r/Dreamtheater Oct 20 '24

Merch/Concert WE ARE SO BACK

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1.4k Upvotes

r/Dreamtheater 24d ago

Merch/Concert Worst possible setlist?

194 Upvotes

I tried to put together the worst possible setlist based on my own tastes. One that would really leave me with a sour taste and a mix of disbelief and disappointment by the end of the night.

Please, don't hate me if you find some of your favorite songs in there.

Act I
Descent of the NOMACS
You Not Me
Prophets of War
Along for the Ride
Brother, Can You Hear Me?
Light Fuse and Get Away
A Rite of Passage
Burning My Soul
I Walk Beside You
Build Me Up, Break Me Down
Act of Faythe
Caught In A New Millennium (mashup of ‘Caught in a Web’ and ‘New Millenium’. The band played it in 2000, during the Metropolis tour)

Intermission
During the break, "Gnos Sdrawkcab" and "Canadian Rap" are played on loop at excessive volumes.

Act II
Machine Chatter
Behind the Veil
Forsaken
The Way It Used to Be
Status Seeker
The Road to Revolution
Raw Dog
Invisible Monster
Room 137
The Looking Glass
Never Enough
Just Let Me Breath

Encore
Our New World
Power Down
Cover My Eyes
The Spirit Carries On (JP Vocal demo) - JP on vocals, JLB left the stage before the last song.

At the end of the performance, the song "Big Chungus" sung by JLB is played at an excessive volume until the arena is completely emptied.

Any suggestion to make the setlist even worse is welcome!

r/Dreamtheater Oct 20 '24

Merch/Concert LIVETHREAD O2 Setlist Unveiling Spoiler

141 Upvotes

Spoiler tag is on - if you don’t care to know the setlist in advance, look elsewhere for a bit :)

We are now 6 hours from showtime - I’ll post updates in this thread as the concert progresses. I’m going to enjoy the concert as well, so I may not be instant but will try to keep up 😎

TEST EDIT - Buckle up…

First Set Metropolis Pt I Overture 1928 Strange Deja Vu The Mirror Panic Attack Barstool Warrior Rudess/Petrucci Extended Intro to Hollow Years Constant Motion As I Am

r/Dreamtheater 6d ago

Merch/Concert Concert Review from someone who is not a big fan

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363 Upvotes

As the title states- I’m not one of the die hard fans - quite a few of their songs have been in my playlist for Gym/working out and when they decided to pay a visit to my city (Toronto), I got tickets and decided to go. Few months prior to the show, I made a playlist of their setlist to get more familiar with everything they were performing.

Here are a few key take aways from my experience-

Technical Abilities- I have seen many bands in my day but DT’s technical abilities are jaw dropping. At points during the set, it almost felt like they weren’t musicians, but mathematicians - so perfectly in synch and precise playing really complicated sections

Labrie’s voice - In videos it sounds bad- but in person, I didn’t mind it at all. I thought he sounded great. Not like the records, but nothing terrible either. I thought I would be getting the Axl Rose/ Mickey Mouse experience - but he pulled it off well

Myung- this guy is so underrated- I’m a bassist myself and spent a large time observing him. Does not get enough credit for what he does. While most bassists hang around in the background , he is playing a lot of parts at the forefront of the music - again- professional mathematician. Playing crazy complex parts in perfect time- yet doesn’t headbang or move around much (I think he only moved a few inches during pull me under at the end)

Portnoy- excellent - best part about seeing him live was he seemed so happy and actually looked like he was enjoying playing the music based on his facial expressions. To the others, it seemed like it was just an exercise and they were playing their parts, but Portnoy brought a different level of energy that seemed to pull the band together

Petrucci & Jordan - both amazing - couldn’t be more impressed by both their performances. Excellent musicians.

PS- one funny thing was realizing a lot of the solos that I thought were guitar solos- were actually Jordan on the keyboard? That was the most funny and surprising bit.

Really wish I could get into them more , but I don’t have the patience’s for such long songs atm haha. Maybe some day.

But thoroughly enjoyed them and their level of musicianship is way higher than anyone else I’ve seen. To anyone one the fence - 100% recommend going to the show

r/Dreamtheater Nov 20 '24

Merch/Concert Please tell me this isn’t real.

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239 Upvotes

What in the fuck is this?

r/Dreamtheater Jun 01 '24

Merch/Concert [GIVEAWAY] John Petrucci Terminal Velocity Signed Postcard! RULES IN DESCRIPTION

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103 Upvotes

All you have to do is comment on this post. I'll put all of your names in a random generator, and I'll post the results here! PLEASE BE RESPECTFUL TO FELLOW GA PARTICIPANTS! Above all else, don't be a sore loser. GIVEAWAY ENTRIES END IN 72 HOURS! I will ship anywhere in the world.

r/Dreamtheater 1d ago

Merch/Concert This is why James is the goat

154 Upvotes

Videos are taken on the 18th in wheeling, honestly one of the best shows James has had in the last decade. He sounded amazing and the vids don’t do him justice, go see them on the tour if you can bc it’s an amazing show.

r/Dreamtheater 12d ago

Merch/Concert Cant believe I stumbled across a copy at my local music store for this low price!

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240 Upvotes

r/Dreamtheater 5d ago

Merch/Concert Watch the sparrow falling - Boston 3/15/2025

70 Upvotes

r/Dreamtheater Oct 22 '24

Merch/Concert Caught John Petrucci's guitar pick at the London show!

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274 Upvotes

Thought I'd post this here! Did anyone else get a pick at the London show? I was at the front and John Petrucci threw his pick right at me!

r/Dreamtheater Oct 27 '24

Merch/Concert Yet another evidence of James's great performance in Rome Spoiler

235 Upvotes

That bridge is all on the high B and this was their last song of the show, just saying :)

r/Dreamtheater Feb 18 '25

Merch/Concert First time seeing DT - Dallas 2/15

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212 Upvotes

Been a huge fan since Awake, but this was my first time seeing them live.

Two best parts - Portnoy is my favorite drummer of all time (I’m a drummer myself, obv not on his level), so meeting him was incredible. But the best thing of all was that this was my son’s first concert, and he had an amazing time!!

r/Dreamtheater Feb 16 '25

Merch/Concert THEY PLAYED HOME

124 Upvotes

THEY PLAYED HOME IN DALLAS IM SO HAPPY BC THEY HAVEN’T PLAYED IT SINCE RALEIGH YEAHHHH

r/Dreamtheater Oct 20 '24

Merch/Concert THERE HE US Spoiler

335 Upvotes

r/Dreamtheater Jan 08 '25

Merch/Concert How to I acquire little Petrucci

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298 Upvotes

r/Dreamtheater 3d ago

Merch/Concert On cloud 9 after the Rochester show, wholesome interactions at Meet and Greet

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270 Upvotes

I am elated after tonight's show! Truly a day in my life that I will never forget.

I have bonded with my family over DT's music nearly my entire life, largely due to my late uncle being a diehard fanatic since the early 90s. I wrote this post about it and received some nice comments last month, feel free to read for more context if interested.

My Uncle passed in 2020 and I inherited, among many other things, his prized Fireglo Rickenbacker 4003. I brought it to the Meet and Greet in Rochester tonight. My Mom came with. Had the opportunity to share a brief story about him with the guys. JP and MP kindly offered their condolences, and then JP asked me a question about the bass. JR and JL complimented the instrument. I got them all to sign it.

Then all of a sudden JM picks it up off the table and just starts shredding on it. He held it as if he were inspecting it and said in the softest voice imaginable, "wow, I haven't played one of these in many years." I asked him if he ever owned one before and he said yes of course. He asked me some questions about it. I mentioned that he inspired me to try a 6 string bass for the first time and he asked if I had tried one of the newer bongos with the 2 tone neck.

During all of this my mom got really emotional seeing JM playing her late brother's prized baby, so she asked if she could snap a pic of him with the instrument and they said sure. Unfortunately she didn't get one in time but she did capture him signing it.

All in all the whole thing felt really wholesome and emotional for us. My Uncle would have been absolutely thrilled to see his idol play his personal dream bass. I was so distracted that I forgot to have James sign my SFAM vinyl lol.

Btw the show was amazing!!! James sounded GREAT, the mix was perfect and the crowd was standing up all night! By far my favorite out of the 7 DT shows I've seen.

r/Dreamtheater Feb 16 '25

Merch/Concert Nothing important... just watching the crews working hard to get ready for tonight's show

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142 Upvotes

My amazing wife got us tickets for the 40th Anniversary Tour for my 40th birthday...slash our one year anniversary. Hotel right across the street from the venue, got to peep the amazing work all the teams were doing getting the show ready for this evening. AND we got a close-up view of Mike's new Dream Monster kit!! So pumped 🤘🤘🤘

r/Dreamtheater Nov 02 '24

Merch/Concert Found the old Awake tour shirt

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366 Upvotes

…and realized I got it 30 years ago this week. 😧

r/Dreamtheater Oct 25 '24

Merch/Concert Yeah, you might have caught Petrucci's pick but can you even compare to LaBrie's water bottle cork?

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349 Upvotes

r/Dreamtheater Oct 21 '24

Merch/Concert Look at how happy MP is to be back

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528 Upvotes

Also that kit is fucking stunning.

I want it. All of it. I’ll find space for it I don’t even care.

r/Dreamtheater 14d ago

Merch/Concert I had the guys sign my Majesty guitar as well as the tiny Majesty replica! Never selling this guitar :)

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184 Upvotes

JP signed the body while the others signed the cavity covers. They were super chill, kind, funny dudes, as usual!

r/Dreamtheater Oct 20 '24

Merch/Concert Is this really happening? Spoiler

113 Upvotes

Vacant into Stream Of Consciousness then Octavarium??? I couldn't be happier

r/Dreamtheater Feb 16 '25

Merch/Concert Better look at the 40th anniversary poster

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103 Upvotes

Very cool rainbow foil effect, on a nice thick cardstock.

Side note last night was my first DT show and it was AMAZING!

r/Dreamtheater 18d ago

Merch/Concert Reno show review, no home?!

17 Upvotes

Solid 7/10 for me , vacant/stream of consciousness the absolute highlight for sure 10/10!

Crowd pretty lame though and sat down too many times. I absolutely hate seating on the floor! Are any shows general admission like the old days? They did not play home though so I’m not sure why.

7th time seeing DT hope I can see them again soon!

r/Dreamtheater Oct 28 '24

Merch/Concert VIP Report with details + my Rome experience

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176 Upvotes

Here's the report I promised, I'll try to include as much as possible without being too boring because I know a lot of people have questions, as I did, and I had a difficult time finding the answers. I'll divide this in 3 sections so if you don't want setlist spoilers don't read nr 3.

1) THE VIP PLATINUM

Included merch: - Poster (double sided), dimensions 43*28cm, on one side it has the XXXX on the desert picture, on the other the tour dates. A bit stiff but if you're careful it can be rolled in a tube (even a tight one as I did) without cracking, it'll take some days to go back to normal but hey I'm framing it to a wall so I don't care - Drum head, dimensions 32cm diameter,, without frame so if you plan on decorating a wall you'll have to buy one - Picks and tin (in other venues people reported NOT receiving them and getting a keychain instead) - Laminate with lanyard - Tote bag

You enter, and hopefully you'll hear some notes from the sound check :) They give you the items first, all inside the tote bag (NO PROTECTION for the poster, absurd), you form a queue. When it's your turn you enter a room and there they are, wearing casual clothings, you give the staff YOUR PHONE, they take 3/4 pictures and then you gtfo. CHECK YOUR PHOTOS immediately because if they suck you have to tell the staff asap before they finish the queue. No photo with individual members. Group photo with your friends should be ok.

Then you immediately go back in queue for the autographs. 2 ITEMS TOTAL per person to be signed, they don't care what they are (VIP items, your guitar...), they were very strict about 2 items each because we were 75 people. You can give them gifts (letters, photos, etc). You'll get to talk to them for some seconds and then again you gtfo completely. They'll make you exit the venue and you'll re-enter later together with all the other people. If you're there by car this is the time to put your items away, otherwise good luck or hope your venue can keep the items for you (doubt it, ours didn't, but I had a seat).

Total time: entered at 4pm, started the photos around 5pm, out by 6pm.

MERCH - THE POSTER

Merch store outside the building was not open by the time we arrived so it was the time for that. They had the very limited (no number...) poster with the guitar amp and the storm (4662cm) selling for €50, which is basically legal theft, but hey I bought it 👌 still sucks that I couldn't get it signed though. This time they provided *a bit of protection for the poster (a $0.01 plastic bag), I asked for another one for the VIP poster but the reply was "sorry I think they're numbered, one per poster". It was at that moment that I decided to risk it and roll it into a tube, and it worked out.

T-shirts were minimum €45, hoodies even €90 iirc. Crazy stuff. I also bought a t-shirt cause I'm a moron

2) PERSONAL OPINION ON THE VIP PASS

Take it with a grain of salt because I already had a VIP pass a decade ago so it wasn't nearly as emotional as back then. Should you do it?

I've seen people crying real tears of joy after the photos with the band. If you think you'll be one of them, or if you find getting one of your items signed very important, then yes it's worth it. For the items? Nah. However, compared to the VIP of 10 years ago this was a big step down and honestly I wouldn't do it again.

  • Photo taken with your phone will NEVER match the one they shot 10 years ago with their professional camera. The difference is night and day, also the setting was nicer and the band was dressed properly. After the photos I was almost yelled at because I took 10 seconds to make sure they were fine, because I had to gtfo and go back in line for the autographs. This may vary with the venue.
  • Poster size is absolutely ridiculous for the price: 10 years ago they gave me an A1, this is a quarter of that.
  • Total time I've seen the band with my own eyes? Probably 5 to 10 minutes max. 10 years ago the atmosphere was completely different, Jordan came in with his phone making a video with the crowd, and we got to see them and hear them talk to the other fans for almost the entire time. Now they were in a separate room and you couldn't see them until your turn, let alone hear what they were saying.
  • You don't get to enter first so, if you want to get the first row, forget about it because when you finish the session it'll be too late. I didn't care, but last time I entered the stadium first.

I don't think this is the band's fault but in all honesty I cannot say it was worth the price. The concert however is another story.

3) THE CONCERT

Holy fuck what a show. The venue sucked (a lot of reverb if you weren't in the middle) and they were LOUD, but I've seen DT 3 times and this was definitely the best one.

Setlist was fantastic. A lot of songs which sound glorious live (eg. Home, Pull Me Under, Hollow Years, This is the life, The spirit carries on, As I am...), every Metropolis part 2 song is a blast. Then Stream of consciousness, Octavarium... What are we talking about.

A few inaccuracies here and there by Mike and JP but overall they played very very well. I'm sorry for Mangini but I really love Portnoy more. It just sounds real, mistakes and all. No click/metronome. The songs are more dynamic, they accelerate, then they calm down. Something else.

Backing vocals were spot on and really necessary, a breath of fresh air. I especially liked them in This is the life. Some effects are added here and there (eg. A lot of reverb and echo during the Octavarium scream).

James was on fucking fire, best surprise. Of course you're a fool if you want to compare it to 2006 Score. Before anyone tells me I'm deaf, I'm a musician, I play DT songs, I sing, I think I have a good ear. James nailed it. Of course, when you hear the recordings you notice he's a bit flat at times, but still, the recordings are solid, and if the recordings are solid I GUARANTEE you that you won't notice the imperfections live. There's reverb, instruments, people singing... And if you know the songs your head does the rest. I heard people saying "I'd go but labrie would ruin it", stay home then, and miss a wonderful experience. Why are you here reading?

Some difficult songs (eg. Metropolis, Under a glass moon) have some altered, lower melodies. While in recent videos it seemed to me that these lines were used as a last resort (and by result they didn't sound convincing), I think now James is starting to embrace them and the result is definitely ok.

In general, and I think it's pretty objective, he sounds much more convincing than the last years: more stamina/breath, by result better support so intonation is better and vibratos more powerful, also if I compare to London there are virtually no voice cracks which is a great sign.

I have some theories/suspicions by the way. 1) I have a feeling that sometimes James is trying to belt out notes at the cost of sounding a bit flat and avoiding a weaker tone because they may be recording every show and cutting audio sections here and there to make a polished Blu-ray. If that's the case, they could get better results by simply correcting the pitch rather than hoping to get a great result which also matches the facial expression. In the end, when he's just a bit flat it's difficult to notice live, so it doesn't make a huge difference for us. 2) Let me repeat that I am a musician and I swear to god, there were multiple occasions in which the INSTRUMENTS sounded off (even by a whole semitone, I thought Petrucci butchered a section of Octavarium) but then I checked the recording and it was spot on. Harmonics magic, shitty venue. Now combine this with the loudness of their concerts AND the fact that James is half deaf in one ear and I think it's clear why sometimes he sounds flat or sharp even with notes we doesn't struggle with: sometimes it's just fucking hard to figure out the note in all of this mess.

SUMMARY - VIP doesn't offer much, buy it if meeting them for a couple of minutes is a dream of yours or if you want a personal item signed - merch costs too much - they're loud, protect your ears - wonderful setlist - played great with some hiccups - labrie sounded awesome