2019 set list and tour discussion (**KEEP ALL SPOILERS HERE**)

[EPIC Outro]

Any changes to the set on night 2?

[KevShmev]

So! Tonight! Proper filming went on tonight with a track in front of the stage. Fall Into the Light replaced Paralyzed, otherwise no changes and no special stuff. 

How disappointing.  Two nights for a live DVD/Bly-ray and it's the exact same set list both nights except for one spot?

I have long defended their set list choices since Portnoy's departure, but even with Scenes being played both nights, you are telling me they couldn't have had totally different set 1's and encores? 

[EPIC Outro]

Probably would have been a lot of extra work to have a totally different set 1 each night. Way smarter to film the same thing twice, so you have some options in case of a problem one night or the other.

[DreamerTV]

BW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEvUSwhFwtk

TSCO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHZAO6DhKfM

- both from night 2-

[KevShmev]

Probably would have been a lot of extra work to have a totally different set 1 each night. Way smarter to film the same thing twice, so you have some options in case of a problem one night or the other.

Yeah, we would hate the band to do any extra work for a live album/video that they plan to release and make money off of, right?

And while most of them pre-dated 2011, should I point out that the band's history is loaded with shows on back to back nights with different set lists?  They could easily do it again if they wanted.

[MirrorMask]

BW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEvUSwhFwtk

TSCO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHZAO6DhKfM

- both from night 2-

Come on, James sounds quite good! Sure, he has his "moments" ("and where dhew I belong"), but all in all he sounds like he sounded at my gig - quite acceptable, with some minor forgivable slips, and equally great moments as well.

[CB]

Probably would have been a lot of extra work to have a totally different set 1 each night. Way smarter to film the same thing twice, so you have some options in case of a problem one night or the other.

Yeah, we would hate the band to do any extra work for a live album/video that they plan to release and make money off of, right?

And while most of them pre-dated 2011, should I point out that the band's history is loaded with shows on back to back nights with different set lists?  They could easily do it again if they wanted.

I don't think that it has ever been easy and they don't get younger. Different setlists mean a lot more to memorize and to rehearse. Most people attend only one show per tour. I'm thankful that they do 3 hour shows, how many bands do that on a regular basis?

[Architeuthis]

Probably would have been a lot of extra work to have a totally different set 1 each night. Way smarter to film the same thing twice, so you have some options in case of a problem one night or the other.

Agreed. That way they can pick "the best of" from both nights for the release, and I'm sure we'll at least get Paralyzed and FITL when it comes out. From what I've heard so far, the second night was a the better performance and more cameras. So it's likely the dvd will contain more footage from the second night..

[Lethean]

Got back from the show a bit ago. I thought it was fantastic! The crowd was seated, but some of us stood at appropriate moments, and the momentum built steadily. I was surprised at the energy in the venue considering we weren't standing the whole time. I was sitting in the 12th row center right.

I thought James sounded great. Not flat all! Even on UA and BW. Maybe sharp once for a couple words. Loved it. He really had superb energy on the stage. This was the 4th time I saw this show and it was the best of them all. Not too soft or loud.

I was sitting next to a young woman who was sooo excited to see Scenes, she showed me her goosebumps (I can't remember the song now  ) I enjoyed Spirit more than at any show, it was really a moment. Honestly, all of Secenes is a moment. ItPoE was really, really great as well.

Either at the end of the 1st set or Scenes, MM crossed his arms like a genie and slowly sunk down and disappeared. It was fun .

I am sad it's done already and the next tour won't be for a while. Dream Theater never disappoints!

I love reading your show reviews.   I considered going to the London shows when they announced the filming, but decided against it.  For a number of reasons - recovering from what I spent on the North American tour, being a little down in general and not looking into whether I could make it work, family stuff, etc.  But another reason was the seated crowd. It was so frustrating for the I&W and beyond tour. And it seemed like a lot of people up front wanted to stand, but thought they couldn't.  And I guess they were right - a few of us in the front row tried and were told to sit by venue staff.   It was weird.  If they were playing near me and the audience was known to sit, I'd still go.  I didn't want to travel for it though when I had such a great experience with the SFAM tour last year.

I'm glad the show was a great experience for you and I'm very much looking forward to the DVD.  I know we already have Scenes live, but I'm not at all opposed to a second life version.  And I'd love to have the live versions of the Distance Over Time songs.  Especially At Wit's End.  And Pale Blue Dot. And Barstool Warrior...

[emtee]

I know this seems weird but having been a drummer since 5
years old, from a visual aesthetic standpoint, I can't stand watching
MM play with all his cymbals so high. I've heard his explanation for
why he does it. It looks so straining and unnatural. The results are
perfectly fine but long term...his traps, shoulders and neck will
pay a price. The odd thing is, no other drummer I know suffers from
sound bleed or other sonic issues while using a more posture friendly,
traditional approach.

[Peter Mc]

Not a drummer and no idea whether it adversely affects him physically but it does look odd, he doesn't look "cool" playing the drums. Obviously he is an absolute beast technically though and seems to hit incredibly hard with very little noticeable effort. 

I have generally really enjoyed watching him live but have to say that the end of Finally Free sounds a mess with what he's done with it. He seems like he's trying to do a drum solo spot but it sounds completely out of place with the riff playing over it.  Not saying he has to copy Portnoy's parts but he should still attempt to make whatever he's doing fit the song.

[Lowe2005]

Apparently they did Glasgow Kiss in Glasgow rather than Paralyzed/FITL.

[Setlist Scotty]

So! Tonight! Proper filming went on tonight with a track in front of the stage. Fall Into the Light replaced Paralyzed, otherwise no changes and no special stuff. 

How disappointing.  Two nights for a live DVD/Bly-ray and it's the exact same set list both nights except for one spot?

I have long defended their set list choices since Portnoy's departure, but even with Scenes being played both nights, you are telling me they couldn't have had totally different set 1's and encores?

Probably would have been a lot of extra work to have a totally different set 1 each night. Way smarter to film the same thing twice, so you have some options in case of a problem one night or the other.

Yeah, we would hate the band to do any extra work for a live album/video that they plan to release and make money off of, right?

And while most of them pre-dated 2011, should I point out that the band's history is loaded with shows on back to back nights with different set lists?  They could easily do it again if they wanted.

Be careful mister - you're starting to sound like me!   

I don't think that it has ever been easy and they don't get younger. Different setlists mean a lot more to memorize and to rehearse. Most people attend only one show per tour. I'm thankful that they do 3 hour shows, how many bands do that on a regular basis?

It is still possible, but it takes more effort. And even then, let's say they just have alternating setlists instead of rotating setlists - that is more than doable. If Rush can do it (as they did on their last two tours), so can DT. Remember, JP has the mantra "what would Rush do?"

Yes, you are correct that "most" fans only attend one show per tour, but there are plenty (even if a fraction) that would happily attend more shows if the setlist was changed up from night to night. Now that the setlist is essentially static (1 song swapped - really?), many of those fans including myself don't bother trying to see multiple shows.

And let's be clear about one more thing that has become a bit of a pet-peeve - these are not "3 hour shows" - the intermission time means nothing. Subtracting that time, the current show runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes, give or take a couple minutes, including various taped introductory bits. Previous Evening With setlists with MM have been 10 minutes longer at best, and I doubt the TA shows even clocked in at a full 2 hours and 30 minutes. Interestingly enough, the full show from L@LP clocks in at 2 hours and 33 minutes and they did that show without an intermission *and* were swapping out 6 songs on that leg of the tour. So again, it is not unreasonable for them to swap out more songs than they are doing.

Apparently they did Glasgow Kiss in Glasgow rather than Paralyzed/FITL.

You forgot to write that in green type.   

Not a drummer and no idea whether it adversely affects him physically but it does look odd, he doesn't look "cool" playing the drums. Obviously he is an absolute beast technically though and seems to hit incredibly hard with very little noticeable effort. 

I'd give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. I can't imagine the man would do something to show off while in turn it causes more abuse to his body that could shorten the amount of time he could play drums in his lifetime. He addressed this topic in the recently posted thread about the band's new live rig rundown videos. Check out his explanation here: https://youtu.be/H7UlBm-iuP8?t=155

[erwinrafael]

I know this seems weird but having been a drummer since 5
years old, from a visual aesthetic standpoint, I can't stand watching
MM play with all his cymbals so high. I've heard his explanation for
why he does it. It looks so straining and unnatural. The results are
perfectly fine but long term...his traps, shoulders and neck will
pay a price. The odd thing is, no other drummer I know suffers from
sound bleed or other sonic issues while using a more posture friendly,
traditional approach.

He's been drumming with high cymbals since way back when.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3-g0BKtPeE

[jadiggerdt]

Why, here is the answer!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7UlBm-iuP8&t=703s

[nobloodyname]

Not a drummer and no idea whether it adversely affects him physically but it does look odd, he doesn't look "cool" playing the drums. Obviously he is an absolute beast technically though and seems to hit incredibly hard with very little noticeable effort. 

I have generally really enjoyed watching him live but have to say that the end of Finally Free sounds a mess with what he's done with it. He seems like he's trying to do a drum solo spot but it sounds completely out of place with the riff playing over it.  Not saying he has to copy Portnoy's parts but he should still attempt to make whatever he's doing fit the song.

Here you are, the outro I recorded from the second night for your enjoyment - https://youtu.be/9OqG1UU_Q8A

It doesn't sound right to me at all but I suspect someone will explain why it's a genius piece of composition designed to cause discomfort to the concert goer, in line with the story, performed in 28/19, ceding to a 21/16 polyrhythm powered by flux capacitor.

[The Curious Orange]

It doesn't sound right to me at all but I suspect someone will explain why it's a genius piece of composition designed to cause discomfort to the concert goer, in line with the story, performed in 28/19, ceding to a 21/16 polyrhythm powered by flux capacitor.

That's it, you got it in one! It was supposed to be FUNNY, it was supposed to make you laugh, or at least smile. It's a throwback to the days when this band actually had a bit of humour in their shows. It was the last vestiges of the Zappa influence shining through...

[Lowe2005]

Apparently they did Glasgow Kiss in Glasgow rather than Paralyzed/FITL.

This has since been changed to Paralyzed on setlist.fm so I don't know now.

[Chino]

Not a drummer and no idea whether it adversely affects him physically but it does look odd, he doesn't look "cool" playing the drums. Obviously he is an absolute beast technically though and seems to hit incredibly hard with very little noticeable effort. 

I have generally really enjoyed watching him live but have to say that the end of Finally Free sounds a mess with what he's done with it. He seems like he's trying to do a drum solo spot but it sounds completely out of place with the riff playing over it.  Not saying he has to copy Portnoy's parts but he should still attempt to make whatever he's doing fit the song.

Here you are, the outro I recorded from the second night for your enjoyment - https://youtu.be/9OqG1UU_Q8A

It doesn't sound right to me at all but I suspect someone will explain why it's a genius piece of composition designed to cause discomfort to the concert goer, in line with the story, performed in 28/19, ceding to a 21/16 polyrhythm powered by flux capacitor.

It's a tough sell for me because Portnoy's outro on LSFNY was probably my favorite MP moment across all of DT's live releases. MM has tough shoes to fill there no matter what he does.

[Evai]

The Finally Free drum solo is pretty cool! I was disappointed with the last DVD when the drum solo seemed to be very toned down from the original. But what MM does now is definitely in the spirit of it 

[Setlist Scotty]

Apparently they did Glasgow Kiss in Glasgow rather than Paralyzed/FITL.

This has since been changed to Paralyzed on setlist.fm so I don't know now.

setlist.fm is the wikipedia of setlists, so if something is unusual, don't expect it to be the truth until verified by a legitimate source. 

[bosk1]

Remember, JP has the mantra "what would Rush do?"

While I often defer to you when it comes to specific DT knowledge, I kinda feel like I have to call this out just a bit as not quite being accurate.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection is that this was a passing comment he said off the cuff once or twice, and it is actually the fans that have run with it and created the mythos of it being the "DT mantra."  I suspect that, if asked, JP would reject that characterization out of hand.

[pg1067]

Apparently they did Glasgow Kiss in Glasgow rather than Paralyzed/FITL.

What's "Glasgow Kiss," and what evidence is there of this?  Setlist.fm lists the normal set list.

[cramx3]

Apparently they did Glasgow Kiss in Glasgow rather than Paralyzed/FITL.

What's "Glasgow Kiss," and what evidence is there of this?  Setlist.fm lists the normal set list.

A JP song, it was clearly someone messing around to make people think they performed it. Although being the last show of the tour, sometimes things like that do happen, but being that it got corrected, it seems more like a troll.

[Ben_Jamin]

Not a drummer and no idea whether it adversely affects him physically but it does look odd, he doesn't look "cool" playing the drums. Obviously he is an absolute beast technically though and seems to hit incredibly hard with very little noticeable effort. 

I have generally really enjoyed watching him live but have to say that the end of Finally Free sounds a mess with what he's done with it. He seems like he's trying to do a drum solo spot but it sounds completely out of place with the riff playing over it.  Not saying he has to copy Portnoy's parts but he should still attempt to make whatever he's doing fit the song.

Here you are, the outro I recorded from the second night for your enjoyment - https://youtu.be/9OqG1UU_Q8A

It doesn't sound right to me at all but I suspect someone will explain why it's a genius piece of composition designed to cause discomfort to the concert goer, in line with the story, performed in 28/19, ceding to a 21/16 polyrhythm powered by flux capacitor.

Finally got to watching this.

It's like he's messing around with the guys, trying to throw them off. Basically, having some musical fun. This one was way way weird and has off beats but is there. I need to hear the whole ending though, not just the part where Mangini goes crazy music math nerd mode.

[Kyo]

So! Tonight! Proper filming went on tonight with a track in front of the stage. Fall Into the Light replaced Paralyzed, otherwise no changes and no special stuff. 

How disappointing.  Two nights for a live DVD/Bly-ray and it's the exact same set list both nights except for one spot?

I have long defended their set list choices since Portnoy's departure, but even with Scenes being played both nights, you are telling me they couldn't have had totally different set 1's and encores?

I agree, this is pretty disappointing. I get them not wanting to learn tons of extra material for rotating setlists anymore, but the first few tours with Mangini still had some variety in the sets. Live at Luna Park has 35 minutes of bonus tracks for that reason. This has been a really boring tour to follow - no surprises and not much to discuss. You'd think they'd rotate in more of the new songs over time - it's one thing to put out one of your shortest albums ever, but then to ignore four out of ten new songs all year doesn't exactly sound like a band convinced of the merits of its new material.

[Architeuthis]

I would be interested in knowing how the band determines the setlist, or if management has something to do with it. 

[bosk1]

Management has no role.

[cramx3]

So! Tonight! Proper filming went on tonight with a track in front of the stage. Fall Into the Light replaced Paralyzed, otherwise no changes and no special stuff. 

How disappointing.  Two nights for a live DVD/Bly-ray and it's the exact same set list both nights except for one spot?

I have long defended their set list choices since Portnoy's departure, but even with Scenes being played both nights, you are telling me they couldn't have had totally different set 1's and encores?

I agree, this is pretty disappointing. I get them not wanting to learn tons of extra material for rotating setlists anymore, but the first few tours with Mangini still had some variety in the sets. Live at Luna Park has 35 minutes of bonus tracks for that reason. This has been a really boring tour to follow - no surprises and not much to discuss. You'd think they'd rotate in more of the new songs over time - it's one thing to put out one of your shortest albums ever, but then to ignore four out of ten new songs all year doesn't exactly sound like a band convinced of the merits of its new material.

Pretty much agree besides the bold.  They still did 60% of the album live and even more if you look at time since some of the shorter songs weren't played.  Although it's really 66.7% since I'm not sure Viper King should count, but basically they played enough to not make me believe they weren't convinved of the merits of the new material.  Not at all.  Very much the opposite actually. 

[Max Kuehnau]

Management has no role.

and why would they? I remember JP referencing them using an Excel spreadsheet to construct the setlists. (he mentioned it during the studio interviews at Yonderbarn IIRC)

[bosk1]

Management has no role.

and why would they?

Exactly.

[Architeuthis]

Management has no role.

Ok thanks, that would be a shame if management called the shots. DT strikes me as a band of integrity, so it makes sense that they create the setlist.

[Ben_Jamin]

Think of it this way...

They decided on a Time of 2:30 to play, possibly to allow JLB to be able to sing the scenes set each night without putting too much strain on his vocals with a 30 more minutes. You figure in how long Scenes is total, plus D/T songs the band really wanted to play this tour. That gives you a certain amount of time for other choices.

I was one that was glad they chose ANTR and ITPOE Pt.1.

[DarkLord_Lalinc]

Their show is basically all laid out in a Pro Tools session. If any of you have seen their shows this tour, they're basically perfect regarding lights, video, musical tightness and overall sync. Their light show is super precise, their videos are in incredible sync with the music and basically the pacing is very well thought and planned. I understand they've planned their concerts like if they were musicals, in which they were doing the same play each and every night but with precise and perfect production. That's the way DT is now and I don't think they're going back to their old new setlist each and every night mojo. Portnoy loved doing that, but we don't really know if the rest of the guys were totally on board with that. I mean, obviously they were on board at some extent, but maybe after Portnoy's departure was a chance for JP to lay down and go like "alright, it's time to change things up a bit".

I do miss the rotating setlists and the excitement of logging into this forum to see which rare B-side they pulled off, but I'm OK with things being the way they are. They are tight AF. The show has never been as rehearsed and perfect as it is nowadays. I'm all in for the click track, because DT's music lends itself pretty well to the use of it. That being said, I do miss the the "freedom" of the MP era but hey, you can't have everything. I had my pretty big share of MP era DT shows and live releases, so I welcome the new ways for a change. Most of DT's repertoire is documented in live format by this point, so having them release (once again) material from SFAM is something that kinda makes sense. I'm not overly excited about it, but it's cool nevertheless.

[Architeuthis]

I didn't get to see DT on this tour so I'm very much looking forward to seeing Scenes on dvd with this new presentation.
I really hope someday, that they perhaps do a one-off The Astonishing show with a big production and release a video of it.
The fact that TA tour did not get documented is the biggest crime in DT history. Great Show, great lighting and sound, and JLB really shined.. His "moment in the sun" so to speak. ☀