After taking a two months break to listen to some other GREAT albums released this year, plus a couple of discog dives, I've spun The Astonishing last night and again tonight.
This album is an amazing journey. And again, bravo James!
Interesting. I am in almost exactly the same spot, except that my break from the album wasn't quite two months. But otherwise, yeah, exactly that. I can't say I am tired of the album at all, but there has just been other new stuff to check out that I was listening to a lot more. And then I recently came back to this one and feel the same way you do about it.
I think that "Chosen" should definitely be played again on future tours. A really fun song on the album, but perfect for a live setting.
Yeah, it's a great song. The problem I think they often run into with their "ballads" is that there is only so much room in a set to slow things down and play ballady-type songs, so it is not easy to work in many of the older ones unless the band or fanbase feels that there is truly something "special" about them. I fear that Chosen may likely fall by the wayside in the future because of that.
It will be interesting to see how this album will be represented on future tours. Will two smaller pieces be paired like War/Test? There are plenty of standalone songs, Gift Of Music, Ravenskill, Chosen, Our New World..
I think that if they do more of a "traditional" set later in the tour that features a healthy dose of this album with some other DT songs mixed in, it is likely they will choose a collection of songs that is similar to what was on the advance press sampler. I've posted that track listing, but just so you guys don't have to search for it, I think it was:
-Descent of the NOMACS
-Dytopian Overture
-The Gift of Music
-Lord Nafaryus
-A Savior In the Square/When Your Time Has Come
-Chosen
-Moment of Betrayal
-The Path That Divides
-Our New World
I could easily see them doing those songs as part of their set later on this tour, either with groups of songs sprinkled throughout the set or all together as a "suite." I might also bet that The Astonishing would likely be added and done at the end of the set as a closer (and maybe they take out The Path That Divides if they need space).
As far as future tours, who knows? This band is so hard to predict in terms of what they play because, historically, if you look at their set lists over time, they play pretty much EVERYTHING. There isn't really a pattern of them choosing certain favorites over and over and ignoring deep cuts (other than limiting ballad time). Our New World seems very likely to make repeat appearances. But I think a LOT of the album could easily show up over the years, especially since the songs are so (relatively) short and, therefore, easy to work into a set list.