Petrucci and Geddy Lee on season premiere of VH1's "That Metal Show" on Feb. 21

[Prog Snob]

I use a pretty cool analogy.  I tell them it's like you took Metallica and Rush and put them in a blender, mixed them up, and the final product is Dream Theater.  People sometimes use Yes to describe them but I don't see it, other than the song lengths.

[rumborak]

Same here, yeah. Yes isn't really all that close to DT. I only fall back on it in the rare case when people don't know Rush (but, usually they don't know Yes then either).

[JayOctavarium]

I do. And then Rush because Rush

[King Postwhore]

It's funny how we all do that when describing a band to an average music listener.  I would tell people that Porcupine Tree's never outputs sounded like Pink Floyd meets Tool.

[Stadler]

Rush + Iron Maiden + Pink Floyd + Metallica

that's how I describe 'em

Me too.


BTW, with Geddy as the main guest and JP as "merely" the guest guitar player, there is zero chance that they will bring out MP without JP knowing about it in advance.   Trunk is a tool (and a ridiculous self-promoter) but he isn't stupid and to upstage Geddy like that, I don't see it happening.  That's not to say that they haven't worked something out before hand, or backstage. 

[lithium112]

ould be kinda weird because I think respect-wise, DT should be the opener for Rush, but popularity-wise I think DT should be the headliner.

You need to do some homework.

Apparently  . I guess I had no idea. Among my friends, most people have heard of DT but fewer are aware of Rush. And I've never seen Rush live so I didn't know what kind of venues they played.

[King Postwhore]

 

Rush still pull between 8 to 10,000 a concert and DT gets 3 to 4000 on average.  I love both so just keep playing guys!

[goo-goo]

Hoping JP got to talk with Geddy. Would be cool for DT to open for Rush in future Rush shows (since they won't be doing the big scale 3hr shows anymore).

[ReaPsTA]

That would be kinda weird because I think respect-wise, DT should be the opener for Rush, but popularity-wise I think DT should be the headliner.

Look at it this way - I think among prog rock/prog metal fans they're relatively close in popularity.  DT has the metal component that Rush doesn't.  They're more openly technical.  Being a DT fan is a more personal experience.  These things get them fans that Rush doesn't have.

But DT has very little cultural penetration outside of their niche.  Rush is very widely known and respected even by people who don't listen regularly.

[Sycsa]

I use a pretty cool analogy.  I tell them it's like you took Metallica and Rush and put them in a blender, mixed them up, and the final product is Dream Theater.  People sometimes use Yes to describe them but I don't see it, other than the song lengths.

You missed a crucial ingredient from the mix though, the prominent keyboards. DT is a pretty unique specimen (they pioneered a whole genre, after all), thus hard to describe through other bands, even though they often wear their influences on their sleeves. It's easy to see the Pink Floyd + Metallica + Rush angle, but none of them cover the virtuoso keyboard aspect of the band, so I often cite ELP and even Deep Purple.

One other way I like to think about them is that they're the modern version of Kansas. Both American, both extremely versatile, technical and complex, replace the hard rock element of Kansas with way more metal and you get DT.

[cramx3]

Deep Purple + Iron Maiden + Pink Floyd + Metallica = DT?  I think we are onto something.

[Rodni Demental]

Deep Purple + Iron Maiden + Pink Floyd + Metallica + Rush = DT?  I think we are onto something.

FTFY.

Besides, it might look like almost too many variables but I think those 5 has DTs styles pretty much covered. Of course I generalise the characteristics here but we've got the heavy riffing covered with Metallica, we've got our ambient more atmospheric soundscapes covered with Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden kinda represents the other aspect of their 'heavy' side and in some ways kinda reflects some of the vocal styles. And obviously Deep Purple has the classic rock and "keyboard" driven sound covered. Out of those 5 I feel that Rush more represents the proggy (and to a similar extent, the progressive) side of the band. It's possible some of their other influences have driven the 'prog' such as; Yes, Genesis, Kansas etc.

On a side note, I'm not much of a Yes listener (tbh, listen to Genesis more than Yes). So excuse my ignorance as far as this band's music goes, but when I heard DTs cover of Heart of the Sunrise, I could definitely hear multiple influences from that one song alone. For example; tell me the bit with the keyboard synth/strings and the bassline doesn't remind you of the similar section near the start of Learning to Live?

[Prog Snob]

I use a pretty cool analogy.  I tell them it's like you took Metallica and Rush and put them in a blender, mixed them up, and the final product is Dream Theater.  People sometimes use Yes to describe them but I don't see it, other than the song lengths.

You missed a crucial ingredient from the mix though, the prominent keyboards. DT is a pretty unique specimen (they pioneered a whole genre, after all), thus hard to describe through other bands, even though they often wear their influences on their sleeves. It's easy to see the Pink Floyd + Metallica + Rush angle, but none of them cover the virtuoso keyboard aspect of the band, so I often cite ELP and even Deep Purple.

One other way I like to think about them is that they're the modern version of Kansas. Both American, both extremely versatile, technical and complex, replace the hard rock element of Kansas with way more metal and you get DT.

Good point. I  can agree with Kansas or Deep Purple.  I never got Pink Floyd though.  I'm not saying there aren't some Pink Floyd influences in their songs but I would never use them to describe the bands fundamental sound.

[Stadler]

Good point. I  can agree with Kansas or Deep Purple.  I never got Pink Floyd though.  I'm not saying there aren't some Pink Floyd influences in their songs but I would never use them to describe the bands fundamental sound.

Not arguing, just observing, but despite seeing Kansas live once, and knowing the hits, I am exactly the opposite.  I see Floyd all over DT (there are perhaps five or six spots - some obvious, some not so obvious - where they are treading in the same pool as PF) but I'm sort of ignorant of Kansas' influence.   To be honest, though, and I recognize this isn't entirely fair, I view Kansas as a second-tier, minor league prog band compared to the "Big Five" (Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Crimson, ELP).

[hefdaddy42]

I don't think that Kansas was a major influence on DT, but DT's overall sound sounds a lot more like Kansas than like Pink Floyd.

[Stadler]

I don't think that Kansas was a major influence on DT, but DT's overall sound sounds a lot more like Kansas than like Pink Floyd.

I agree with that, but I don't know enough about Kansas to know if it is a case of DT being influenced by Kansas, or DT and Kansas being influenced by the same sources.

[King Postwhore]

I can tell you buy his soloing and riffage who's a major influence to JP.......Steve Morse.

[hefdaddy42]

I don't think that Kansas was a major influence on DT, but DT's overall sound sounds a lot more like Kansas than like Pink Floyd.

I agree with that, but I don't know enough about Kansas to know if it is a case of DT being influenced by Kansas, or DT and Kansas being influenced by the same sources.

Probably the latter.  I mean, I have heard various members of the group talk about their influences, and Kansas is rarely mentioned, although, as king pointed out, Steve Morse was an influence on JP (but I would imagine that was mostly for his work in the Dixie Dregs), and the group has covered Kansas on a couple of occasions.

[devieira73]

I can tell you buy his soloing and riffage who's a major influence to JP.......Steve Morse.

Maybe many of you are not aware of this, but the Steve Morse phase of Kansas is the phase where Kansas sounded less like Kansas!  (ok, maybe lesser on Drastic Measures...)
Steve Morse influences on JP aside, I see a lot of classic Kansas in DT. Maybe because both bands have the more "energetic" and heavy rock approach to the prog.

[rumborak]

JR is definitely a fan of Kansas. That ending of Octavarium didn't come from nowhere.

[King Postwhore]

I can tell you buy his soloing and riffage who's a major influence to JP.......Steve Morse.

Maybe many of you are not aware of this, but the Steve Morse phase of Kansas is the phase where Kansas sounded less like Kansas!  (ok, maybe lesser on Drastic Measures...)
Steve Morse influences on JP aside, I see a lot of classic Kansas in DT. Maybe because both bands have the more "energetic" and heavy rock approach to the prog.

I saw them on the Power tour. Got to shake all the band members hands before the show when they walked out the backstage door after soundcheck.

[hefdaddy42]

I can tell you buy his soloing and riffage who's a major influence to JP.......Steve Morse.

Maybe many of you are not aware of this, but the Steve Morse phase of Kansas is the phase where Kansas sounded less like Kansas! 

I would argue that the two Elefante albums sound the least like Kansas.  But I get your point, and I imagine that most of us do.

[Calvin6s]

Does anybody know if the That Metal Show website puts up the shows the same date as the airing or is it a long wait?

[Anguyen92]

I think it's like a few days after the airing.  Won't be long.

[Zydar]

[Stadler]

I'm sorry; I know all of this has to be in the context of the way DLR dressed in the 80's, but that beard looks kind of ridiculous.

[Mebert78]

I like JP experimenting with different beard styles.  Maybe this is like his "between albums" look.  You know, like how some girls don't shave their leg hair between relationships.

[Zydar]

That was dangerously close to a marriage analogy

[bosk1]

[MrBoom_shack-a-lack]

JP and Harley Morenstein should collab in Epic Beard Time.

[Stef1]

Geddy looks really impressed.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-petrucci-that-metal-show/

[Zydar]

[hefdaddy42]

Cool.

[KevShmev]

Geddy looks really impressed.

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-petrucci-that-metal-show/

Or not.

[Sycsa]

Too much wah and a bit sloppy at the end, I hope he played more than that. It was fun to watch though.