2014-03-25 - Opera House - Boston, MA

[rumborak]

So, I was in the bar/restaurant next door and Right Mezzanine, Row H, seat 14. Did I nearly meet anyone?

I was next door eating dinner and had a couple ale's before I went in the lobby.

The big group was a 10-minute walk away in a hole-in-the-wall pub.

[Grizz]

they *could* do a concert at an unusual venue.

Toad's Place plox

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

They only did it throughout the entire Dramatic Turn of Events world tour!

Erm, no, I think that stripped down means "sans production team." The closest thing to that done in recent years was the 2010 tour, including the one-offs and openings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xtbuQTPQcU

They turned off the video screens, they dialled the lights right down, how little production team do you want? That's about as sans-production-team as you can get without turning the amps off!

I think that the OP had something more along the lines of static lighting & an unusual setlist in mind

[JayOctavarium]

They should play on a barge in the middle of a river...


wait.... nevermind.

[Sad Wings]

I think realistically, what is Dream Theater, a band that has been continuously touring for 25 years, still going to do that is completely new?

They could do like Maiden and do tours focusing on specific eras. IMO, the anniversary blocks on this tour were not publicized enough. I spoke to quite a few people who had no idea that large portions of the show would be dedicated to Awake and SFaM material. The Awake block is a much bigger draw to me then the orchestra, especially given how little play the last three songs have gotten over the years. are they worried that publicizing the anniversary blocks might turn some people away?

[theseoafs]

IMO, the anniversary blocks on this tour were not publicized enough. I spoke to quite a few people who had no idea that large portions of the show would be dedicated to Awake and SFaM material. The Awake block is a much bigger draw to me then the orchestra, especially given how little play the last three songs have gotten over the years. are they worried that publicizing the anniversary blocks might turn some people away?

1. The "blocks" aren't supposed to be the centerpieces of the set -- the reason for the tour is to support the new album, but with this being the anniversary of two seminal DT albums, the set pays tribute to those albums in a comparatively small way.  The "blocks" were a surprise, too -- we only found out about them on the first night of the tour.  Obviously, the bits of Awake and SFAM are not supposed to be the reasons you see the show.
2.  How would you publicize that?  "We're going to perform a fraction of Awake and SFAM on this tour"?  It's like a half hour of the first and twenty-five minutes of the second -- it's nothing game-changing like performing all of Awake or all of SFAM would be.

[TAC]

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

but thought we could've gotten definitive versions of the last three awake songs, and I'm not sure that we did.

I agree with Kev too on the Orchestra  it wasnt a big deal to me either  its all been done as far as i was concerned  im not big with rock bands playing with orchestras anyway.

Id love to see a stripped down show too, although this was NOT the occasiion for it. Perhaps a Holidays tour would be cool like in 1998 

And Sad Wings, i think we DID get definitive live versions of the Awake songs.

Though, I think there was a missed oppurtunity with the orchestra there to possibly do a second encore and get a definitive version of The Count Of Tuscany. The strings and choir wouldve been a great complement to the song.




And i just cant say how good this band is. Really, its incredible .  The last two tours have been two of my favorites. Last nights show was one of my favorite all time concerts by ANY band, and it had nothing to do with the orchestra. The band was spot on. The stage and screen was incredible. Not sure how DT will top this tour.

[Sad Wings]

IMO, the anniversary blocks on this tour were not publicized enough. I spoke to quite a few people who had no idea that large portions of the show would be dedicated to Awake and SFaM material. The Awake block is a much bigger draw to me then the orchestra, especially given how little play the last three songs have gotten over the years. are they worried that publicizing the anniversary blocks might turn some people away?

1. The "blocks" aren't supposed to be the centerpieces of the set -- the reason for the tour is to support the new album, but with this being the anniversary of two seminal DT albums, the set pays tribute to those albums in a comparatively small way.  The "blocks" were a surprise, too -- we only found out about them on the first night of the tour.  Obviously, the bits of Awake and SFAM are not supposed to be the reasons you see the show.
2.  How would you publicize that?  "We're going to perform a fraction of Awake and SFAM on this tour"?  It's like a half hour of the first and twenty-five minutes of the second -- it's nothing game-changing like performing all of Awake or all of SFAM would be.

That's still merely an hour of material or almost half the show. Why not just say we'll be doing quite a bit of material from one album that's 20 years old and one album that's 15 years old this year. Similar to what Maiden did in 2005 when they stated they would be playing material from the first four albums. I could see them not wanting to do that as it could make them look like a nostalgia act, but it would give fans a better idea of what to expect.

[theseoafs]

Well yeah, that Maiden tour consisted entirely of material from the first four albums.  That was the point of that tour.  The point of this tour isn't to see a bit of music from Awake and a bit of music from SFAM, so DT isn't publicizing it that way.

[Daso]

On interviews they ARE saying that they are playing several songs from both Awake and SFaM because of their anniversaries, though. I mean, not everyone who is going to see the shows watches those interviews but they have stated it countless times, and they even said it before the tour started iirc. If the point is that they're not advertising the show as part DT12, part Awake, part SFaM, then yes, that is true, most likely because they're aiming at having this tour be DT12's tour and because they're playing songs from other albums (BC&SL, FII and ADToE) as well, but it's not like they're keeping the anniversary nods as an absolute secret.

[rumborak]

I think it's pretty brilliant that they're doing the "cover music from albums 15 and 20 years ago". It usually means you get something you know you'll like. Hell, the tour for the next album is likely to have a good number of SDOIT and FII songs on it. Works for me!

[Grizz]

https://youtu.be/zekzawvcH0A Here's the full IT (although 2 parts of the second half are in my pocket)

[Shadow2222]

Well yeah, that Maiden tour consisted entirely of material from the first four albums.  That was the point of that tour.  The point of this tour isn't to see a bit of music from Awake and a bit of music from SFAM, so DT isn't publicizing it that way.

Well, I dunno. They may not be plastering it on billboards, but considering they play 5 songs in a row from one album, and 4 from another, I think that's pretty significant. Add to that fact that songs from only 6 albums are played, with 9 of the 18 played songs being from the anniversary spots (50% of the setlist by number, if not by length), I'd say that many people are coming to see the anniversary sections.

[rumborak]

The part I didn't understand during the orchestral section is, why was JR playing along? I would be bummed if half of what I heard was keyboard strings.

[EstyMaJ]

https://youtu.be/zekzawvcH0A Here's the full IT (although 2 parts of the second half are in my pocket)

what phone you use ? sounds pretty good , i wasn't to lucky my phone records way to loud.
thanks for shearing brout me back to last night!

[Shadow2222]

https://youtu.be/zekzawvcH0A Here's the full IT (although 2 parts of the second half are in my pocket)

Thanks Grizz. Nice to have a taste of the DVD. I'm not a huge fan of overdubs, and JLB mostly sounds amazing, but I hope they fix the "money" after "Salvation" (his voice cracked a bit). Everything else was spot on!

[Grizz]

I don't see JR playing; I think it's just part of the PA issues. The audio came out surprisingly clear; to the ear, it was a bit harsh, distorted, and muddy, and I could hardly hear Berklee.

Sorry for any viewers with motion sickness, or without the desire to hear my dad screaming, me shouting, or me straining my voice to sing harmonies. I use a Galaxy S4. Check back tomorrow; it should be in full HD.

I'm willing to bet that there will be some overdubbing; there were some shaky spots, particularly in The Dance of Eternity.

[rumborak]

I don't see JR playing; I think it's just part of the PA issues.

How weird. I just checked my own video, and yeah, you're right, Jordan wasn't playing. There was some other song though where he was playing along with the orchestra.

[Nick]

Just got home, still have unpacking to do, but let me post my quick thoughts.

Performance and setlist wise this was an AWESOME Dream Theater show. However it was a terrible special event, and the sound had major issues. Starting in the first set JP was WAY too loud, and the whole band in general was a bit too loud. Come the 2nd set the choir was BARELY heard at times, and the strings were non-existent. In the end, this was nothing more than a Dream Theater show with some more people to look at. And how they utilized the strings... dreadful. Instead of having them play parts of songs from Lifting Shadows forward, they had them (I believe, again, couldn't hear them) play all/most parts on everything from Illumination Theory on. It would have been especially good if they had switched out Mirror/Lie for Trial of Tears or Breaking All Illusions to make even further use of the strings. There are pros and cons of Mike being out of the band, a con being they likely wouldn't play Space Dye-Vest, but a pro being I am sure he would have made much better use of this opportunity.

That aside, everyone sounded great, with James sounding near the absolute top of his game again. Had this been a local show I would have been more than pleased, but as someone who traveled a good distance for a special event, I'm definitely a little disappointed.

[Grizz]

After being at their last American special event (2012-07-19 - To Live Forever, Paradigm Shift feat. Tony Levin, & 21st Century Schizoid Man feat. Crimson Projekt - Paramount, Huntington, NY, US) in which I could only hear Petrucci (and his reverb off the wall behind me), I didn't think it was particularly bad for the most part. Why Space Dye Vest sounded like it was through my Johnson Amplifier is beyond me though.

[erwinrafael]

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

A stripped down set won't make sense in a tour supporting an album where the centerpiece is Illumination Theory.

[King Postwhore]

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

A stripped down set won't make sense in a tour supporting an album where the centerpiece is Illumination Theory.

You could say that about every album.  I think a one night show can be whatever their hearts desire.

[erwinrafael]

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

A stripped down set won't make sense in a tour supporting an album where the centerpiece is Illumination Theory.

You could say that about every album.  I think a one night show can be whatever their hearts desire.

Not really. In DT12, Illumination Theory is the definitive centerpiece. So if you tour for the album, people would be anticipating to watch IT played live. For a lot of them, they would be hearing and watching it live for the first time. And it would be such a disservice to the audience if IT is not played in its full glory because of a stripped down show. Which is why I don't think it is appropriate for this tour.

Stripped down shows would work. But not when IT is the centerpiece of the show.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

A stripped down set won't make sense in a tour supporting an album where the centerpiece is Illumination Theory.

You could say that about every album.  I think a one night show can be whatever their hearts desire.

Not really. In DT12, Illumination Theory is the definitive centerpiece. So if you tour for the album, people would be anticipating to watch IT played live. For a lot of them, they would be hearing and watching it live for the first time. And it would be such a disservice to the audience if IT is not played in its full glory because of a stripped down show. Which is why I don't think it is appropriate for this tour.

Stripped down shows would work. But not when IT is the centerpiece of the show.

But how can it be the centerpiece when it's the 9th track on the album?

[BlobVanDam]

I don't see JR playing; I think it's just part of the PA issues.

How weird. I just checked my own video, and yeah, you're right, Jordan wasn't playing. There was some other song though where he was playing along with the orchestra.

What section? He may have just been playing along because that's how his patches are set up, and he needs to keep up the order and routine to keep the spot, but they probably won't mix them in for the DVD. That would be my guess.

And so is it confirmed that the orchestra did not play FAS? Were people confusing it with the orchestral only backing tape they're using?

[KevShmev]

Call me a spoil sport, but the whole playing with an orchestra or whatever thing is kind of a "been there, done that" thing for DT.  If they were gonna do a special show that was a bit different, I still wish they'd consider doing some stripped down shows again like the Rotterdam one from 5YIAL.  That kind of thing is waaaay overdue.

A stripped down set won't make sense in a tour supporting an album where the centerpiece is Illumination Theory.

You could say that about every album.  I think a one night show can be whatever their hearts desire.

Exactly.  And I don't even mean doing such a show in the middle of the tour.  Hell, they could do a few shows after the tour, just to do a few stripped down shows or something else different like that. That would be neat.  But that doesn't change the fact that I still love this tour's set list and am thrilled to be seeing them next weekend for the first time in 10 years.

[Grizz]

Sorry guys, my video got removed and there's no option that says "I don't own this recording but neither does WMG."

What section? He may have just been playing along because that's how his patches are set up, and he needs to keep up the order and routine to keep the spot, but they probably won't mix them in for the DVD. That would be my guess.

And so is it confirmed that the orchestra did not play FAS? Were people confusing it with the orchestral only backing tape they're using?

From what I remember, the pit was empty and the upstage barren until intermission, when risers were added and the orchestra may have entered. After Awake, the choir entered the stage and they played along to IT and SFaM. IIRC the FaS was an orchestra-only intro tape like 6DoIT.

[TAC]

And so is it confirmed that the orchestra did not play FAS? Were people confusing it with the orchestral only backing tape they're using?

I was expecting them to play it. I mean, wasn't that the point of them being there?

[Shadow2222]

And so is it confirmed that the orchestra did not play FAS? Were people confusing it with the orchestral only backing tape they're using?

I was expecting them to play it. I mean, wasn't that the point of them being there?

Yeah, this was an overall disappointing use of the opportunity Dream Theater had. FAS should have definitely been played by the orchestra/choir, as well as some of the Awake tracks (why the heck was this not done???).

[TAC]

  But that doesn't change the fact that I still love this tour's set list and am thrilled to be seeing them next weekend for the first time in 10 years.

Has it really been that long? Wow!

You will be blown away!
Enjoy!

[BlobVanDam]

And so is it confirmed that the orchestra did not play FAS? Were people confusing it with the orchestral only backing tape they're using?

I was expecting them to play it. I mean, wasn't that the point of them being there?

It wouldn't have been practical for them to play one song (which would have been more trouble to sync for video), and then leave, and then come back for the later set. And FAS is already a tour exclusive orchestral only recording conducted by Eren, so I don't think it was necessary. It wouldn't have gained as much as having them playing on other songs.

[TAC]

I understand, Blob, especially the syncing part. I guess it was an expectation I had.

[BlobVanDam]

It's wasn't a far out expectation given that FAS is perfectly suited to orchestra, I think it's just logistics more than anything. If they were able to use the orchestra for the entire show, it probably would have happened.

[7deg_inner_happiness]

I agree Blob.  I really wasn't expecting the orchestra to be used for FAS exactly for logistical reasons.  However I guess my expectations/hopes were they would play for the Awake songs.  I did observe the orchestra members take their places with their instruments just prior to the start of Act II.  However, I was definitely surprised that they just sat waiting and did not appear to accompany during the 5 Awake songs.

BTW, awesome job with the opening album cover video, as well as the taxi scenes....Outstanding job!!!   

[Nick]

Yeah, Blob, your videos looked great as always, and it was great to see so much of your stuff featured in intermission.

On that note, THANK GOD they got rid of that ridiculous cube system and went to a normal video screen for this tour.

[TAC]

I actually thought the Cube thingies were pretty cool as it was a nice departure from what they had done before.

But the current large screen was unbelievable. And the whole backdrop as well was spectacular.

I loved when the put the Graffiti style still image on the screen so it blended in with the backdrop. I thought that was neat.