I'd be more inclined to skip, for that matter.
On its own, I can understand the charm, but near the end of the album, with it being slow after the hectic Dance and when I'm already looking forward to Spirit and Finally with their emotional punches, it feels really sluggish, like treading water. Or worse, it feels like the ending of the album, making the actual 2 closers feel almost like afterthought.
And I actually like the piano (both the grand statements in the song proper as well as the mysterious, spidery outro), the swaggerish, "unperturbed" guitar solo there and maybe if it was better sequenced, I'd be completely fine with the song. It just grinds the momentum to a halt, IMHO.
My most replayed Metropolis songs have been Fatal Tragedy + Beyond This Life for quite some time now, by the way. The way the former ends with that awesome "wanking" gallop and how it transitions into that massive BTL riff (cuts off, the pulsating piano, the spoken word and then suddenly you have this dudebro (or, well, "ladbloke") of a riff that's looking forward to stomp on your books and take your girlfriend)...
I don't think I'm gonna ever tire of that.
On its own, I can understand the charm, but near the end of the album, with it being slow after the hectic Dance and when I'm already looking forward to Spirit and Finally with their emotional punches, it feels really sluggish, like treading water. Or worse, it feels like the ending of the album, making the actual 2 closers feel almost like afterthought.
And I actually like the piano (both the grand statements in the song proper as well as the mysterious, spidery outro), the swaggerish, "unperturbed" guitar solo there and maybe if it was better sequenced, I'd be completely fine with the song. It just grinds the momentum to a halt, IMHO.
My most replayed Metropolis songs have been Fatal Tragedy + Beyond This Life for quite some time now, by the way. The way the former ends with that awesome "wanking" gallop and how it transitions into that massive BTL riff (cuts off, the pulsating piano, the spoken word and then suddenly you have this dudebro (or, well, "ladbloke") of a riff that's looking forward to stomp on your books and take your girlfriend)...
I don't think I'm gonna ever tire of that.
I'm gonna go with Home and Finally Free as my favorites. Both of them, especially Home have been some of the best songs/performances I've had the pleasure to witness live.
The Dance of Eternity is an excellent document to study in the field of time signatures and advanced wankery, which makes it academically interesting. But as a listener it’s a bore fest. My favorite DT instrumental is easily Stream of Consciousness.
The Dance of Eternity is an excellent document to study in the field of time signatures and advanced wankery, which makes it academically interesting. But as a listener it’s a bore fest. My favorite DT instrumental is easily Stream of Consciousness.
That's precisely the point of the title of this compilation, which reads in full: "Greatest Hit (...and 21 other pretty cool songs)". The singular is on purpose.
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