Top Of The World Tour 2023

[ReaperKK]

Just out of curiosity though... Why do you think DT would be opposed to an acoustic show?

I think for better or worse DT are stuck in their ways. With MP out the picture I highly doubt they'll do anything past the standard set list which consist of some new track, some old tracks usually centered around whatever anniversary an album is celebrating, and maybe a few extended sections in songs.

[gzarruk]

I have little interest in seeing a DT acoustic show.  These guys are prog rockers! They are known for high octane epic concerts.  I could see them doing an acoustic song or two, but a not a whole show.  That is not their identity.
Please no!

This!

Also, they did have an acoustic section of the set for the ADTOE tour.

[hefdaddy42]

Just out of curiosity though... Why do you think DT would be opposed to an acoustic show?

If they wanted to do it, they would have done it.

Such a thing doesn't seem to fit into their business plan.

[Ben_Jamin]

I have little interest in seeing a DT acoustic show.  These guys are prog rockers! They are known for high octane epic concerts.  I could see them doing an acoustic song or two, but a not a whole show.  That is not their identity.
Please no!

This!

Also, they did have an acoustic section of the set for the ADTOE tour.

I would not mind that at all again.

[DoctorAction]

Tbh, I'm more interested in new material with a twist on the existing instrumentation. Acoustic or clean. Kinda how Devin did it on Ki. But with DT's technical jazz fusion leanings. Would be amazing!

[EPIC Outro]

Another mini acoustic set within a longer traditional set would be a cool compromise.

[cramx3]

Another mini acoustic set within a longer traditional set would be a cool compromise.

Only if they do something interesting with that spot.  If it's just The Silent Man or similar to what they've done before, I'd rather they do two normal songs.

The intrigue of a full acoustic show would be that they'd have to do acoustic versions of songs that they haven't done to fill the set.  It would make it very interesting for someone like myself who has seen the band 20 times. 

[crystalstars17]

I have little interest in seeing a DT acoustic show.  These guys are prog rockers! They are known for high octane epic concerts.  I could see them doing an acoustic song or two, but a not a whole show.  That is not their identity.
Please no!

This!

Third!

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

It's not an acoustic show but a more intimate and 'quieter' show would probably just be something similar to the Evening with JP and JR album, which was totally awesome and I would want to see. But as for an acoustic show with the entire band playing DT tunes...ain't happening. I would like an acoustic performance of a song as a one-off, but for every fan who loved an acoustic version, there would be 10 who were disappointed they didn't play the regular version.

[EPIC Outro]

I would love a mini acoustic set like this in the middle of a normal show. It would even let them sneak in a short rarity:

Innocence Faded
Cover My Eyes
Solitary Shell

[KevShmev]

I have little interest in seeing a DT acoustic show.  These guys are prog rockers! They are known for high octane epic concerts.  I could see them doing an acoustic song or two, but a not a whole show.  That is not their identity.
Please no!

With all due respect, posts like this make me sad.

Yes, heaven forbid the band do something different.  It's no wonder that so many prog bands are afraid to stray too far from their box, because they know most fans just want more of the same old, same old.  Doesn't seem very progressive, does it?

[ReaperKK]

Dream Theater are many things but I'm not sure I'd call them high octane. Mid tier octane at best.

[cramx3]

Dream Theater are many things but I'm not sure I'd call them high octane. Mid tier octane at best.

thought the same thing when I read it but didn't want to say it

[Dani Helios]

I'd definitely much prefer to see them take a break in the middle of a longer set to do a few acoustic tracks a-la Dramatic Tour of Events than a full acoustic set. That being said, it's more because I prefer variation than because I think Dream Theater are high octane. Maybe if we were discussing At the Drive In, I could see that take carrying a bit more weight

[Deadeye21]

Well, looks like Australia gets skipped while Indonesia gets a second show. Seems fair...

[gzarruk]

Well, looks like Australia gets skipped while Indonesia gets a second show. Seems fair...

At least you guys got then in the MM era, they haven't played here since 2010 (their first and only).

[Mladen]

Well, looks like Australia gets skipped while Indonesia gets a second show. Seems fair...

At least you guys got then in the MM era, they haven't played here since 2010 (their first and only).

Where are you from?

I'd second the opinion that bands are afraid from trying something new because of the potential backlash. This is why we'll probably keep getting Dream-Theater-by-numbers albums since The Astonishing didn't do too well.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Well, looks like Australia gets skipped while Indonesia gets a second show. Seems fair...

At least you guys got then in the MM era, they haven't played here since 2010 (their first and only).

Where are you from?

I'd second the opinion that bands are afraid from trying something new because of the potential backlash. This is why we'll probably keep getting Dream-Theater-by-numbers albums since The Astonishing didn't do too well.

I think there is a desire within the fan-base to do an album that is not exactly like the last 3 of 4. I think the only thing that differentiated DT12, DOT and View was song length. It doesn't have to be an off-the-wall idea or something way different from the band's core style. I just think that if DT16 is extremely similar, it is going to be a little disappointing for some including me.

If TA didn't do well, it doesn't mean don't ever do anything even remotely different. It just means don't do DT on Broadway. They took a big risk and while some like it, as you point out, it fell flat with others. They've done different things before and it's worked in the long run.

[EPIC Outro]

I love The Astonishing, but I think restricting it to just John and Jordan in the creative department and leaving the other three guys out of the process was a mistake.

[KevShmev]

I love The Astonishing, but I think restricting it to just John and Jordan in the creative department and leaving the other three guys out of the process was a mistake.

Why?  Not every song or album has to be a full band effort in the writing process.  JP and JR had an idea and ran with it.

[King Postwhore]

I'd say because the last 2 albums were much better with everyone involved in the writing process. 

[EPIC Outro]

I think the other guys could have injected some extra energy into the album. Or shared some cool ideas, or voiced some concerns if they had them. They may have recognized the potential for some cool moments that might have been missed with just two creative minds shaping the entire two disc album.

[Ben_Jamin]

I think the other guys could have injected some extra energy into the album. Or shared some cool ideas, or voiced some concerns if they had them. They may have recognized the potential for some cool moments that might have been missed with just two creative minds shaping the entire two disc album.

Since it's a JP idea and vision, the guys obviously did not have a problem with letting him have the reins and work out the musical side of it. What JR and JP worked on were the themes for the characters, or more so, the overall musical themes to be presented, such as what I call "The Path That Divides Theme" or the "Brothers" theme. The love and connection between Gabriel and Faythe also has a theme, this is heard in Act of Faythe/Savior In The Square, Chosen, and Losing Faythe.

I will also say that JM, MM, and JLB do inject energy into the songs. the blast beat jazz section comes to mind. The way the drums and bass work with the music provides a nice texture to the compositions. They blend so well musically that you won't know it unless you pay attention to each instrument.

[TAC]

I think the other guys could have injected some extra energy into the album. Or shared some cool ideas, or voiced some concerns if they had them. They may have recognized the potential for some cool moments that might have been missed with just two creative minds shaping the entire two disc album.

Why would you think that didn't happen?

[EPIC Outro]

I seem to remember some interview where Mike expressed disappointment that he didn't have more time to work on the drum parts. And it is fully possible the other guys did share some input on the album, I've just always assumed they weren't very involved, like John and Jordan wrote the whole thing and just presented it as a nearly finished product.

[Mladen]

I think the other guys could have injected some extra energy into the album. Or shared some cool ideas, or voiced some concerns if they had them. They may have recognized the potential for some cool moments that might have been missed with just two creative minds shaping the entire two disc album.

Since it's a JP idea and vision, the guys obviously did not have a problem with letting him have the reins and work out the musical side of it. What JR and JP worked on were the themes for the characters, or more so, the overall musical themes to be presented, such as what I call "The Path That Divides Theme" or the "Brothers" theme. The love and connection between Gabriel and Faythe also has a theme, this is heard in Act of Faythe/Savior In The Square, Chosen, and Losing Faythe.

I will also say that JM, MM, and JLB do inject energy into the songs. the blast beat jazz section comes to mind. The way the drums and bass work with the music provides a nice texture to the compositions. They blend so well musically that you won't know it unless you pay attention to each instrument.

Not to mention there are so many creative bass bits and pieces all over the place. John Myung really knows how to find a good spot for a nice bass lick.

[TAC]

I seem to remember some interview where Mike expressed disappointment that he didn't have more time to work on the drum parts. And it is fully possible the other guys did share some input on the album, I've just always assumed they weren't very involved, like John and Jordan wrote the whole thing and just presented it as a nearly finished product.

I don't think you're wrong. I thought James had a little give and take though.

[gzarruk]

Well, looks like Australia gets skipped while Indonesia gets a second show. Seems fair...

At least you guys got then in the MM era, they haven't played here since 2010 (their first and only).

Where are you from?

Lima, Peru. Compared to us, and other SA countries, Australia is a concerts parade

I seem to remember some interview where Mike expressed disappointment that he didn't have more time to work on the drum parts. And it is fully possible the other guys did share some input on the album, I've just always assumed they weren't very involved, like John and Jordan wrote the whole thing and just presented it as a nearly finished product.

IIRC, he was disappointed that he had only contributed to the writing of one out of three (at the time) albums with him in the band. He also talked about improvising the drum parts on the spot because of how the timeline was for the whole thing.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I seem to remember some interview where Mike expressed disappointment that he didn't have more time to work on the drum parts. And it is fully possible the other guys did share some input on the album, I've just always assumed they weren't very involved, like John and Jordan wrote the whole thing and just presented it as a nearly finished product.

I think you're probably right that they weren't very involved. At the very least, their involvement was far less than other DT records because they're playing far less on TA. This is why the record would have been received a lot better if it were released as a side project; expectations would have been better managed.

Looking forward to DT16, I want to hear more input from MM and JM, especially MM. I think they have a lot more to say in terms of lyrics and songwriting than we are currently hearing. Where they've contributed the root idea of a riff or a song, the results have been really great. I am thinking of the main riffs from Pale Blue Dot, Untethered Angel and lyrics from Room 137.

[Ben_Jamin]

I seem to remember some interview where Mike expressed disappointment that he didn't have more time to work on the drum parts. And it is fully possible the other guys did share some input on the album, I've just always assumed they weren't very involved, like John and Jordan wrote the whole thing and just presented it as a nearly finished product.

I think you're probably right that they weren't very involved. At the very least, their involvement was far less than other DT records because they're playing far less on TA. This is why the record would have been received a lot better if it were released as a side project; expectations would have been better managed.

Looking forward to DT16, I want to hear more input from MM and JM, especially MM. I think they have a lot more to say in terms of lyrics and songwriting than we are currently hearing. Where they've contributed the root idea of a riff or a song, the results have been really great. I am thinking of the main riffs from Pale Blue Dot, Untethered Angel and lyrics from Room 137.

Have you seen some of the reactions to Mangini's one major contribution?

Room 137 is all Mangini, he came up with a lot of things and I am sure he was happy the band let him work his ideas with the band. This was after The Astonishing, where he supposedly felt like he wasn't contributing as much as he would like to. 

JM also contributed S2N, that was his riff idea.

The Astonishing was a one off project of an idea entirely proposed by JP. He already had ideas for it, how he wanted it to sound, how he wanted to present this production.  Again, does Myung know how to write melodies, does he know how to arrange songs, does he even want to contribute this much time and energy into writing, rather than spending that time and energy with his family or doing what he desires in life. Same with Mangini.

If he really wanted to JP could've easily formed a new project group, but even at that, the logistics and legalities behind that are, more than likely in the end, not worth the effort. Especially when you have fellow bandmates who are more than capable of making this idea come to fruition.

My only complaint about The Astonishing is it's a Rock Opera, and for my own selfishness, Rock Operas sound a lot better when the characters are voiced by different people, doing this adds a ton to the emotion and overall character development.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I seem to remember some interview where Mike expressed disappointment that he didn't have more time to work on the drum parts. And it is fully possible the other guys did share some input on the album, I've just always assumed they weren't very involved, like John and Jordan wrote the whole thing and just presented it as a nearly finished product.

I think you're probably right that they weren't very involved. At the very least, their involvement was far less than other DT records because they're playing far less on TA. This is why the record would have been received a lot better if it were released as a side project; expectations would have been better managed.

Looking forward to DT16, I want to hear more input from MM and JM, especially MM. I think they have a lot more to say in terms of lyrics and songwriting than we are currently hearing. Where they've contributed the root idea of a riff or a song, the results have been really great. I am thinking of the main riffs from Pale Blue Dot, Untethered Angel and lyrics from Room 137.

Have you seen some of the reactions to Mangini's one major contribution?

Room 137 is all Mangini, he came up with a lot of things and I am sure he was happy the band let him work his ideas with the band. This was after The Astonishing, where he supposedly felt like he wasn't contributing as much as he would like to. 

JM also contributed S2N, that was his riff idea.

The Astonishing was a one off project of an idea entirely proposed by JP. He already had ideas for it, how he wanted it to sound, how he wanted to present this production.  Again, does Myung know how to write melodies, does he know how to arrange songs, does he even want to contribute this much time and energy into writing, rather than spending that time and energy with his family or doing what he desires in life. Same with Mangini.

If he really wanted to JP could've easily formed a new project group, but even at that, the logistics and legalities behind that are, more than likely in the end, not worth the effort. Especially when you have fellow bandmates who are more than capable of making this idea come to fruition.

My only complaint about The Astonishing is it's a Rock Opera, and for my own selfishness, Rock Operas sound a lot better when the characters are voiced by different people, doing this adds a ton to the emotion and overall character development.

I don't think fans generally feel negatively about Room 147's lyrics-- I personally think it's an interesting topic and good lyrical content.  I am skeptical as to how much of the melody MM contributed. He almost certainly did not write the main riff that repeats throughout the song.

MM contributed the opening riff in Pale Blue Dot and that riff and song are epic. S2N is also great. That's my point. More of this sort of thing would be very welcome. I don't know if JM and MM just don't want to contribute more. I think MM probably does.

Also I think JM is getting pigeonholed into writing a certain type of lyric and I would like to see him contribute more lyrics that aren't necessarily in the style of LTL, STR, etc.

[gzarruk]

MM also brought an early version of the Paralyzed intro riff, was the originator of The Alien, the crazy section after the strings middle section on Illumination Theory, among other things

[hefdaddy42]

Why is all of this Astonishing talk in the Top of the World Tour thread?

[cramx3]

Why is all of this Astonishing talk in the Top of the World Tour thread?

I can tie it in, I wish they would add TA back into the set list! 

[hefdaddy42]

Why is all of this Astonishing talk in the Top of the World Tour thread?

I can tie it in, I wish they would add TA back into the set list!