I drove back to Portland last night after the show and could only get 3 hours of sleep, so I'm a little disoriented, but here are some of my reactions.
-This was my first time at the Moore Theater and I was really impressed; it's a very cheerful and elegant place.
-Despite an enthusiastic performance and a good ability to work the crowd, I just could not get into Trivium.
-In between sets, I talked to the couple sitting next to me, and we discussed Queensryche, Saigon Kick, Duran Duran, Stryper, Savatage, and Depeche Mode, so that was very awesome, especially considering how I've never had much luck in meeting people who share my musical tastes.
-I enjoyed the animated intro, but I was missing the theme from Psycho!
-I resisted the urges to check out the setlists from the previous shows so I had absolutely no idea what to expect. So I became ecstatic when I heard the opening to Bridges in the Sky. I was really hoping to hear that one last night.
-Mike Mangini definitely won everybody over last night--holy shit, that guy is incredible!!
-My favorite part of the night was probably Beneath the Surface. I think that's one of the most gorgeous and emotional pieces in their career (along with Far from Heaven), and I am hoping it will be a crowd favorite in future years--it would give me chills to hear that with the whole audience singing along.
-I was in the balcony and I wish people up there had been a tad more energetic. I thought for sure once Fatal Tragedy began, everybody would stand up and go crazy, but no, they were stuck to their chairs for most of the night.
-The Great Debate is a spectacular song but I've always found it to be a bit of a mood-killer live. Maybe that's just because the entire Six Degrees album is unbelievably depressing in my opinion (I still love it though of course).
-I'm sure I say this after every time I see them, but I think this is the best James has ever sounded
-I was also very happy to hear Outcry, Endless Sacrifice, The Silent Man, and Under a Glass Moon.
-I was positively giddy after the show, walking around downtown on a beautiful autumn night, seeing Dream Theater, Queensryche, and Rush shirts everywhere!