Likes and Dislikes

[chaossystem]

I don't think I'm the only one who's mentioned this, but a few of the songs (TLG, StR and BtV) on "12" sound kind of unfinished, like maybe they were "rushed into production" or something.
Also, on Behind the Veil there's this weird discrepancy where James sings the first verse in a deep and serious manner, but then on the rest of the song it's like he's just trying to sound "pretty." I wonder what happened there.

[bosk1]

I am not hearing what you are hearing at all.  And I am pretty sure this is the first I have ever heard anyone say either of those things.

[hefdaddy42]

I am not hearing what you are hearing at all.  And I am pretty sure this is the first I have ever heard anyone say either of those things.

[bosk1]

I will say, however, that there IS a contrast in the way the different parts of Behind the Veil are sung.  But it isn't first verse vs. the rest of the song, and it appears that you completely missed the point of why there is a contrast. 

Both the first and second verses are sung in a harsh, edgy way.  And both of those are sung from the perspective of a narrator (as based on the lyrical content, that narrator is possibly an accuser).  The bridge and chorus and then sung from the perspective of the female kidnapping victim.  That is why there is a shift in style.  This is not the first time James has done this.  We see similar vocal quality shifts to represent different characters all over the SFAM album, as well as on Six Degrees (song), for example. 

The only odd discrepancy is that the bridge after the second chorus is NOT from the perspective of the victim, but James still uses that same softer, soaring voice.  Not sure if that was done simply to preserve the style of the first verse/bridge/chorus, of if maybe it is another character, such a different female victim who is observing the main victim that the song is centered on.

[chaossystem]

I didn't know what the song was supposed to be about. I thought it was about the conflict between good and evil, or the devil or forces of evil trying to "break" or destroy the human spirit. I guess I took "the devil shows his face" a little too literally.
Or maybe we just have different interpretations of what the song means.
Anyway, what I meant about the way sings it is that it happens too abruptly. He should have EASED into it, instead of changing his style so suddenly.

[chaossystem]

Predictions for the next tour, with a few personal biases thrown in, Part One:

I don't know if the band pays much, if any, attention to what we do on here, but I would hope that they are aware of what songs we do and don't want to hear them play, and maybe would modify their set lists accordingly.

This is what I think and hope will happen on the next tour, working backwards, starting with the most recent album:

I doubt if they will play any of the songs that were featured on the AftR tour / Bt4thW DVD, or Behind the veil, since it is part of the current (2015) live set.

They very likely will play Surrender to reason, and I'm sure a lot of people have asked them to play it. It also won't surprise me if they play The Bigger Picture, although I kind of hope that they won't, since to me, it is the WEAKEST song from that album. I would rather they brought back the Enemy Inside and/or The Looking Glass instead.

I'm sure a lot of people would like for them to play Illumination Theory again, but it's probably too long to fit in with whatever they'll be doing on this next tour. Maybe as part of a medley...?...

[DebraKadabra]

Which of their live alums do you like best?

Are there any songs that you think sound better live, or there's an alternative live version that you think improves on the original (studio) version?
Are there songs that you think sounded great on the original album, but sounded horrible live?

Which songs do you wish they would play more often, and which ones do you think have been done to death and should be on hiatus for about two or three years or more?

Which of their covers do you think sounded as good as or better than the original version, and which songs do you think they NEVER should have covered, because they crapped it up so bad?

Which of their albums do you think would have been better if certain songs were omitted?

Maybe there's something you would AD to an album or albums that you think would be an improvement.

Also, what would be your "DREAM" line-up for the band, weather it would be by bringing back an ex-member to replace a current member, or bringing in someone who's never been a member, or ADDING another person to the current LaBrie/Mangini/Myung/Petrucci/Rudess lineup?

1.  Um... that's actually a really good question. I'd have to say Score.
2.  Another good question. The flip answer would be to say the "mercy fuck" version of ACOS (hehe). The serious answer? The addition of Marillion's "Sugar Mice" to Surrounded during the Chaos in Motion tour. That was so killer.
3.  I don't have an answer for this one. Sorry.
4.  Songs done to death--most definitely "Pull Me Under" and "Endless Sacrifice". Songs I wish they'd play more--"These Walls", "Strange Deja vu", and OMG "To Live Forever". Especially "To Live Forever" with JP's solo including musical lines from The Beatles song "Within You, Without You". Mmm. 
5.  DEFINITELY "Stargazer" and "Tenement Funster/Flick of the Wrist/Lily of the Valley" as to the bestest covers. They also did a bang-up job fully covering Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, that was KILLER. They NEVER should have covered Zebra's "Take Your Fingers From My Hair" - JLB's vocal tone is just not right for that one imo.
6.  Both Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds could have done with some serious culling ("Constant Motion", "Prophets of War" and sorry to say "Best of Times") and trimming (TCOT and TMOLS need SERIOUS trimming imo).
7.  Can't really answer this one except to say that they should have been allowed to make FII as they wanted to and not how the studio ordered them to make it.
8.  My dream line-up is the current one.

[chaossystem]

Would anyone other than me like to see DT play an all-acoustic set sometime, or as part of the next tour? I don't mean an entire two-hour or more show, but something like 30-40 minutes, maybe a little more, in which they play all of the songs on REAL acoustic instruments. I think a LOT of their songs would sound good that way, and not just the ballads, either.

[DebraKadabra]

Unplugged DT... that would be sooooooo... 

I was fortunate enough to see the 1996 Styx reunion tour and they did a little unplugged section of about 3-4 songs in the middle of the show and I've always thought that that was so awesome that they did that.

[Setlist Scotty]

Would anyone other than me like to see DT play an all-acoustic set sometime, or as part of the next tour? I don't mean an entire two-hour or more show, but something like 30-40 minutes, maybe a little more, in which they play all of the songs on REAL acoustic instruments. I think a LOT of their songs would sound good that way, and not just the ballads, either.

Might be cool to see them do an unplugged section during an Evening With tour, but only if they don't simply play acoustic based songs (as they did on the Dramatic tour - specifically WfS, TSM, FFH, BtS) and that they properly reinterpret those songs for acoustic instruments. Another thing I wouldn't mind seeing would be some pseudo-unplugged shows in a relaxed setting, like they did during December of 1998, where they not only focused on the mellower songs (some more acoustically, others not so much) as well as rarely played songs, B-sides and some covers.

[?]

Would anyone other than me like to see DT play an all-acoustic set sometime, or as part of the next tour? I don't mean an entire two-hour or more show, but something like 30-40 minutes, maybe a little more, in which they play all of the songs on REAL acoustic instruments. I think a LOT of their songs would sound good that way, and not just the ballads, either.

I approve of this idea.

[hefdaddy42]

Another thing I wouldn't mind seeing would be some pseudo-unplugged shows in a relaxed setting, like they did during December of 1998, where they not only focused on the mellower songs (some more acoustically, others not so much) as well as rarely played songs, B-sides and some covers.

This, for sure, would be cool.  I have a bootleg somewhere of one of those, and it was fantastic, one of my favorites.

[bosk1]

I didn't know what the song was supposed to be about. I thought it was about the conflict between good and evil, or the devil or forces of evil trying to "break" or destroy the human spirit. I guess I took "the devil shows his face" a little too literally.
Or maybe we just have different interpretations of what the song means.
Anyway, what I meant about the way sings it is that it happens too abruptly. He should have EASED into it, instead of changing his style so suddenly.

Before passing judgment on a song, don't you think it would behoove you to take a few seconds to try to figure out what the song is even about?  I quick search on the forum would have given you plenty of explanation.  For example:
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=39172.msg1693687#msg1693687
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=38972.msg1673308#msg1673308
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=38986.msg1674299#msg1674299
https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=41160.msg1787762#msg1787762

And, no, he should not have "eased" into it.  The parts of the song portray completely different "characters," which requires two different voices/phrasings.  How would you possibly "ease" into the transitions without it being weird and muddled?  It wouldn't make sense.  And this is exactly what he has done on other songs, as I mentioned above.

[chaossystem]

I wasn't judging it as not being any good. I never said I didn't like it. I just wish that the vocal arrangement had been done differently.

[chaossystem]

Predictions and biases for the next tour; Part Two-

A Dramatic Turn of Events:

I hope they play a couple of songs from this album next time out, but they should let Breaking All Illusions and On the Backs of Angels rest for a while. I REALLY hope they don't play Beneath the Surface or Far From Heaven, because I can't stand EITHER of those songs. I said I have personal biases, so don't say you weren't warned.

Outcry should probably be left out because it's one of the longest songs from Dramatic, but I would be okay with them bringing it back. Maybe on the tour after this next one.

They're playing Bridges in the Sky on the current tour, so no.

Build Me Up, Break Me Down doesn't seem to be very popular, so I won't put it up as a possibility. But I DO like it.

By process of elimination, the two best songs from ADoToE that they could play on the next tour are Lost Not Forgotten and This is the Life.
At least from my point of view.

[Train of Naught]

I'd love to see This is the Life in one of their setlists, IMO their best ballad, but I would prefer Outcry or BAI rather than LNF.

[KevShmev]

Playing normally not acoustic songs as acoustic songs again is definitely a great idea.  Some songs become better when stripped down.  The difference in quality between the demo/regular version of Cover My Eyes and the live acoustic version is massive (the live acoustic version is great; the demo/studio version sounds like some generic tune).

[chaossystem]

What I had in mind were some songs that are melodic and many of them  have a strong "piano hook" in them or are more "pop" sounding, such as Another Day, Surrounded, Space-Dye Vest, Along for the Ride, The Spirit Carries On, Hollow Years, Solitary Shell, Status Seeker, Only a Matter of Time, Forsaken, The Answer Lies Within, This is the Life, Repentance, and maybe some covers. I don't mean ALL of these songs at once, but maybe they could do this with about 5 or 6 of these songs at each show.

[425]

-Would you like it to at least start out as "evening with" shows?

Yes. They don't need to have an opening act right now, and I'd rather see 3 hours of DT than 2 hours of DT and an hour of some band that I may or may not know or like.

-If not, who would you like them to tour with?

If they were to have an opening act, I think it would be good for them to take Haken around the US at long last. So long as Haken played Celestial Elixir.

-How many new songs would you like to hear?
I know it's hard to choose from something you haven't heard yet, but not everyone has the same ratio of old-vs-new that they would like to hear in a live setting.

The whole album. I believe that a band that tours in support of a new album, especially one that plays 3-hour sets, should play the whole thing. I was very disappointed that they didn't on the last tour. It's a crime that The Bigger Picture hasn't seen the light of day.

-How many of the rest of their albums would you want to be "represented" on the next tour?

There needs to be at least one IAW song, and as much of the rest of DT12 as possible. Other than that I don't care.

-Which songs would you like to see brought back?
List as many possibilities from as many albums as you can think of

Octavarium. The Bigger Picture (not back, but it needs to debut). In the Name of God.

-Which songs do you absolutely NOT want to hear this time out?
Again list as many as you want.

Time for OTBOA to take a break. And there should be a song played from IAW the whole tour that isn't PMU or Metropolis, though I don't object to those being played.

Playing normally not acoustic songs as acoustic songs again is definitely a great idea.  Some songs become better when stripped down.  The difference in quality between the demo/regular version of Cover My Eyes and the live acoustic version is massive (the live acoustic version is great; the demo/studio version sounds like some generic tune).

I'd actually like to see Jordan and James try to come up with a piano version of Build Me Up, Break Me Down. The verses would need some work, but since first hearing ADTOE, I've always heard the chorus done with James accompanied only by a piano.

[chaossystem]

I would also prefer that they do evening with shows, but if not-and I know this has almost NO CHANCE of ever happening-I would want them to take Flying Colors on the road as the opener. And you KNOW the two bands would probably do some things (covers, jams, etc.) together! Who wouldn't want to hear that?

[King Postwhore]

I think MP would never do that.  Too bad that would be fun to see.

[hefdaddy42]

I would also prefer that they do evening with shows, but if not-and I know this has almost NO CHANCE of ever happening-I would want them to take Flying Colors on the road as the opener. And you KNOW the two bands would probably do some things (covers, jams, etc.) together!

I don't know any such thing.

No way they have FC open. The idea is preposterous.

[Darkstarshades]

If FC for some reason ends up opening for DT, I'm pretty sure MP would quickly leave FC.

[chaossystem]

I would also prefer that they do evening with shows, but if not-and I know this has almost NO CHANCE of ever happening-I would want them to take Flying Colors on the road as the opener. And you KNOW the two bands would probably do some things (covers, jams, etc.) together!

I don't know any such thing.

No way they have FC open. The idea is preposterous.

Dude, you must have missed the part where I said "I know this has almost no chance of ever happening."

It would be different if I had said "This is something I anticipate or am expecting them to do..."

Just because you think it's preposterous doesn't mean it's something no one would ever want.

Oh well, I guess every party has to have a pooper, but it would be nice if you could be a little more open-minded.

And DSS: I doubt if that would happen, but then again we can't say for sure if there's even going to BE another Flying Colors album and/or tour!

But we can hope, can't we?

[TAC]

Hef, you're a pooper.

[hefdaddy42]

But we can hope, can't we?

What?  No.

[chaossystem]

Okay.

But why?

[chaossystem]

Predictions and Preferences for the Next Tour; Part Three-

Black Clouds & Silver Linings:

This one is difficult. But I'll begin by weeding out the two songs I know I DON'T want to hear. I don't think either of them got played much on the original BC&SL tour, so I get the feeling they might not be missed all that much. I know I could be wrong, but the ones I'm talking about are The Best of Times and Wither.

As much as like The Shattered Fortress, again they played it on the ALftR tour, so again no. Make room for something that hasn't been played for a while. Unless they FINALLY get around to playing "12-Step" in it's entirety. I may be alone in this, but I think the best solution to this "problem" would be to play a MEDELEY of those five songs, especially since they'd be doing them without Portnoy.

I'm listening to a live version of A Nightmare to Remember as I'm writing this. Sounds good. I wouldn't say no to it, but I think I'm one of the few people who LIKES the vocal thing that Portnoy did at the end of it, so I don't know how this song would end up sounding without him. Also depends on what kind of room they have in the set(s).

Speaking of what they might have room for, I recently saw and heard a couple of live performances of The Count of Tuscany, and now I know why there's so much enthusiasm for this song. This is the one I would want to put the most amount of support behind, but again, IF there's room for it.

However...

A Rite of Passage is also a personal favorite of mine, and I can't believe that I'm the ONLY one who would love for them to play their version of the Rainbow song Stargazer live. Both of those songs would take up the same or less time than the two or three longest songs from the album, so I think it's doable. Maybe they should play Stargazer as-or part of-the encore.

Amendment: I forgot that they ARE playing Wither on the current tour. So that eliminates it anyway.

[Voices]

Predictions and Preferences for the Next Tour; Part Three-

Black Clouds & Silver Linings:

This one is difficult. But I'll begin by weeding out the two songs I know I DON'T want to hear. I don't think either of them got played much on the original BC&SL tour, so I get the feeling they might not be missed all that much. I know I could be wrong, but the ones I'm talking about are The Best of Times and Wither.

As much as like The Shattered Fortress, again they played it on the ALftR tour, so again no. Make room for something that hasn't been played for a while. Unless they FINALLY get around to playing "12-Step" in it's entirety. I may be alone in this, but I think the best solution to this "problem" would be to play a MEDELEY of those five songs, especially since they'd be doing them without Portnoy.

I'm listening to a live version of A Nightmare to Remember as I'm writing this. Sounds good. I wouldn't say no to it, but I think I'm one of the few people who LIKES the vocal thing that Portnoy did at the end of it, so I don't know how this song would end up sounding without him. Also depends on what kind of room they have in the set(s).

Speaking of what they might have room for, I recently saw and heard a couple of live performances of The Count of Tuscany, and now I know why there's so much enthusiasm for this song. This is the one I would want to put the most amount of support behind, but again, IF there's room for it.

However...

A Rite of Passage is also a personal favorite of mine, and I can't believe that I'm the ONLY one who would love for them to play their version of the Rainbow song Stargazer live. Both of those songs would take up the same or less time than the two or three longest songs from the album, so I think it's doable. Maybe they should play Stargazer as-or part of-the encore.

I love their Stargazer version, but I doubt they would play this live and if they do, I doubt it would be part of the encore.

[hefdaddy42]

Yeah, they will never perform that song live.

[Tomislav95]

They did medley of 12 step suite songs on last tour - The Shattered Fortress

[chaossystem]

Predictions, etc., Part Four-

Systematic Chaos:

Another difficult one. This seems to be an album of songs that people mostly love to hate, or at least ignore.

Constant Motion is part of the current tour, so that's out.

The Dark Eternal Night is in Luna Park, and if they put out another live DVD and/or cd from the next album-tour cycle, I would just as soon they not include it again.

The Ministry of Lost souls is too depressing lyrically, and in my opinion it's too "generic" sounding musically. It really doesn't ad anything to the band's musical vocabulary. So as far as I'm concerned it would just take up about 15 minutes of concert time that could be used for something better. Maybe even two or three better (short) songs.

In the Presence of Enemies would also take up too much time, but maybe if they just played Part One...

I don't think they've ever played a "full band" version of Repentance live, so perhaps it's long overdue. I'd be for it. Either that or again all of "12-Step" or the "Medley Thing."

Prophets of War isn't one of my favorites, but I wouldn't mind hearing it live, just to see how it compares.

Forsaken seems like a logical choice, because it's the shortest song on SC, but I wouldn't mind if they ALSO played PoR and/or Repentance.

[chaossystem]

More Questions:

Am I the only one who wishes that they had or would release(d) a version of Breaking the Fourth wall in audio-only (cd, etc.), or as a CD/DVD combo pack?

I mean OTHER than the Blue-Ray version. or maybe audio (cd) only.

Also, do you think you will want a show from the tour for the next album to come out on DVD / Blue-Ray / cd / vinyl, etc.?

[erwinrafael]

More Questions:

Am I the only one who wishes that they had or would release(d) a version of Breaking the Fourth wall in audio-only (cd, etc.), or as a CD/DVD combo pack?

I bought my audio file from HD Tracks.

[Setlist Scotty]

More Questions:

Am I the only one who wishes that they had or would release(d) a version of Breaking the Fourth wall in audio-only (cd, etc.), or as a CD/DVD combo pack?

I mean OTHER than the Blue-Ray version. or maybe audio (cd) only.

Also, do you think you will want a show from the tour for the next album to come out on DVD / Blue-Ray / cd / vinyl, etc.?

I'm an audio guy more than a video guy, just because of practicality. I can listen to a live album doing other things, whereas watching a video requires all my concentration and I can't really do anything else. So if an audio version of a live release is available, I'll always go for that, altho typically I'll also get the video version just to complete my collection and to watch on occasion. So yeah, I hope they'll release audio versions of all future live releases, and I like the choice of being able to purchase it separately instead of being required to get the super-deluxe over-priced package just to have the CDs.