Your thoughts with a tour just about The astonishing

[Darkstarshades]

I guess I'll have to practice a lot, get a cover band, get an orchestra and a choir, and play TA on myself.
That's the only way I'll ever see TA played live full.

[KevShmev]

  Don't have a clue WTF is going on with this band.

They are still making great music, and just release a damn fine CD.  You should check it out!!

[BlobVanDam]

They'll do that thing where they show a picture of a character on the screen, but then CG on a person's real mouth saying stuff.

[red barchetta]

I love the idea of what their intentions are with this tour.  I really wish more bands, nowadays, would take more chances with their setlist as oppose to relying on their "hits" or to them, their biggest album.  To me, the closest I see where bands I see ever really go outside of the box with the setlist was Rush and Iron Maiden (Rush with their Clockwork Angels tour set and Iron Maiden with the shows they did for A Matter of Life and Death where they played the album in full).

The way I see it, I trust DT very much to give the fans, that are going to see these shows, something very enjoyable and memorable that will not be replicated again ever, years from now. Right now is the only chance, they are going to do something like "Dream Theater presents The Astonishing Live" and who knows if they have another chance to do something like that, and I'm pretty sure those that are not going only because DT are not going to play Metropolis or Pull Me Under or The Spirit Carries on, etc. are going to miss something special, I feel imo.

I'm sure the tour after this, though, they are going to back to maybe a more standard tour with a few new songs from whatever new album they are going to have, some staples songs, and some of the bigger tunes among the fans and that's fine, nothing wrong with that.

[red barchetta]

It could be fun if they did an Evening With again so that the 3rd hour could be an encore with some classics to keep fans happy. But honestly, I really don't have an issue with the way the roll - this is a gigantic concept album, and whether certain fans specifically like it or not, a concept album of this size deserves to be played in its entirety at some point. At least they're upfront so if you didn't like TA you can skip it, and maybe the later legs will be more dynamic.

Oh I do agree.  The thing is that usually when a band play a concept album live, it represents half the show like Rush did with Clockwork angels, Marillion with Misplaced childhood, Styx with Paradise Theatre lol.  But this is a double album, so no chance probably for any classics but I'm waiting for the upcoming shows in a couple of weeks and have a look at the set list.  Who knows, maybe they can end the show with the last song of the album and bring a couple of classics for the encore.

[TheGreatPretender]

I'm personally not sure it was such a good decision in terms of marketing. I mean, I'm all over it, and frankly, I hope I'm wrong and that they sell out their venues. It was definitely a bold move though. I can in all honesty say that if I were JP, I'd have included a hefty encore of back catalogue songs, just to make sure those who weren't as into the album would come to see me live. I mean, especially if it's something out of the ordinary, like doing A Change of Seasons as the encore again, or Octavarium, or something that they haven't pulled out in a while. But I don't have big bear balls like JP.
Like I said, I don't need an encore, or any of their back catalog this tour, I'll gladly go see it just for The Astonishing, and I hope plenty of other people do too.

[red barchetta]

Well, after listening it 3 times on You tube, for now this album is not for me.  It's basically ballads, ballads, ballads.  Some of them are very good but the whole thing is not turning me on.  So unless the set list of their concert has something special and has classics tracks, for the first time in many years, I won't go.  Again, too much ballads, no epic songs. I'm disappointed.

[Virtualman64]

I agree.Are we sure that it won't be an evening with DT?Has that been confirmed?They did that with SFAM. Either way I'm in.Although I won't see it as their not coming to Atlanta.I'm sure there will be a DVD.

[SwedishGoose]

I agree.Are we sure that it won't be an evening with DT?Has that been confirmed?They did that with SFAM. Either way I'm in.Although I won't see it as their not coming to Atlanta.I'm sure there will be a DVD.

We are sure that the european and american tours that are currently booked will be Dream Theater presents The Astonishing. It will be a special occasion where they will play only the new music with full visuals  i It will be more like going to a musical than to a rock concert. Fantastic idea for this tour.

We don't know if they will bring this special tour to other areas. I think they might bring it to South America as well and then do a more normal tour after that going back to NA and europe with An evening with... plating only a few suites from TA and a hefty dose of older material.

[Dreamer]

Its going to be a huge challenge to play all this life, not least on James but I guess they know what they're doing. Wondering whether to go to the London show on 19th, there's still tix left....

[MirrorMask]

Its going to be a huge challenge to play all this life, not least on James but I guess they know what they're doing. Wondering whether to go to the London show on 19th, there's still tix left....

If you like the album, go for it. It's gonna be something unique, we had a lifetime to see a normal DT show and without any injury or health issues we still have 5-10 years, maybe 15 to see again those normal shows, this will be one of a kind, so unless the album really doesn't do anything for you, go and witness something they will never ever do again!

(And I'm quite confident it's really "never ever". SFAM could have been resurrected, it's still a 70 minutes album of songs, it was not out of this world to dedicate a second set of an Evening With show to the album to play it for people who never saw the whole live performance. I can't imagine DT doing AGAIN 34 songs in a row for 130 minutes that needs a video production to accompany the story)

[Dreamer]

^ I think I should go, it will be something special. I just played the album again this afternoon and after 2 weeks of listening, the penny really dropped this time, I really enjoyed it. I admire the band for being so ambitious 30 years into their career, they could have just made 'another DT album' or made it a single cd etc, huge respect to DT.

[mike099]

I agree.Are we sure that it won't be an evening with DT?Has that been confirmed?They did that with SFAM. Either way I'm in.Although I won't see it as their not coming to Atlanta.I'm sure there will be a DVD.

Virtual Man, do not count out southern appearances.  There was a radio show(I believe Texas), and the host mentioned that he would love to see the tour if they came his way.  Labrie mentioned how much they enjoy the south and he was fairly sure that they would be south sometime for future shows.  I am going to Cincy for TA, but would travel to Atlanta if they played a mixed set down the road.

[Virtualman64]

I agree.Are we sure that it won't be an evening with DT?Has that been confirmed?They did that with SFAM. Either way I'm in.Although I won't see it as their not coming to Atlanta.I'm sure there will be a DVD.

Virtual Man, do not count out southern appearances.  There was a radio show(I believe Texas), and the host mentioned that he would love to see the tour if they came his way.  Labrie mentioned how much they enjoy the south and he was fairly sure that they would be south sometime for future shows.  I am going to Cincy for TA, but would travel to Atlanta if they played a mixed set down the road.

I saw them at The Tabernacle in Atlanta during The DTOE Tour it was incredible!It's a small intimate venue.I stood against the stage right in front of JP!

[Dream Team]

I think a DVD of this show should include options to 1. See just the band, 2. See the video only while listening to the accompanying music, and 3. A well-edited mix of both

[Mladen]

This tour is going to be amazing and a special opportunity for people to see Dream Theater doing something radically different.

And it pains me to realize this will be the first time since 2009 that I'm going to miss the band on a tour. Unless there is a second European leg with a few more Eastern Europe dates.

If that doesn't happen... well, we're getting a DVD for sure, right? 

[BlobVanDam]

Don't hold your breath for a DVD of this tour, as there's not one currently planned. Hopefully the opportunity comes up though, because this is probably the only tour the album will be performed in full, and it would be nice to have it documented.

[rumborak]

I know most people on here love the album, but overall the reception of the album in the outside world has been quite negative. I hope DT prepares a great show to make a convincing experience, not just a screen with a picture of the character being shown. I think there is a very significant danger that with the numerous campy moments of the album, DT's reputation could take a beating.

[Mladen]

I'm not noticing that much negative opinion, but the people are certainly much more divided in comparison to the previous two albums. ADTOE was loved by the most, and the self titled one got great reviews and grades all over the place, even though I wasn't too crazy about it.

[rumborak]

Both RYM and Sputnik rank the album at or below WDADU.

[King Postwhore]

Are you surprised Rumbo that an adventurous album is getting reviews like that?  Most DT fans want a heavier DT.  I for one want them to not stay stagnant ad try something different with each album.

[Architeuthis]

I notice many say they want an evening with format on this tour. I would say that TA certainly qualifies for that bill.  The length of the album at 2 hrs 10 min, plus a 15 to 20 minute intermission would put it close to 2 and a half hrs.  They may extend some of the songs as well, such as the solo in ANB. Maybe a few other surprises to visually enhance the story in between songs etc..

[rumborak]

Are you surprised Rumbo that an adventurous album is getting reviews like that?  Most DT fans want a heavier DT.  I for one want them to not stay stagnant ad try something different with each album.

Oh, so do I of course.
But, I think the argument of "this is all the metalheads being disappointed that the album is so soft" is too easy to be true. If you look at the reviews on those sites, not a single one even brings up the album's softness. Frankly, the ones I've seen criticize the album on grounds that are perfectly valid: a very weak story, only a few good sections stretched out over two CDs, and amateurish secondary media presentation.
Again, I am happy DT is once again stepping out of their comfort zone. But this attempt, IMHO, nowhere near worked.

[Dream Team]

Criticism that the album is not heavy enough is lame anyway. There are literally 25,000 metal bands who have released albums, DT doesn't have to be someone's main source of heaviness.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Oh, so do I of course.
But, I think the argument of "this is all the metalheads being disappointed that the album is so soft" is too easy to be true. If you look at the reviews on those sites, not a single one even brings up the album's softness. Frankly, the ones I've seen criticize the album on grounds that are perfectly valid: a very weak story, only a few good sections stretched out over two CDs, and amateurish secondary media presentation.
Again, I am happy DT is once again stepping out of their comfort zone. But this attempt, IMHO, nowhere near worked.

I have seen some very valid negative reviews, but I've also probably seen more poorly written, overly critical ones. As an example, when I go to Rate Your Music now, here are some snippets from the first three negative reviews:

Amazing! Not a single good song on this album, and this is a two hour album?! I mean, I'm not a Dream Theater fan, but my gosh, this album fucking blows. ... The instrumentals are unoriginal and bland. The story, well, I didn't even pay attention to the story, as I couldn't find a story on this album at all. ... Is it just me, or does LaBrie sound like Enrique Iglesias? Just saying.

There is bad music.
There is even worse music.
And then, there is Dream Theater.

It is really too easy and too fun to hate Dream Theater. Occasionally I feel mean, since they can't catch a break. It's just failure after failure for these guys. Even the name. Can't even spell theatre correctly.

Obviously I'm cherrypicking here, and as I said above, there are some very well written critiques of the album out there, but I do think there's merit to the idea that some people are rating the album poorly without giving it much real thought. I dunno... I guess I just respectfully disagree that most of bad write-ups of the album on social media, or whatever, are doing so on valid grounds.

[BlobVanDam]

Criticism that the album is not heavy enough is lame anyway. There are literally 25,000 metal bands who have released albums, DT doesn't have to be someone's main source of heaviness.

Nor does it have to be someone's main course of prog, or anything for that matter, yet plenty of people have criticized previous albums for lacking what element they wanted. DT are prog metal, and have a lot of fans who enjoy the metal side, so I don't see a problem with people wanting that balance. Prog fans like to shun the metal side like it's just some dirty side thing, but it's always been an integral part of DT's core sound.

Not that I agree with these criticisms, since this is one of those times when I think genre labels are lame. I agree with rumby. I'm 50/50 on the album at best, and it has absolutely nothing to do with not enough metal, or too many ballads etc. Out of the parts I listen to, there's enough heaviness for me. I just think that what is there, isn't nearly strong enough overall as an album. There are plenty of very valid criticisms of TA that aren't simply discounted by genre preferences or expectations or people not "getting" that it's a rock opera.

[cramx3]

I think the album will be even better when seen performed live.  Too many awesome spots in the album that get missed with only a listen or two because the melodies aren't repeated so they get lost in the rest of the 2+ hours of music. 

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.  I am still finding new parts to enjoy and discovering musical nuggets that I missed.  I am loving the album, but even then, it still isn't going to crack DT's top three for me.

I also hope the live show has something good to go along with it since it is being billed in such a way.

[rumborak]

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.

You know, as a general comment, that specific argument needs to be retired. It is essentially a veiled version of "people are stupid".

[Enigmachine]

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.

You know, as a general comment, that specific argument needs to be retired. It is essentially a veiled version of "people are stupid".

Not really, I've seen many people claiming they went from hate to love on the album. It makes sense that it would be good to listen to it multiple times given the experiences of many listeners.

[cramx3]

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.

You know, as a general comment, that specific argument needs to be retired. It is essentially a veiled version of "people are stupid".

Not really, people usually want something that sticks with them on a first listen. Something memorable.  There are few chorus's on this album, those are the things on a first listen, at least for me, that make an album stand out and you say "oh yea that song was great, that part was memorable, let me go back and listen some more". 

This album came out the same day as Ghostlights by Avantasia with big sing a long catchy chorus.  Songs hit me immediately on that album.  The Astonishing after the first listen, I couldn't pick out which songs were which.  Too much to digest.  Many people who are casual fans aren't going to go back to find those intricacies.  That's not saying they are stupid, it's saying they aren't interested in doing so because the first listen wasn't rewarding enough to deserve a second listen.

[BlobVanDam]

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.

You know, as a general comment, that specific argument needs to be retired. It is essentially a veiled version of "people are stupid".

It's also another convenient way of trying to dismiss criticism.

[Enigmachine]

Not really, people usually want something that sticks with them on a first listen. Something memorable.  There are few chorus's on this album, those are the things on a first listen, at least for me, that make an album stand out and you say "oh yea that song was great, that part was memorable, let me go back and listen some more". 

This album came out the same day as Ghostlights by Avantasia with big sing a long catchy chorus.  Songs hit me immediately on that album.  The Astonishing after the first listen, I couldn't pick out which songs were which.  Too much to digest.  Many people who are casual fans aren't going to go back to find those intricacies.  That's not saying they are stupid, it's saying they aren't interested in doing so because the first listen wasn't rewarding enough to deserve a second listen.

Yes, it tends to be impatience rather than stupidity that's the problem.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.

You know, as a general comment, that specific argument needs to be retired. It is essentially a veiled version of "people are stupid".

It's also another convenient way of trying to dismiss criticism.

While I think there are a lot of examples of people calling others stupid in order to dismiss criticism, I don't think this specific example is one. The Astonishing is such a long album that I, personally, needed about three listens before it really came together for me, and I don't think I've ever heard a long album where that wasn't the case.

Now, don't get me wrong, I can totally understand why one wouldn't want to have to listen to an album multiple times to be able to really judge it, but I think it's fair to say The Astonishing demands that. It's got 34 tracks for God's sake. I might just have a terrible attention span/memory - which is more possible than I'd like to admit - but I can't imagine too many people retaining all of the material after just a single spin.

[KevShmev]

Yep, I saw extremely negative reviews of it on online sites like the day after it was released, and there is no way you can review an album this long that quickly. Heck, you shouldn't review any album after just one or two listens, but this is the time we live in now.

[BlobVanDam]

The album demands a few listens before judging and that is just really difficult to expect people to do in this day and age of immediate gratification.

You know, as a general comment, that specific argument needs to be retired. It is essentially a veiled version of "people are stupid".

It's also another convenient way of trying to dismiss criticism.

While I think there are a lot of examples of people calling others stupid in order to dismiss criticism, I don't think this specific example is one. The Astonishing is such a long album that I, personally, needed about three listens before it really came together for me, and I don't think I've ever heard a long album where that wasn't the case.

Now, don't get me wrong, I can totally understand why one wouldn't want to have to listen to an album multiple times to be able to really judge it, but I think it's fair to say The Astonishing demands that. It's got 34 tracks for God's sake. I might just have a terrible attention span/memory - which is more possible than I'd like to admit - but I can't imagine too many people retaining all of the material after just a single spin.

Oh, my problem isn't with that at all. I agree the album does require multiple listens (as does every DT album to some degree) before it can be judged fully. There are particular opinions both positive and negative that I myself have given less weight to given the newness of the album and the number of listens people will have so far (including best/worst DT album evah)

My problem was with the implication (whether intended or not) that many people who don't like the album simply haven't listened to it enough. It will be true in cases of course, especially the earliest reviews, but it can't be assumed for the majority of them. It's also assumes DT fans don't know how to listen to and judge a DT album. Even what we're calling "casual" DT fans are still DT fans. It makes it sound like DT has a bunch of pop fans or something!
It's part of a general trend I've noticed for people to find reasons to outright dismiss opinions they disagree with.