Dream Theater

Yeah that was all over internet for months, I'm shocked that Saap doesn’t know about it. Basically James was singing the lower part in a harmony while the higher part was on a backing track. The mixing crew did a poor job which resulted in LaBrie's actual live vocals being buried deep in the mix. They've been using backing tracks for most of the harmony sections on recent tours. It has been very apparent in the older songs this year, but Bridges was the one that really caused controversy.
 
I see. It seems the lead vocals were being sung an octave lower in parts while the backing track was playing the original album vocals. This specifically does not bother me because it's better than LaBrie trying to hit the higher notes and sounding like a dying cat. What bothers me more is how they've transitioned to using a metronome live, which enables syncing the vocal track and other extra stuff to the click. This removes all natural tempo deviations and grooves that they had with Portnoy.

KidInTheDark666 said:
He responded with this little rant.

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Was the rant lip-synced?
 
I feel a bit sorry for LaBrie. I am so grateful for the legacy DT has left behind and have no interest in showing disrespect to any of the members, but I can't help but feel that the man isn't doing very well. Hasn't been for quite a while now. Vocals are one thing but he looks weathered and sad in every video, and his facial gestures during singing indicate discomfort. And then the rant...there has to be a better way to deal with these problems, right? Performing on stage night after night is incredibly tolling on musicians, I know. I just wish the whole thing had a more dignified appearance. That LaBrie, being aware of his performance quality, would brush it off humorously and deal with it like a gentleman.
 
The man has been bullied and criticized unfairly since the mid 90s, I'm not surprised in the least bit if it's taking its toll on him.

James is my favorite member of the band and the primary reason why I started listening to DT so I'll never say a bad word about him.
 
Saapanael said:
I feel a bit sorry for LaBrie. I am so grateful for the legacy DT has left behind and have no interest in showing disrespect to any of the members, but I can't help but feel that the man isn't doing very well. Hasn't been for quite a while now. Vocals are one thing but he looks weathered and sad in every video, and his facial gestures during singing indicate discomfort.
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I am generally pretty quick to defend LaBrie, but I agree. His appearance on stage reminds me a bit of Roy Khan before he left Kamelot, except here I have zero thought that LaBrie would do such a thing.
 
Yea, I pretty much agree with all of the above. The criticisms online are brutal and often amount to bullying, I saw the lip synching video when it was going around and obviously it got blown out of proportion as things do on the Internet.

I do get the impression he is struggling though, his performances have gotten more inconsistent and while it used to be that he would be fine on record, he’s needed a lot of tuning/post processing help recently. I can appreciate that this is challenging material to pull off and I think Petrucci (and Rudess) need to be more conscious of his strengths and limitations.

Also, I really don’t care for the backing tracks live. I don’t like the extra vocals, I don’t like the extra guitars, I wish they would just play live with nothing else.
 
Saapanael said:
I feel a bit sorry for LaBrie. I am so grateful for the legacy DT has left behind and have no interest in showing disrespect to any of the members, but I can't help but feel that the man isn't doing very well. Hasn't been for quite a while now. Vocals are one thing but he looks weathered and sad in every video, and his facial gestures during singing indicate discomfort. And then the rant...there has to be a better way to deal with these problems, right? Performing on stage night after night is incredibly tolling on musicians, I know. I just wish the whole thing had a more dignified appearance. That LaBrie, being aware of his performance quality, would brush it off humorously and deal with it like a gentleman.
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I think thats why their last tour wasn't in the "Evening With" format. Instead of doing a close to 3 hour show they have cut it down to roughly 2 hours of music, which is still longer than many bands. As someone who only got into them right before covid, would I love to see a 3 hour show like they used to in the early 2000s with varying sets, absolutely so I could hear more songs, but I would still love to see a 2 hour show where they don't destroy James too much. That being said I'm quite unhappy that I likely won't get to see Scenes from a Memory in its entirety live.

Mosh said:
Also, I really don’t care for the backing tracks live. I don’t like the extra vocals, I don’t like the extra guitars, I wish they would just play live with nothing else.
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Agreed, I would much rather any band bring in more backup singers and people to play instead of tracks
 
Listened to Awake a few days ago in the context of my Album Top 10 and this is, for me at least, James´ best performance on an album ever! Every aspect of his wonderful voice can be heard here. His high notes are impeccable, his low crooning too. I lost my interest in DT a long time ago but this remains my alltime favourite Dream Theater album.
 
LaBrie was a different singer post-Awake. On the album’s tour he injured his vocal cords vomiting due to food poisoning and hasn’t been the same since.

That said, I have never liked the guy. Met the band back in 2002 (sans Petrucci, who wasn’t feeling well) and LaBrie was a pompous ass. Every time I see him interviewed, he comes across as an arrogant jerk. Injury or not, he sounds like a dying bird live, and I’d rather not subject myself to that.

It’s like he’s trying to overcompensate for being the part of the band people care about the least (very atypically, of course). I’d have empathy for him if he wasn’t such a jackass.
 
Detective Beauregard said:
LaBrie was a different singer post-Awake. On the album’s tour he injured his vocal cords vomiting due to food poisoning and hasn’t been the same since.

That said, I have never liked the guy. Met the band back in 2002 (sans Petrucci, who wasn’t feeling well) and LaBrie was a pompous ass. Every time I see him interviewed, he comes across as an arrogant jerk. Injury or not, he sounds like a dying bird live, and I’d rather not subject myself to that.

It’s like he’s trying to overcompensate for being the part of the band people care about the least (very atypically, of course). I’d have empathy for him if he wasn’t such a jackass.
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I'm sure we all know about the food poisoning incident, but where are you coming from with those jackass comments? I watch a lot of his interviews and he almost always seems to be in a good mood, cracking a lot of jokes while always keeping a very professional attitude. From what I've gathered he just seems like a nice person in general.
 
KidInTheDark666 said:
Where are you coming from with those jackass comments? I watch a lot of his interviews and he almost always seems to be in a good mood, cracking a lot of jokes while always keeping a very professional attitude. From what I've gathered he just seems like a nice person in general.
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I seem to recall some videos of him during the tracking of a few albums, as well as a regular interview or two. But I'll admit that it's been a while. However, even his rant about the lip syncing comes across as whiny and immature. Why would he launch into a diatribe about this at a random show? It's very Mustaine-ish, and certainly not what people go to see Dream Theater for. I know that he apologized, but he should have enough self-control to address that in an actual interview and not during a show.
 
The Dissident said:
New setlist, solid amount of changes

www.setlist.fm

Dream Theater Setlist at Hangar 11, Tel Aviv

Get the Dream Theater Setlist of the concert at Hangar 11, Tel Aviv, Israel on January 14, 2023 from the Top of the World Tour and other Dream Theater Setlists for free on setlist.fm!
www.setlist.fm www.setlist.fm
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I'm sad that Endless Sacrifice is gone, but getting to hear Solitary Shell and Losing Time is amazing.
 
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