NEW YORK CITY March 22nd DT USA preshow (What A Day !!!!)

[Awaken]

What an amazing show, so incredible to have seen the 'in loving memory of Howard Portnoy' graphic leading into the encore and realizing what was about to happen.  Chills.  There would be no Home tonight, the room was in for another especially special evening in Radio City.  Hard to describe other than overwhelming excitement/emotion.

The setlist was exactly what I was hoping for, the CT stop got Constant motion, AROP - this one got Panic Attack, UAGM, and TDEN - but sacrificed TITL.  A little bummed about that but more than made up for it w the encore change. Also really happy to have caught it last week in CT. 

Everyone was on last night, JLB sounded great for the most part, JM was higher up in the mix to my ears compared to the CT show, JR is flawless, MP and JP looked like they were having a blast together again.  I don't have much more to say other than I have never left a DT show more ...... speechless than last night.  I had 2+ hours to just collect thoughts in the car on the way home.  My 29th show, spanning 30+ years, and they can still leave me speechless. 

This band and that venue are just special together. 

Speaking of special together - the people who make up this forum (from across the country and really the world) are really something special.  I've recently participated in some pre show meet ups and have made some really great connections.  Last nights was on another level and really set the stage for the show afterwards.  So great to connect with so many forumers and bond over the music and performances DT have provided over the past 40 years.   

Bill has mentioned it a few times in the past couple meet ups, and I'm gonna 'borrow' his words - the get togethers have become a highlight of every show for me, as well.  Really enjoyed connecting with so many of you and trading stories of past shows, travel, and music in general.

Big shout out to the forum, an awesome group of passionate fans who love to geek out on DT.    I'm looking forward to seeing the pics as my wife still can't believe I meet 'internet people' for DT shows 

[King Postwhore]

No meet up pictures?

[brakkum]

Someone has a picture of us, so I'm sure that'll get put up sometime in the next couple days or so

[nobloodyname]

I was a bit nervous heading into The Elgin. Proper introvert. And British with it I needn't have worried. Got pounced on by Paul immediately, Bill reached across the table to shake my hand and off we went! Wonderful to meet everyone I did, you were all fabulously lovely: El Barto, Skeever, Cram, Lonk, Axeman, Adami, brakkum. Amazing to see you all in 3D and get to know, just a little, the people behind the keyboards. I'd buy you all a beer any time (and I owe you two, Bill; we'll meet again, I am sure).

El Barto's rationale for whether he's reached the optimum point of, uh, relaxation for the start of a show will remain with me forever. "I just want it to be a little bit of a challenge to find my seat"

Good times. Really good times.

(Can't wait to see the photos, I think quite a few were taken!)

[cramx3]

[King Postwhore]

Nice!!

[jingle.boy]

Love it!

[pg1067]

It was FUCKING AWESOME meeting so many of you last night.  Absolute highlight of a great trip!

[Progmaniac1988]

Sorry guys, by the time I got my truck parked it was just after 6 and I went straight to RCMH because I did not want to miss out on merch again lol

I actually recognize seeing some of you guys in the pic around the venu lol

[faizoff]

Awesome to see you guys had a great time. If there's another show like this for the Parasomnia tour, I'm going to try my best to make it.

[Stadler]

That was one of the best concert experience of my life for me, and almost entirely because of the cameraderie around the day (McCartney is the only one I can think of that's close, BTW).  Not that the show itself was lesser; it wasn't. At the start you could tell it was a live show, in a good way, but they hit their stride by the second half of the first set.  Thrilled to see "Under A Glass Moon".  Bummed at missing out on "This Is The Life", but this was the fourth time crying in public at a rock show (the encore) so the trade was worth it.  Octavarium is just a work of art to me; as good as Wallingford, if not better.  Overall, I thought James delivered.  I sat directly behind Frank Solomon (manager) and had a little chat after the show.  He seemed... thrilled isn't the word, but maybe "happy + relieved" after the show?

Everyone, literally everyone, was a pleasure to meet.  I think at one point I think I asked (facetiously) if we could get word to the band to hold off the start for another half hour or so! 

Sincerely, a wonderful time and I'm thankful to everyone that I could be a part of it.

[MirrorMask]

Did you manage to see This is the Life at another show or you attended the only date of the tour where they didn't play it? 

[Stadler]

Did you manage to see This is the Life at another show or you attended the only date of the tour where they didn't play it? 

No, saw it in Wallingford, CT, and it delivered on every bit of it's promise for me.

I'm a pretty happy fan right now; as I said in the other thread, the setlist is almost secondary for me on this tour, but I did get to see every song I really WANTED to see, so I'm grateful.  Mike did his homework!

[Chino]

I'm feeling a bit bummed I didn't catch the Radio City show. I would have loved to have seen TBOT. I went back and forth on whether to do that show or Philly, in addition to CT. In the end, Philly didn't require a hotel room (knew someone in the city) or a day off from work the next day.

[nobloodyname]

I arrived home about four hours ago. Almost feels like none of it actually happened or, if it did, it was in a parallel universe. Perception of time can be a weird old thing 

I'm a little sad I didn't take any of my own photos during the meet-ups. Always next time!

[jasc15]

Bummed I missed the meetup, but plans changed after I intended to go.  Sounds like it was a good one.  I think I saw Barto inside, but didn't want to assume the first ZZ top beard I saw was him 

[hefdaddy42]

Man, I hate that I missed this one.

[jingle.boy]

14-member meetup.  Might be the biggest one since the last big RCMH meetup (ie, Score).  I think we had 11 or 12 in Phoenix back in '12.

[DTiwbwMP]

Any chance of putting forum and real names to these faces? Would be cool for those of us who didn't make the meet up

Personally, I can pick out Stads, NBN, Cram & DA. Looks like a fun time!

[Adami]

Highlight for me was definitely meeting all of you very cool people. And also Stadler again.

I finally read nobloodyname with the right inflection and accent. And the rest of you peeps I met were so damn cool. Makes me happy to be part of the forum.


Show itself didn't do much for me. But at this point, I just don't think I get much out of attending live shows. But I was cool seeing TBOT live for the first time.

[Skeever]

Edit: Already superceded. See below!

[Lonk]

Any chance of putting forum and real names to these faces? Would be cool for those of us who didn't make the meet up

Left to right,top: YeshaBerto, Awaken, Bakkrum, PG1067, AxeMan, NoBloodyName, Barto.
Middle: Skeever, JustJen, Stadler, coolest guy from the group.
Bottom: Cramx3, Adami & DA.

[Adami]

The enigma lady is JustJen.



Nerds.

[Lonk]

The enigma lady is JustJen.



Nerds.

Thanks! I feel like I've seen her before (through pictures, maybe?) but didn't know the name

[Progmaniac1988]

I arrived home about four hours ago. Almost feels like none of it actually happened or, if it did, it was in a parallel universe. Perception of time can be a weird old thing 

I'm a little sad I didn't take any of my own photos during the meet-ups. Always next time!

I'm pretty sure I saw you walk by a few times lol. I was trying to put my finger on why you looked familiar 😆

[DTiwbwMP]

Left to right,top: YeshaBerto, Awaken, Bakkrum, PG1067, AxeMan, NoBloodyName, Barto.
Middle: Skeever, JustJen, Stadler, coolest guy from the group.
Bottom: Cramx3, Adami & DA.

    

[jingle.boy]

The enigma lady is JustJen.

Wrong... that's VFS.

[nobloodyname]

I'm pretty sure I saw you walk by a few times lol. I was trying to put my finger on why you looked familiar 😆

Well, apparently I'm a dead ringer for the bloke in Super Tramp. Just ask Stadler 

[DTiwbwMP]

Well, apparently I'm a dead ringer for the bloke in Super Tramp. Just ask Stadler 

Bloody Well Right!

[TAC]

It's logical.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

I gotta go to one of these meetups one day. When I do another New York show, I'll be there. Looked like an awesome time!

[Stadler]

It's not my fault he does.  It's the crime of the century that you guys don't see it too.   

[DragonAttack]

Nice to be instantly recognized and so warmly welcomed at the DTF table.  Skeever, cram...good to see you both again. Stads and the instant handshake, pg, Awaken, ElBarto, Adami, etc....  Shooting the breeze about The Beatles, KISS, Queen, hockey, family, etc....while DT was generally just a side bar. 

Due to the lighting, many pix are basically silhouttes.  

With John Raeness, the DTUSA staff host.


With ElBarto and Adami
 

NYC topped the prior largest preshow gathering (our DC 2019 had over eighty attendees). Thank you all for showing up. That meant a great deal to me. As did the camaraderie.  A special night made even more special.  Thanks, DTF!!!  



And...what a joy to see 'SOLD OUT' on the marquee.

[DragonAttack]

Stuck around and heard 'Singing In The Rain' for the third time on this tour.  I stuck around for whatever was played afterwards, until an usher tapped me on the shoulder (center mezzanine, fifth row aisle seat...and much further back than Boston's mezzanine)


I slowly make my way out onto 50th Street.  Instead of walking down Sixth Avenue to 47th Street, and then over an avenue to the 'W' Hotel in Times Square, I decided to just head down 50th Street. 


After crossing Sixth Avenue, I heard my name called out (an NYC first!), and this is what greeted me.



We had a bystander take a pic of all of us.  The surfin' bird Pavlovian tradition carries on.   Hope you all had a great time and 'bearable' travels afterwards.

Those fifteen minutes were the cherry on the frosting for the evening.

 

[jingle.boy]

I'm jelly as shit