Just got back from the Hammerstein show in NYC and all I can say is that it was probably the best DT concert I've seen since 2004! They were simply on fire and on point! I was pleasantly surprised (shocked actually) at how phenomenal James sounded and how well he worked the crowd. This was the first time since I started seeing DT in '96 where Ican actually say they HAVE a frontman! Great job by James (aside from forgetting lyrics in Lie)
The staging was great, and while I honestly feel the videos did absolutely
NOTHING to enhance the show, I must admit the opening video was outstanding!
John M, John P and Jordan were all fantastic as always and Mangini was good, but I just don't "connect" at all with his robotic and uninspiring way of playing. People argue that N Peart is "robotic" as well, but MM is NOT NP!
The only down side of the show was the mid part of Illumination Theory where everything slows down to a crawl. The band leave the stage and for 3-4 minutes, it's "let's sap the energy completely out of the crowd" time!
The energy didn't return until the very end of the song, and exploded at the beginning of the SFAM encore.
I'd give the show a solid 9.5/10 and can't wait to witness again Monday night in Red Bank.
MVP definitely goes to JLB though. He impressed the
out of me tonight!