Half way to the 25th anniversary of Metropolis Part II...will they make it?

[cyberdrummer]

Around the 2 hour mark; 4 or 5 times per week.

[Progmetty]

Does the 25th anniversary of stuff signify something in the western culture? I mean in this specific case a 15th anniversary U.S tour is much more possible and a good idea for realistic optimism.

[BlobVanDam]

Does the 25th anniversary of stuff signify something in the western culture? I mean in this specific case a 15th anniversary U.S tour is much more possible and a good idea for realistic optimism.

It's a quarter of a century. What more significance does it need?

[The Letter M]

Does the 25th anniversary of stuff signify something in the western culture? I mean in this specific case a 15th anniversary U.S tour is much more possible and a good idea for realistic optimism.

Good point, considering they had celebrated the 15th Anniversaries of WDADU and IAW, although they missed Awake and FII, doing some sort of celebration for the 15th Anniversary of SFAM would be great. It would be neat to hear this line-up play the whole album front-to-back. Imagine the 2nd half of their set being the whole album, then the encore being "Metropolis Part 1"? Or perhaps they close the first set with "Metropolis" and play SFAM in the second set, and as the vinyl static plays over the house speakers for a few minutes, they come back out for their encore - "The Glass Prison"

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Does the 25th anniversary of stuff signify something in the western culture? I mean in this specific case a 15th anniversary U.S tour is much more possible and a good idea for realistic optimism.

Good point, considering they had celebrated the 15th Anniversaries of WDADU and IAW, although they missed Awake and FII, doing some sort of celebration for the 15th Anniversary of SFAM would be great. It would be neat to hear this line-up play the whole album front-to-back. Imagine the 2nd half of their set being the whole album, then the encore being "Metropolis Part 1"? Or perhaps they close the first set with "Metropolis" and play SFAM in the second set, and as the vinyl static plays over the house speakers for a few minutes, they come back out for their encore - "The Glass Prison"

-Marc.

That'd be awesome. Portnoy comes out for The Glass Prison and they do the 12 Step Suite as the encore.

[The Letter M]

Does the 25th anniversary of stuff signify something in the western culture? I mean in this specific case a 15th anniversary U.S tour is much more possible and a good idea for realistic optimism.

Good point, considering they had celebrated the 15th Anniversaries of WDADU and IAW, although they missed Awake and FII, doing some sort of celebration for the 15th Anniversary of SFAM would be great. It would be neat to hear this line-up play the whole album front-to-back. Imagine the 2nd half of their set being the whole album, then the encore being "Metropolis Part 1"? Or perhaps they close the first set with "Metropolis" and play SFAM in the second set, and as the vinyl static plays over the house speakers for a few minutes, they come back out for their encore - "The Glass Prison"

-Marc.

That'd be awesome. Portnoy comes out for The Glass Prison and they do the 12 Step Suite as the encore.

A 50-minute encore? That better be their last show ever  Or an even more especially special super show!

-Marc.

[darkshade]

Does the 25th anniversary of stuff signify something in the western culture? I mean in this specific case a 15th anniversary U.S tour is much more possible and a good idea for realistic optimism.

Good point, considering they had celebrated the 15th Anniversaries of WDADU and IAW, although they missed Awake and FII, doing some sort of celebration for the 15th Anniversary of SFAM would be great. It would be neat to hear this line-up play the whole album front-to-back. Imagine the 2nd half of their set being the whole album, then the encore being "Metropolis Part 1"? Or perhaps they close the first set with "Metropolis" and play SFAM in the second set, and as the vinyl static plays over the house speakers for a few minutes, they come back out for their encore - "The Glass Prison"

-Marc.

That'd be awesome. Portnoy comes out for The Glass Prison and they do the 12 Step Suite as the encore.

A 50-minute encore? That better be their last show ever  Or an even more especially special super show!

-Marc.

The first set would only have BITS, OTBOA, BAI, and Metropolis Pt 1 at the end. Then set 2 = Metropolis Pt 2, Encore = 12 Step Suite.

[theseoafs]

1) Although I'm not opposed to a one-night MP reunion, making that the final thing we ever hear from DT leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If MM is still their drummer at that point, they should play their last show with him.
2) If TSF is the final song DT plays live, I will assassinate the president.

[darkshade]

1) Although I'm not opposed to a one-night MP reunion, making that the final thing we ever hear from DT leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If MM is still their drummer at that point, they should play their last show with him.
2) If TSF is the final song DT plays live, I will assassinate the president.

This is assuming this is not the last concert ever. But either way, make a second encore, with both drummers. Maybe Octavarium, sort of tongue-in-cheek.

[theseoafs]

In all seriousness, a 15th anniversary of SFAM tour is a really cool idea, though I don't know if that's something DT would set out to do. They're definitely more about writing new albums and getting out and supporting those albums than just banking on their previous successes. But a Maiden-style history tour with a setlist modeled on the Live Scenes from New York album could be a really cool experience.

[KevShmev]

The whole 12-step suite as an encore would be the biggest letdown ever.

[The Letter M]

An awesome "SFAM Anniversary" set list would also be:
Set 1 - Metropolis Part 1, SFAM
(Intermission - static noise)
Set 2 - The Twelve-Step Suite, The Best Of Times, Far From Heaven, Breaking All Illusions
Encore - A Change Of Seasons

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

75 minutes of the set dedicated to songs all about a guy who isn't even in the band anymore?  No way.

[The Letter M]

75 minutes of the set dedicated to songs all about a guy who isn't even in the band anymore?  No way.

What if MP came out during Intermission and played it all? And did TBOT and ACOS, and did some percussion/double-drumming with MM during FFH/BAI? Then we would finally hear the over-dubbed drums on ACOS in a live setting!

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

It's still too much.  An anniversary show, IMO, should usually consist of a lot of the band's best and/or most popular material.  That was always my beef with the Score set list: that was anything but a real anniversary set list. 

[The Letter M]

It's still too much.  An anniversary show, IMO, should usually consist of a lot of the band's best and/or most popular material.  That was always my beef with the Score set list: that was anything but a real anniversary set list.

I think they would rather reserve the best/popular material for the REGULAR set list, but an especially special show would consist of songs they don't do often, or have never done, like the entirety of SFAM, or the whole 12SS and TBOT.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

I could see that.  Them busting out The Best of Times would be sweet, as that song is too good musically to never play (and it would be a shame if JP never got to play that outro solo live), but the 12-step thing?  Nah.  The only songs I'd personally care about seeing live from it would be The Glass Prison and The Shattered Fortress.  I like Repentance a lot, too, but can't imagine that being a good live song. 

[darkshade]

An awesome "SFAM Anniversary" set list would also be:
Set 1 - Metropolis Part 1, SFAM
(Intermission - static noise)
Set 2 - The Twelve-Step Suite, The Best Of Times, Far From Heaven, Breaking All Illusions
Encore - A Change Of Seasons

-Marc.

Octavarium as an encore would make more sense, in terms of its theme, and closing up Scenes and 12Step which are all tied into it. TBOT (if MP is there) and the newer songs makes sense to include (if it were to happen in the near future), but ACOS just looks like a random song in that set list.

[theseoafs]

Not only is that setlist wayyyy too long, but it devotes over a third of its length to MP. Why do we need to reunite with MP and play all the MP songs on a SFAM anniversary tour anyway? The connection between the historical significance to DT of SFAM and the more personal MP songs eludes me.

That's the thing about this setlist. It's not representative of what DT is. It contains no songs from their first four albums (unless we count ACOS), and focuses on a very particular set of songs from SDOIT onward. If you didn't know who DT was and attended this anniversary show, you'd come away thinking DT writes A) concept albums and B) blisteringly heavy songs about alcoholism.

EDIT: It's also worth nothing that DT doesn't want to seem as if they're missing anything with MP gone. Recruiting MP for a special event like this is almost admitting defeat on that front.

[BlobVanDam]

Not only is that setlist wayyyy too long, but it devotes over a third of its length to MP. Why do we need to reunite with MP and play all the MP songs on a SFAM anniversary tour anyway? The connection between the historical significance to DT of SFAM and the more personal MP songs eludes me.

Because people kind of turned it into a final show ever setlist rather than just a SFAM anniversary one.
For a last show, I think there's no question they should have MP with them (and every other past member who is actually willing to acknowledge the band). But for an anniversary show, I wouldn't say it's essential, although it would be cool for a few songs just like WDADRU. I'd actually like to hear all of SFAM with MM though, to hear something new. There's not much else they can do after already giving us the amazing LSFNY show.

As for the 12SS, I think things get murky with that now. It would be strange to do a one off show with MP to do it, and it would be strange to do the whole thing without him. Huge shame too, because it was only just completed, but doesn't feel complete without the big performance it was all leading to.