Dream Theater North American Tour Dates (Feb-Mar, 2025)

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Interview with Mike from a Greek publication. Not sure if it was posted earlier. The usual topics are discussed but one interesting thing to note is that Mike made a list of songs that spoke to him on a melodic level from the previous 5 records and we'll see over time which get put in setlist!

https://youtu.be/au5CO4i43p4?si=Fb_U1KJp8yQnZuud

[TAC]

Real nice video from the Casino show in California.

[cramx3]

Real nice video from the Casino show in California.

Just from a quick look, wow, that crowd is like back from the MM days 

[TAC]

Just from a quick look, wow, that crowd is like back from the MM days 

I know. I saw that.

[pg1067]

Interview with Mike from a Greek publication. Not sure if it was posted earlier. The usual topics are discussed but one interesting thing to note is that Mike made a list of songs that spoke to him on a melodic level from the previous 5 records and we'll see over time which get put in setlist!

https://youtu.be/au5CO4i43p4?si=Fb_U1KJp8yQnZuud

Did he reveal what songs are on that list or just say that it exists?

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Did he reveal what songs are on that list or just say that it exists?

Just that it exists and the criteria for the 2 songs that were ultimately chosen presumably from this list.

[gzarruk]

I'm betting on Our New World.

[durga2112]

"Transcending Time" has to be on that list. The outro is practically made for a live singalong, and it would be a shame if it never gets played live.

[Mladen]

I'm betting on Our New World.

I actually wouldn't count this one out.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

My guesses would be some if not a few of these:

Transcending Time
Looking Glass
The Bigger Picture
Behind the Veil
Fall into the Light
Out of Reach
Paralyzed
Build Me Up
Our New World
S2N
Along for the Ride

All of these could be played with some fidelity to the original.

[Kram]

My guesses would be some if not a few of these:

Transcending Time
Looking Glass
The Bigger Picture
Behind the Veil
Fall into the Light
Out of Reach
Paralyzed
Build Me Up
Our New World
S2N
Along for the Ride

All of these could be played with some fidelity to the original.

I hope not Paralyzed or Build Me Up - then again he did choose A Right of Passage, so I could see it happening.

[cramx3]

As much as I'd love to see MP bring some TA songs back, we all know he's been leaning towards the heavier side. So I actually would think more in line with songs from DOT and AVFTTOTW more than TA. Either way, I'd be excited to see more MP doing MM songs, if not for the nuanced differences, but just to see those songs continue to shine. (and maybe get played for the first time like S2N)

[durga2112]

As much as I'd love to see MP bring some TA songs back, we all know he's been leaning towards the heavier side. So I actually would think more in line with songs from DOT and AVFTTOTW more than TA. Either way, I'd be excited to see more MP doing MM songs, if not for the nuanced differences, but just to see those songs continue to shine. (and maybe get played for the first time like S2N)

Definitely not with the Mangini songs they've played so far.

[ReaperKK]

I actually wouldn't count this one out.

I'd love to hear Our New World, it's an s-tier DT song

[TAC]

I'd love to hear Our New World, it's an s-tier DT song

Suck tier?

[ReaperKK]

Suck tier?

what don't you like about it?

[jammindude]

Who's got two thumbs and scored a ticket to the Seattle show??

  

THIS GUY!!!

Special thanks to PetFish who decided not to cross the border this year.

I'm feeling good right now!! Who's going to Seattle and wants a beer??

[Glasser]

My guesses would be some if not a few of these:

Transcending Time
Looking Glass
The Bigger Picture
Behind the Veil
Fall into the Light
Out of Reach
Paralyzed
Build Me Up
Our New World
S2N
Along for the Ride

All of these could be played with some fidelity to the original.

Nice! Love S2N a lot, would love the hear that live! Surrender To Reason would be great too!!!

[DragonAttack]

Despite a couple of misgivings before hand, I enjoyed the entire show in Vegas tonight. All three hours and fifteen minutes worth👍

[geeeemo]

Despite a couple of misgivings before hand, I enjoyed the entire show in Vegas tonight. All three hours and fifteen minutes worth👍

Me too😊. I enjoyed meeting you and your wife before. Great day! I nearly wept with a couple of the songs,I was so happy.

[lovethedrake]

****Spoiler Alert*****

Just got back from the LA show. What an incredible night and an incredible performance.

I've seen them 13 or 14 times and this was up there with the best of them.  I was excited that we got the panic attack, midnight Messiah, dark eternal night, and under a glass moon setlist.

James really struggled with Metropolis but got much better as the night went on.  He completely nailed Octavarium.

Sound was amazing and the whole band was firing on all cylinders.

My only complaint would be that the side screens weren't on... it would have been nice to see some close ups on their playing.  Just two big dark screens on the sides was a bit weird.

Outside of that it was an amazing show.

The pre and post Hollow Years solos were incredible by Petrucci.

The riffs were really crunching all night.

Just an incredible show and I had tears running down my eyes during Spirit Carries On.

How lucky are we to have a band like DT?!!!!

[dualpalmpilots]

We're now less than a month away from the RCMH show. Think we're in for anything extra special that evening?

[Kram]

****Spoiler Alert*****

Just got back from the LA show. What an incredible night and an incredible performance.

I've seen them 13 or 14 times and this was up there with the best of them.  I was excited that we got the panic attack, midnight Messiah, dark eternal night, and under a glass moon setlist.

James really struggled with Metropolis but got much better as the night went on.  He completely nailed Octavarium.

Sound was amazing and the whole band was firing on all cylinders.

My only complaint would be that the side screens weren't on... it would have been nice to see some close ups on their playing.  Just two big dark screens on the sides was a bit weird.

Outside of that it was an amazing show.

The pre and post Hollow Years solos were incredible by Petrucci.

The riffs were really crunching all night.

Just an incredible show and I had tears running down my eyes during Spirit Carries On.

How lucky are we to have a band like DT?!!!!

I was there as well drake and echo everything you said.  Definitely a top 3 DT show for me and I've seen them close to 30 times now.  James was really rough with Metropolis (tough song to open with), but completely turned it around by the middle of the first set, to the point where he was pretty much nailing Under a Glass Moon! Complete turn around.

I also was hoping they'd use those side screens for some closeups.  That was my first time at the YouTube Theater, and it's really a nice new theater with great sound.

James said it was a sell out (6,000 people), and also confirmed they'd be back around in the fall to play Parasomnia straight through in it's entirety - "the way it was intended to be played" as he put it. The 2 new tracks kicked ass live, so definitely looking forward to that. Overall a great night, and you could tell the band was quite pleased with the crowd and their performance. 

[pg1067]

Just got back from the LA show. What an incredible night and an incredible performance.

I've seen them 13 or 14 times and this was up there with the best of them.  I was excited that we got the panic attack, midnight Messiah, dark eternal night, and under a glass moon setlist.

James really struggled with Metropolis but got much better as the night went on.  He completely nailed Octavarium.

Sound was amazing and the whole band was firing on all cylinders.

My only complaint would be that the side screens weren't on... it would have been nice to see some close ups on their playing.  Just two big dark screens on the sides was a bit weird.

Outside of that it was an amazing show.

The pre and post Hollow Years solos were incredible by Petrucci.

The riffs were really crunching all night.

Just an incredible show and I had tears running down my eyes during Spirit Carries On.

I was there as well (orchestra on the left-of-center aisle, row F), and I agree with most of the above.  I was a little worried about the crowd, but the entire pit was standing almost the entire time.  A LOT of the section around me started sitting when they got to Barstool Warrior (and the overall crowd energy went WAY down for that one).  However, no one whined for me to sit, and the energy came back up with Hollow Years, and especially UAGM.

Hollow Years had some extra lyrics that tripped me up.  Not sure what was up with that, but it was cool.

Even the songs I don't particularly care for (The Mirror, UAGM and TITL) were great live.

Not sure what was up with James on Met1.  It kinda sounded like he wasn't sure until the last second if he'd be able to hit certain notes.  Kinda like, "I'm going for it...oh no...can't do that."  But every other song sounded great.

My only real complaint was that, during solo sections, the rest of the band seemed too low in the mix.  Also, unrelated to DT, parking signage at the YTT is annoying AF.

And now...less than four weeks from RCMH!

[gzarruk]

and also confirmed they'd be back around in the fall to play Parasomnia straight through in it's entirety - "the way it was intended to be played" as he put it.

Any month estimates on when they might be touring the US again?

[SeRoX]

Hollow Years had some extra lyrics that tripped me up.  Not sure what was up with that, but it was cool.

It is intended original version that you can listen from FII Demo.

[DTiwbwMP]

Any month estimates on when they might be touring the US again?

Oct/Nov most likely

[ganpondorodf]

I like the new album a lot, but one of my favorite things about seeing a band I know well live is the excitement when they play a song I wasn't expecting, or just the general setlist anticipation. So full-album playthrough tours are not as exciting to me. The last few times I've seen BTBAM were like that, and knowing what songs you're gonna get for most, if not all, of the show removes a lot of excitement imo. YMMV, of course

[cramx3]

They are confirmed for Louder Than Life festival in Louisville September 18-21, I'd say around that time the tour could be happening.

[RaiseTheKnife]

Hollow Years had some extra lyrics that tripped me up.  Not sure what was up with that, but it was cool.

For the super nerds in the room, James actually slightly changed up the lyrics in the demo pre-chorus in the recent live version.  I was singing along in Raleigh and noticed a change, which was confirmed as I sang along last night in Los Angeles.

DEMO: "In the echoes of a tired voice, you'll hear the message getting clearer.
Maybe you'll have no choice."

LIVE: "In the echoes of a tired voice, you'll hear the message getting clearer.
Maybe you'll have a choice."

Bit of a hopeful twist.

[Sigz]

****Spoiler Alert*****

Just got back from the LA show. What an incredible night and an incredible performance.

I've seen them 13 or 14 times and this was up there with the best of them.  I was excited that we got the panic attack, midnight Messiah, dark eternal night, and under a glass moon setlist.

James really struggled with Metropolis but got much better as the night went on.  He completely nailed Octavarium.

Sound was amazing and the whole band was firing on all cylinders.

My only complaint would be that the side screens weren't on... it would have been nice to see some close ups on their playing.  Just two big dark screens on the sides was a bit weird.

Outside of that it was an amazing show.

The pre and post Hollow Years solos were incredible by Petrucci.

The riffs were really crunching all night.

Just an incredible show and I had tears running down my eyes during Spirit Carries On.

How lucky are we to have a band like DT?!!!!

I was there as well, and completely agreed. I was really worried at the start with James was struggling on Metropolis, but he found his groove quickly and nailed the rest of the show. Great show overall, was awesome to see Octavarium especially.

[Xaves]

A little less than two weeks till the Chicago show. I'm hyped because it's my first ever DT show that I'm going to see. Hoping Chicago gets the A setlist because I'd much rather hear TDEN and Midnight than AROP.

Also how much you wanna bet that I'm going to be the youngest there? At a ripe 17 years of age (I wasn't a fan until I was 15 which was when I heard I&W for the first time.)

[RaiseTheKnife]

DT M&G QUESTIONS 2025 (Part 2)

My Meet & Greet Part 1 post can be found on the Raleigh Concerts and Set Lists Thread.  Didn't see a separate thread for the Los Angeles show, and since there's already been some discussion here on that performance, I'll drop the Los Angeles Meet & Greet stuff here.  I had prepared questions and trivia for each member and they could choose whatever they preferred.  The questions were preprinted in large font and taped to the tour book photo I was asking them to sign, so everything was a streamlined process.  These exchanges were not audio recorded so any answers are presented here not as quotes but as an approximation of the band's responses.

SPOILERS!!

John Petrucci

• Question:  Will there be a tour book for the 40th anniversary tour?
• JP:  Not for the 40th anniversary, however, there should be one for the Parasomnia tour.

• Trivia:  If I give you a song's working title, can you give me the correlating actual name of the track?

                    o Creep with Tonality?
                    o Beach House Reality?
                    o Showdown?

• JP:  Wow, I don't think I remember any of these.  But you know who might know these answers is Mike.
• RTK:  I have a more difficult question for Mike.
• MP:  [Mike looks at the trivia questions and rattles off the answers].  Learning to Live, 6:00 [and after a moment of consideration] I think it's Raise the Knife?
• RTK:  Correct.
• MP:  [a subtle celebration ensues]

Mike Portnoy

• Question 1: March 6 is the anniversary of When Dream and Day Unite.  Any special plans for the Denver show?
• MP:  No.
• Question 2: Are there any Dream Theater songs that were played live over the past 15 years that surprised you?
• MP:  Yes.  Shattered Fortress surprised me.  And, of course, Space Dye Vest.

• Trivia:  Charlie Dominici once told me that a recording of his girlfriend's voice on an answering machine was used on a Dream Theater track.  Can you name the song?
• MP:  [without any hesitation] Light Fuse and Get Away.
• RTK:  100% correct.  Actually, 200% since you answered JP's questions as well.

Jordan Rudess

• Trivia: Which of these Dream Theater side projects is NOT an actual album name?

                  o Wired for Madness
                  o When Pus Comes to Shove
                  o Static Resonance
                  o Unweaving the Rainbow
                  o Suspended Animation

• JR:  I'm not sure.  What is "When Pus Comes to Shove"?
• RTK:  That's Platypus.
• JR:  Oh yeah, right.
• RTK:  [pressed for time by the organizers]  The made-up album is Static Resonance.

James Labrie

• Question:  Are there any live shows, movies or special events (or personal events) you feel you've missed out due to commitments with having a musical career?
• JLB:  Oh, I don't know.  Probably Led Zeppelin II.

John Myung

• Trivia:  John, can you name the song with your very first lyrical contribution?
• JM:  Hmm, not sure.
• RTK:  March of the Tyrant.
• JM:  [points at me, remembering]  Yes, that's it.  Have a great show tonight.

[TAC]

Thank you sharing these!

[devieira73]

Thanks, RTK, really interesting!
By the way, I didn't know JM wrote the lyrics for March the Tyrant! Is it in the Majesty Official Bootleg?  I can't remember that in the liner notes. Is there any site that lists DT demo songs and who wrote their lyrics?