JLB's best concert during the "Along For The Ride" tour?

[PwnsomeWin]

It is definitely noticeable that LaBrie's voice often isn't what it used to be. I have listened to some of his current live performances, and I agree that aren't anywhere near as good as the ones during the Awake period. That being said, which concert do you guys think he sung best at in Dream Theater's most recent tour? So far, of course, since the tour isn't over yet.

[TAC]

From what I've heard from Philly, he was ON that night.

[wasteland]

I'd say Manchester, Philly and Brescia.

[TheAtliator]

I've definitely noticed this current Europe leg is not at all as good as the first two legs of this tour. At the two shows I saw here in California, he was AWESOME. Absolutely blew me away both shows. For those shows, he was definitely as good at the Awake songs as pretty much any other tour.

Watch this, he's literally perfect the entire night with maybe one exception (the VA in salVAtion in IT he doesn't go for the F, but nails a C instead)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiW2GYfSwqw

[wasteland]

I've definitely noticed this current Europe leg is not at all as good as the first two legs of this tour. At the two shows I saw here in California, he was AWESOME. Absolutely blew me away both shows. For those shows, he was definitely as good at the Awake songs as pretty much any other tour.

You may want to start looking for Brescia's videos.

[TheAtliator]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Edit: Whoa I just realized there's a 34 minute video of it on youtube. Watching now. Edit 2: WOW this Space Dye Vest is AMAZING!!

[tiagodon]

This is almost impossible to figure out unless you are rich and have attended ALL the shows.

[thedrumanimal]

I saw one concert during the first leg - in January, in Hannover. He was great that night - one of the best gigs I have seen from him. Maybe the best from the 21 times I have seen him.

When I saw him two weeks ago in Hamburg during the second leg of this tour, I think that he was not in such a good shape. For me it was a noticeable difference between the two legs. But since I saw only two concerts, I dont think it is fair to see a trend in that.

However - with regard to the thread title: I do not think it is possible to answer this question just from some youtube videos or from witnessing a couple of concerts. And I do not think that anyone of us has seen all concerts, too.

If you like to gather really great JLB concerts from this tour, add Hannover from the first leg.

[thedrumanimal]

This is almost impossible to figure out unless you are rich and have attended ALL the shows.

pwned... 

[Tomislav95]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Edit: Whoa I just realized there's a 34 minute video of it on youtube. Watching now. Edit 2: WOW this Space Dye Vest is AMAZING!!

About 29:40 in that video: "There's a room at the top of the stairs..." 

[wasteland]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Edit: Whoa I just realized there's a 34 minute video of it on youtube. Watching now. Edit 2: WOW this Space Dye Vest is AMAZING!!

About 29:40 in that video: "There's a room at the top of the stairs..." 

I can explain: the concert was in the city's main square, which is framed by old buildings (I'd say seventeenth, eighteenth century). More than a few people, either casually or by choice, had access to those places and followed the concert from the building windows. It is them that James was most likely pointing at.

The scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn8vmItOSAo&t=29m40s

[Setlist Scotty]

This is almost impossible to figure out unless you are friends with a lot of tapers and have collected bootlegs of ALL the shows.

FTFY

[cramx3]

I saw them three times on the tour (NYC, NJ, LA) and I would say he was on fire all three nights.  He did mess up during Lie at NYC so its down to NJ and LA from my view, but I cant tell the difference from what I remember since I only remember amazingness.

[Grizz]

Dayum that video exhibits some non-muddy sound... stupid northeastern venues...

[Sir Walrus Cauliflower]

I wonder if the sound was actually good, or the recording made it sound better. I can hear things from recordings of the KC show I took with a phone camera that I couldn't hear at the show.

[Grizz]

Well, I'm judging from the bass articulation. That usually gets worse on recordings, not better.

[rumborak]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Holy shit, that scream at 0:50+ 

[GasparXR]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Holy shit, that scream at 0:50+ 

FUCK! 

[DreamerTV]

I'd say Manchester, Philly and Brescia.

This.

[bosk1]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Edit: Whoa I just realized there's a 34 minute video of it on youtube. Watching now. Edit 2: WOW this Space Dye Vest is AMAZING!!

About 29:40 in that video: "There's a room at the top of the stairs..." 

29:40?  That video is less than 2 minutes long. 

[GasparXR]

Is there anything other than what's on youtube? That's funny you posted that just after I saw this- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVztXxpnm0 

Edit: Whoa I just realized there's a 34 minute video of it on youtube. Watching now. Edit 2: WOW this Space Dye Vest is AMAZING!!

About 29:40 in that video: "There's a room at the top of the stairs..." 

29:40?  That video is less than 2 minutes long. 

He meant the 34-minute video mentioned.

[Tomislav95]

We're talking about this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn8vmItOSAo&t=29m40s

[Mladen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3SDz89uX48

I think this thread is appropriate for this kind of video - wasteland and other bootleg collectors, please listen to 11:27 and tell me if you've EVER heard JLB pull this off.

[GasparXR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3SDz89uX48

I think this thread is appropriate for this kind of video - wasteland and other bootleg collectors, please listen to 11:27 and tell me if you've EVER heard JLB pull this off.

OH MY GOD JAMES! I heard him do something similar at the 7.18 show, that is rise up to D and back down to B, but this has so much more power and I swear he goes higher for just a split second.

[wasteland]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3SDz89uX48

I think this thread is appropriate for this kind of video - wasteland and other bootleg collectors, please listen to 11:27 and tell me if you've EVER heard JLB pull this off.

Yes, it's a common feature of this Summer tour, even those the one you linked was particularly good. And it's not unheard of, he used to do something extremely similar in the last leg of the Octavarium Tour, the one leading up to Score.

In the recorded Boston performance he did the embryonal phase of this sort of scream, and from there it went evolving through the legs until it converged to the 2006 version around the beginning of this leg. In Boston, though, he pulled an F# right at the end of the last line of the song, which he never did in this current leg.

Ok, enough with JLBnerding, I dread what he might think should he ever comes across this post. 

[theseoafs]

I'd say Manchester, Philly and Brescia.

How does Chicago compare?  He seemed pretty spot-on when I saw DT back in the spring.

[GasparXR]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3SDz89uX48

I think this thread is appropriate for this kind of video - wasteland and other bootleg collectors, please listen to 11:27 and tell me if you've EVER heard JLB pull this off.

Yes, it's a common feature of this Summer tour, even those the one you linked was particularly good. And it's not unheard of, he used to do something extremely similar in the last leg of the Octavarium Tour, the one leading up to Score.

In the recorded Boston performance he did the embryonal phase of this sort of scream, and from there it went evolving through the legs until it converged to the 2006 version around the beginning of this leg. In Boston, though, he pulled an F# right at the end of the last line of the song, which he never did in this current leg.

Ok, enough with JLBnerding, I dread what he might think should he ever comes across this post. 

You mean F#5 right? Because typically he ends the last line with an F#4.

[wasteland]

Yes, clearly it was an F#5! There are many F#, but only the F#5 is THE F#

As for Chicago, I don't know, since the show wasn't recorded (or at least, I don't have it). Could you provide youtube videos or at least the show date?

[Mladen]

That's very interesting to know - thanks for the info, wasteland. Although I'm a bit bummed that it wasn't a ''one of a kind'' scream that we were kind of privileged to hear.   

[wasteland]

That's very interesting to know - thanks for the info, wasteland. Although I'm a bit bummed that it wasn't a ''one of a kind'' scream that we were kind of privileged to hear.   

I know the feeling, but nowadays one offs are pretty rare, and I believe rightfully so. James has managed to gain back the full power of his voice after more than a decade of struggles, and it's using it to impress the folks all around the world. It's been like this for the past two years, and his only chance to stay on this level of health and performance is to stick to what ways he knows are sure and pose no threat to his condition. And this unfortunately rules out one offs, rather focusing on a process of trial and subsequent evolution.

[TheAtliator]

Dudes, in that video his voice cracked. He was going for the D5->C#5->B5 that he has done recently on this song, but while he was on the C#, his voice CRACKED and happened to hit an F# for a second 

As for that C# with heavy vibrato (before it cracked)- 


And yea at the end of Lie on the American leg he did a scream where he held out that F#4 and then at the very end slid up to like F#5. He did it at my show in Riverside, it was awesome. It was just like the screams in 6:00 and BMUBMD.

[GasparXR]

Dudes, in that video his voice cracked. He was going for the D5->C#5->B5 that he has done recently on this song, but while he was on the C#, his voice CRACKED and happened to hit an F# for a second 

As for that C# with heavy vibrato (before it cracked)- 


And yea at the end of Lie on the American leg he did a scream where he held out that F#4 and then at the very end slid up to like F#5. He did it at my show in Riverside, it was awesome. It was just like the screams in 6:00 and BMUBMD.

So it was meant as a kind of scream that wasn't meant to have a specific note, but happened to land at F#5 anyway? That's pretty lucky of him, assuming it wasn't a conscious decision. If it was, good on him for nailing it.

[TheAtliator]

What he did on the American leg at the end of the song I think purposely lead to the F# (although maybe James doesn't know as he does it what note it is by letter-name, he hears a specific note, so it's on purpose). But in that one video where his voice cracks, that sounds like a total accident.

Just like this except not as bad or funny partially because the falter was still on a note- https://youtu.be/1Yogybuxyc4?t=7m39s

[Zook]

What he did on the American leg at the end of the song I think purposely lead to the F# (although maybe James doesn't know as he does it what note it is by letter-name, he hears a specific note, so it's on purpose). But in that one video where his voice cracks, that sounds like a total accident.

Just like this except not as bad or funny partially because the falter was still on a note- https://youtu.be/1Yogybuxyc4?t=7m39s

[theGonz]

I was lucky enough to see DT when they were in Boston this year. James sounded really frickin good to me, compared to the other DT live albums (excluding Luna and score). BUT, it was also my first ever DT show, which means I don't have anything to compare the experience with...