Images in words live in Tokyo (1993)

[Drinktheater]

Hi I have revisited my old VHS 1993 Images and words Japan. I have a question about the intro when they show the DT logo Metropolis pt1 is played as a background and it seems its a live version but its not included in the VHS set list, was this performed in Tokyo? Where is it from?

Thanks.

[Freeze]

It's obviously not the whole show in the Tokyo '93 dvd , as they used "Another Day" from the show as bonus on the "Score" dvd. That track is not on the Tokyo dvd. My guess is that Metropolis opened the shows in Japan filmed for the Tokyo dvd, but for some reason was not included. Hopefully someday the full Tokyo '93 show will be released , it would be cool to have a full show with Kevin Moore in that quality on dvd/blu-ray!

[Drinktheater]

It's obviously not the whole show in the Tokyo '93 dvd , as they used "Another Day" from the show as bonus on the "Score" dvd. That track is not on the Tokyo dvd. My guess is that Metropolis opened the shows in Japan filmed for the Tokyo dvd, but for some reason was not included. Hopefully someday the full Tokyo '93 show will be released , it would be cool to have a full show with Kevin Moore in that quality on dvd/blu-ray!

Yup thats what I thought, that it was performed in the 93 Tokyo tour but was not included in the DVD. I really hope we can see the full version one of these days. Maybe After the I&W 25th Anniversary tour they could make it a bonus on the DVD version.

[LPMX]

This should be the whole setlist for that show: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dream-theater/1993/nakano-sun-plaza-tokyo-japan-53d6cfc5.html

[rumborak]

Might be nostalgia, but still my favorite DT DVD.

[Dream Team]

Seems bizarre that Metropolis would be a song they choose to omit, along with LTL. Love the youth and energy of the show. Much prefer the look to the all-black ultra serious tone of today.

[TAC]

Honestly I never watch it. Not interested at them looking at condoms, and the lack of a full show basically renders this video useless.

[Drinktheater]

Might be nostalgia, but still my favorite DT DVD.

It is really a good show.

I love how John Petrucci's tone in that DVD it is not saturated at all makes it sound so unique.

[Evai]

Might be nostalgia, but still my favorite DT DVD.

It is really a good show.

I love how John Petrucci's tone in that DVD it is not saturated at all makes it sound so unique.

Yes! I love hearing the actual tonal qualities of the instrument. It takes true talent to make a rig like that sound good, since you're not hiding behind shit-tons of delay compression and gain, that pretty much anybody could play through and sound fine.

[Herrick]

Might be nostalgia, but still my favorite DT DVD.

It is really a good show.

I love how John Petrucci's tone in that DVD it is not saturated at all makes it sound so unique.

Yes! I love hearing the actual tonal qualities of the instrument. It takes true talent to make a rig like that sound good, since you're not hiding behind shit-tons of delay compression and gain, that pretty much anybody could play through and sound fine.

Yeah I really like his thinner tone back in those days.

[Drinktheater]

Seems bizarre that Metropolis would be a song they choose to omit, along with LTL. Love the youth and energy of the show. Much prefer the look to the all-black ultra serious tone of today.

Yep its like one big teaser,

Correct me if I am wrong I only started listening to dream theater around 1998 but maybe during the 1992 to 1993 era Metropolis is not that big of a fan favorite yet? Like during the time its more "Pull me under" and Take the time thing?

[ytserush]

I was bummed this wasn't on there.  I'm not sure there's ever been a better opener than that. The lighting really helped also.

[Adami]

Good DVD. Back before the band just kind of stood there and made faces, and more so....was praised as being intellectually and musically superior because they just kind of stood there and made faces.

[sfam2112]

I don't like Dream Theater that much, but I had a pen and some paper...so, what the fuck?

[Herrick]

Seems bizarre that Metropolis would be a song they choose to omit, along with LTL. Love the youth and energy of the show. Much prefer the look to the all-black ultra serious tone of today.

Yep its like one big teaser,

Correct me if I am wrong I only started listening to dream theater around 1998 but maybe during the 1992 to 1993 era Metropolis is not that big of a fan favorite yet? Like during the time its more "Pull me under" and Take the time thing?

Good question. When did Metropolis Part I become a fan favorite? I got into the band in 2001. Images & Words was the first album I bought and Metropolis Part I was instantly my favorite song from that album. Still is.

I don't like Dream Theater that much, but I had a pad and some paper...so, what the fuck?

[lucky7]

I watched this last night, after what seems like years, figuring their set list will include some of these tracks in Melbourne or Sydney later this month.
They all look so young, it is a good DVD. I have a double pack with once in a livetime. Not the quality of the later ones, but still good.

[Drinktheater]

Seems bizarre that Metropolis would be a song they choose to omit, along with LTL. Love the youth and energy of the show. Much prefer the look to the all-black ultra serious tone of today.

Yep its like one big teaser,

Correct me if I am wrong I only started listening to dream theater around 1998 but maybe during the 1992 to 1993 era Metropolis is not that big of a fan favorite yet? Like during the time its more "Pull me under" and Take the time thing?

Good question. When did Metropolis Part I become a fan favorite? I got into the band in 2001. Images & Words was the first album I bought and Metropolis Part I was instantly my favorite song from that album. Still is.

I don't like Dream Theater that much, but I had a pad and some paper...so, what the fuck?

I am a guitar student back in 1996 and that is when my teacher introduced dream theater to me by making me watch the rock discipline video of John Petrucci and he made me listen to Erotomania,Take the time and Metropolis 1. in that particular order and the way my teacher talked about it he mentions that Metropolis is one of Dream Theaters best and popular songs and one of the most difficult.

Metropolis is like their signature song even to this day it has overtaken Pull me under I think.

But I am more of an Erotomania guy!

[Herrick]

I am a guitar student back in 1996 and that is when my teacher introduced dream theater to me by making me watch the rock discipline video of John Petrucci and he made me listen to Erotomania,Take the time and Metropolis 1. in that particular order and the way my teacher talked about it he mentions that Metropolis is one of Dream Theaters best and popular songs and one of the most difficult.

Metropolis is like their signature song even to this day it has overtaken Pull me under I think.

But I am more of an Erotomania guy!

Pull Me Under is great but Metropolis Part I was the instant favorite for me from that album.

[Drinktheater]

I am a guitar student back in 1996 and that is when my teacher introduced dream theater to me by making me watch the rock discipline video of John Petrucci and he made me listen to Erotomania,Take the time and Metropolis 1. in that particular order and the way my teacher talked about it he mentions that Metropolis is one of Dream Theaters best and popular songs and one of the most difficult.

Metropolis is like their signature song even to this day it has overtaken Pull me under I think.

But I am more of an Erotomania guy!

Its "Take the time" for me but after a few years I think I had enough maturity to absorb Metropolis pt1.

Pull Me Under is great but Metropolis Part I was the instant favorite for me from that album.

[don_waka]

I don't like Dream Theater that much, but I had a pen and some paper...so, what the fuck?

Classic Moore.

[jammindude]

Can I just say that the drum solo in Ytse Jam is IMO the 2nd greatest drum solo ever recorded in music history....right behind Peart's from YYZ on ESL. 

I was hoping for his solos to grow and develop over the years, and it broke my heart to hear in a commentary once that he actually doesn't like drum solos.   

In any event, I'm glad we have that one as a permanent record.   I did rip the audio from my DVD, but I still wish they would have released that complete show on CD at some point. 

[PetFish]

Watch out for Hurricane James, though, he's a Category Eh't.

[Stadler]

Might be nostalgia, but still my favorite DT DVD.

It is really a good show.

I love how John Petrucci's tone in that DVD it is not saturated at all makes it sound so unique.

Yes! I love hearing the actual tonal qualities of the instrument. It takes true talent to make a rig like that sound good, since you're not hiding behind shit-tons of delay compression and gain, that pretty much anybody could play through and sound fine.

Yeah I really like his thinner tone back in those days.

I love his tone on Images and Words.   I miss it.

[Samsara]

Might be nostalgia, but still my favorite DT DVD.

It is really a good show.

I love how John Petrucci's tone in that DVD it is not saturated at all makes it sound so unique.

Yes! I love hearing the actual tonal qualities of the instrument. It takes true talent to make a rig like that sound good, since you're not hiding behind shit-tons of delay compression and gain, that pretty much anybody could play through and sound fine.

Yeah I really like his thinner tone back in those days.

I love his tone on Images and Words.   I miss it.

Agreed.

[Evai]

I think... Metallica and DT should swap guitar rigs, they have the opposite problems to each other 

[Grizz]

Seems bizarre that Metropolis would be a song they choose to omit, along with LTL. Love the youth and energy of the show. Much prefer the look to the all-black ultra serious tone of today.

Yep its like one big teaser,

Correct me if I am wrong I only started listening to dream theater around 1998 but maybe during the 1992 to 1993 era Metropolis is not that big of a fan favorite yet? Like during the time its more "Pull me under" and Take the time thing?

Good question. When did Metropolis Part I become a fan favorite? I got into the band in 2001. Images & Words was the first album I bought and Metropolis Part I was instantly my favorite song from that album. Still is.

It seems Metropolis was always noteworthy. The show after its debut, and the band's biggest show until then (opening for Marillion), it was their opener. Their next gig, it was the first non-instrumental they performed, with the debut of their new singer, Steve Stone. It was the opener of their following, all-instrumental show, and was one of five I&W songs they played opening for Iron Maiden (as well as at three preceeding warm-up shows to get used to performing with James). On the I&W tour, it opened every show except for two. Even then, those two shows were on the third leg of the tour, in the northeastern US, so changing it up a bit was understandable. In addition it was the set closer on both of those shows, which is still a major slot. An extended version was the encore on nearly every Awake show. The only exceptions are "The Rudess Experiment" and the cover show at Ronnie Scott's, although it was not extended at a single Japanese show due to time constraints from its PPV broadcast. DT did not take take a break from Metropolis until they debuted the new, improved A Change of Seasons in mid-1995. It returned in December of 1996 (after a year-long break from touring at all), apparently in new form. (My parents were at one of these five shows, and I'm pretty sure it was the first DT show either had attended.) This version was again the encore for many shows in a row, and curiously it moved into the set closer slot for two shows of the American leg again (1997, a tour that I may well have attended in utero). It was not the encore on one, maybe two shows in early April 1998, and it is omitted from 2-5 shows in June 1998. It returned to close out every performance with ELP and Deep Purple in August.

So, with only a couple dozen exceptions, Metropolis was played nonstop from Charlie Dominici's last two shows until mid to late 1998, and almost always in a prime slot. Instant hit I suppose? Perhaps its status came about because it was the opener on DT's biggest tour, when they had mainstream attention. It is obviously a great track to open a show or an encore, so it makes sense it would be so prominent when they had such a small library, and then it became a fan favorite through repeated plays as it got "classic."

In December of 1998, DT did a few small intimate shows of acoustic songs, unreleased songs, and covers. On my bootleg of the performance at Toad's Place (yes, I sought out a bootleg because my parents were there), MP jokingly remarked at the beginning of the show that there would be no Metropolis nor Pull Me Under, indicating its status as an "overplayed hit" even then.

Here's the remaining live history of Metropolis Part 1 for the curious.

[Drinktheater]

Seems bizarre that Metropolis would be a song they choose to omit, along with LTL. Love the youth and energy of the show. Much prefer the look to the all-black ultra serious tone of today.

Yep its like one big teaser,

Correct me if I am wrong I only started listening to dream theater around 1998 but maybe during the 1992 to 1993 era Metropolis is not that big of a fan favorite yet? Like during the time its more "Pull me under" and Take the time thing?

Good question. When did Metropolis Part I become a fan favorite? I got into the band in 2001. Images & Words was the first album I bought and Metropolis Part I was instantly my favorite song from that album. Still is.

It seems Metropolis was always noteworthy. The show after its debut, and the band's biggest show until then (opening for Marillion), it was their opener. Their next gig, it was the first non-instrumental they performed, with the debut of their new singer, Steve Stone. It was the opener of their following, all-instrumental show, and was one of five I&W songs they played opening for Iron Maiden (as well as at three preceeding warm-up shows to get used to performing with James). On the I&W tour, it opened every show except for two. Even then, those two shows were on the third leg of the tour, in the northeastern US, so changing it up a bit was understandable. In addition it was the set closer on both of those shows, which is still a major slot. An extended version was the encore on nearly every Awake show. The only exceptions are "The Rudess Experiment" and the cover show at Ronnie Scott's, although it was not extended at a single Japanese show due to time constraints from its PPV broadcast. DT did not take take a break from Metropolis until they debuted the new, improved A Change of Seasons in mid-1995. It returned in December of 1996 (after a year-long break from touring at all), apparently in new form. (My parents were at one of these five shows, and I'm pretty sure it was the first DT show either had attended.) This version was again the encore for many shows in a row, and curiously it moved into the set closer slot for two shows of the American leg again (1997, a tour that I may well have attended in utero). It was not the encore on one, maybe two shows in early April 1998, and it is omitted from 2-5 shows in June 1998. It returned to close out every performance with ELP and Deep Purple in August.

So, with only a couple dozen exceptions, Metropolis was played nonstop from Charlie Dominici's last two shows until mid to late 1998, and almost always in a prime slot. Instant hit I suppose? Perhaps its status came about because it was the opener on DT's biggest tour, when they had mainstream attention. It is obviously a great track to open a show or an encore, so it makes sense it would be so prominent when they had such a small library, and then it became a fan favorite through repeated plays as it got "classic."

In December of 1998, DT did a few small intimate shows of acoustic songs, unreleased songs, and covers. On my bootleg of the performance at Toad's Place (yes, I sought out a bootleg because my parents were there), MP jokingly remarked at the beginning of the show that there would be no Metropolis nor Pull Me Under, indicating its status as an "overplayed hit" even then.

Here's the remaining live history of Metropolis Part 1 for the curious.

Excellent post there man that's quite a comprehensive Metropolis set history.

thanks,

[WheyWaffles]

Is this the video where JP takes his shirt off, or was that 5 Years?

Whatever the case, he needs to take his shirt off again. He just has to do it once. When I'm at the gym this is what all the bros are talking about--does he look like a strongman competitor who pulls cars with his teeth, or a bodybuilder with a tight core who does dozens of light sets per day?

[Evai]

I think we're at the point where we start a petition for JP to take his shirt off

[WheyWaffles]

I'm on board. Let's do this thing.

[Drinktheater]

I think we're at the point where we start a petition for JP to take his shirt off

He will be performing soon in Thailand, Taiwan and The Philippines and here in South East Asia its damn hot here so he may take his shirt off hahahahah lol I know a girl who has a big crush on JP I bet she will like that!!

Okay enough of taking shirts off.

I think... Metallica and DT should swap guitar rigs, they have the opposite problems to each other 

I did not get the joke about the guitar rig.

[Evai]

I think... Metallica and DT should swap guitar rigs, they have the opposite problems to each other 

I did not get the joke about the guitar rig.

Metallica have used less and less distortion/gotten more midrangy over the years, to the point where now they have more of a rock sound than a metal sound.

JP has increased his levels of compression/gain a lot since the images and words DVD, to the point where there aren't any dynamics in his solos anymore, like there were in the 90's

Swap the rigs and boom, a very small portion of picky fanbases will be appeased for a short while