Lines in the Sand is the best song by Dream Theater

[King Postwhore]

Great song, of course. But the real masterpiece is Learning to Live. I think we'll never see it again live...

It's been in more-or-less regular rotation forever.  No reason whatsoever to think we'll never see it again.  Not sure where that's coming from.

Zaccaly!

And you make fun of my posts Tim.

[Rodni Demental]

Yes, they played it for the A Dramatic Tour of Events world tour. But if you notice, few shows had Learning to Live in the setlist and only in the summer leg. I was really lucky because I saw the song twice in two days (Rome and Villafranca). Maybe the last two times in my life...

So what? It's not like once fall hit they started changing the setlist every show the way MP used to do, and still left it off the setlists. They had 2 (later 3) constant setlists that they stuck to, with songs that they felt were appropriate to those setlists. There's absolutely no reason to believe they'll eliminate it from their rotation.

Let me put it this way, last tour and this tour, they did not play Take The Time at all, so are we to assume that we'll never hear them play it again live? It's kind of a baseless assumption, if you ask me.

Maybe not always, but the way I see it, if a song hasn't been played recently, considering DTs history with setlists then if anything it's probably more likely to be played in the near future than one that was on a recent tour. I think TTT might very well be the next I&W song we hear from the band.

[orphaeusest]

Yes, they played it for the A Dramatic Tour of Events world tour. But if you notice, few shows had Learning to Live in the setlist and only in the summer leg. I was really lucky because I saw the song twice in two days (Rome and Villafranca). Maybe the last two times in my life...

So what? It's not like once fall hit they started changing the setlist every show the way MP used to do, and still left it off the setlists. They had 2 (later 3) constant setlists that they stuck to, with songs that they felt were appropriate to those setlists. There's absolutely no reason to believe they'll eliminate it from their rotation.

Let me put it this way, last tour and this tour, they did not play Take The Time at all, so are we to assume that we'll never hear them play it again live? It's kind of a baseless assumption, if you ask me.

My consideration is based on the fact that, after the first two shows in Italy, Learning to Live was played only during 5 shows. And the leg had 20 shows. After that leg, Learning to Live wasn't played in any leg of the tour. That means they have difficulties for this song. I dind't say they will never play it again, but it's hard if this is the premise.

[orphaeusest]

I've never spent much time trying to analyze them.  But they don't sound pretentious to me at all.

I spent and I think the key words are "living comes much easier once you admint you're dying". The whole lyrics is about the theme of "lack", "bliss", messages to find and something to believe, what we loose and what we create for our lives. I don't know if Petrucci had other meanings in his mind, but it's quite significant what he expresses in this lyrics. And then the key words... "living comes much easier once you admit we're dying". There's a hard message here, because death is so natural that if you want to live without fear and "easier" you have to admit you're dying. Lines in the Sand is not my favourite DT song, but it has a strong meaning.

[lucky7]

I don't have it as the best, but it is definitely Top 10. 

I agree completely. Not my fave from FII, that would be Hell's Kitchen! 

[Stadler]

I listened to the album on YouTube and didn't like it.  Some parts of some of the songs were very good, but I couldn't find a song I liked all the way through, so FII is the only DT studio album missing from my collection.

Respectfully, I would say you haven't heard the album.  I would suggest getting a copy of the two-disk Ytsejam version, and assessing that.  I understand we are talking about taste here, but for me, the 2D version is light years more enjoyable (and some of the songs ARE rather different) than the 1D official version.

[Stadler]

Oh, and I dislike Lines in the Sand.   Don't like the guest vocals.

[TheGreatPretender]

Respectfully, I would say you haven't heard the album.  I would suggest getting a copy of the two-disk Ytsejam version, and assessing that.  I understand we are talking about taste here, but for me, the 2D version is light years more enjoyable (and some of the songs ARE rather different) than the 1D official version.

Aside from the production quality sounding like wet fart. 

Sucks that those demos weren't properly mixed and mastered. Especially since the Cleaning Out The Closet versions of the cut songs (as well as You Or Me demo on the Hollow Year single) all sound polished enough to be on an album.

[BlobVanDam]

I listened to the album on YouTube and didn't like it.  Some parts of some of the songs were very good, but I couldn't find a song I liked all the way through, so FII is the only DT studio album missing from my collection.

Respectfully, I would say you haven't heard the album.  I would suggest getting a copy of the two-disk Ytsejam version, and assessing that.  I understand we are talking about taste here, but for me, the 2D version is light years more enjoyable (and some of the songs ARE rather different) than the 1D official version.

FII studio album >>>>>>>>>>> FII demo album