If you could go back in time and change on critical moment in DT's career

[TheGreatPretender]

Make them stick with David Prater.

Why? So MP would've left the band 10 years sooner? 

[j]

I don't know about "change", but I would probably travel back to after the release of 6DOIT and try to encourage the band to take more risks and experiment more with their music. I think quality aside (some people on the forum loves the more latter releases, others feel the opposite way), I still think it's safe to say that DT used to be more adventurous back in the day. I&W was the big classic, Awake did not try to replicate the same formula, and for good or bad it came out different. FII was bothered by studio interferences and it also has a unique charm of its own. Scenes From a Memory was just epic, being a concept album and all. 6DOIT had the very ambitious themes and pulling off a 42 minute song was quite epic.

I feel like they have played it very safe since then. It's not like they need to change, and I would imagine at the age they're at, it's comfortable playing to your sure bets, because you know many of the fans are along for the ride. (no pun intended) Still, there's so much talent in these guys that I would have loved seeing them do more experimental things, or at least take bigger risks. Maybe encourage them to make a Metropolis Part 3 album.

I largely agree with this, except for the last sentence.

-J

[GentlemanofDread]

I'd go back and stop ShirtGate 2014 from happening.

[Mosh]

I think that belongs in the "critical moment you would change in Portnoy's career" thread

[Stadler]

I would try to talk them out of Raw Dog.

I mean this politely and out of curiosity (because I'm sorta new here, and because the song is meaningless to me) but is that a running joke, or do you really have a stick in your craw about Raw Dog? 

[Stadler]

As much as I wish James didn't suffer that trauma, avoiding the food poisoning thing wouldn't change anything for me as to how much I enjoy their music (a lot) and how much JLB is why I enjoy it (also a lot).

For me it would be: 
- releasing FII as it was on the Ytsejam records demo version; and/or
- the band taking a year off instead of moving on without Mike.

[Zook]

I would try to talk them out of Raw Dog.

I mean this politely and out of curiosity (because I'm sorta new here, and because the song is meaningless to me) but is that a running joke, or do you really have a stick in your craw about Raw Dog? 

DO NOT QUESTION THE MODS. IF YOU HAVE ISSUES WITH ANYTHING THEY'VE SAID, YOU CAN PM THEM.




Oh wait...

[ReaPsTA]

Stop the food poisoning.

Most things happen because they have to.  What if KM stayed in the band and the personal dynamic got really bad?  What if they made another album with DS and it failed miserably, killing the band's career?

But the food poisoning added no value to the band's music and did nothing to help their career.  I'd like to see the version of the band where JLB kills it on vocals every time.

[Zook]

Yeah, people like to say everything happens for a reason. What was the reason for the food poisoning? Why did those coyotes have to be crossing the road at that exact moment? Why did Mike Portnoy cry over a t-shirt?

[ReaPsTA]

I don't mean there's some bigger design behind it.  Just that most things that appear senseless have some kind of underlying logic to them.  You want to think that KM left DT for no good reason, but when you listen to his music the artistic disconnect is pretty clear.

[TheGreatPretender]

I would try to talk them out of Raw Dog.

You know, I'm not a fan of Raw Dog, but regardless of how good or bad it is, it's barely a footnote in their career, let alone a critical moment. Heck, it wasn't even mentioned in the new edition of Lifting Shadows. 

[rumborak]

I would try to talk them out of Hugh Syme.

[KevShmev]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

I know this is dogging the question, but ACOS still would have likely existed without his mom's tragic death; it just would have had different lyrics. 

[TheGreatPretender]

A Change of Seasons didn't make me fall in love with DT, other songs did. And over time, it hasn't aged that well for me. I still think it's awesome, but the only part of it that I would truly miss would be Another World.

[dragonmaster715]

As many have said already, the food poisoning incident is high up on my list. And since I clearly have a time machine, i'd go stop at the Metropolis 2000 concert.

[Zook]

As many have said already, the food poisoning incident is high up on my list. And since I clearly have a time machine, i'd go stop at the Metropolis 2000 concert.

You do realize that just by going back in time, you risk causing that concert to cease from existence.

GREAT SCOTT!

[TheGreatPretender]

You do realize that just by going back in time, you risk causing that concert to cease from existence.

GREAT SCOTT!

This is heavy, Doc!

[Kotowboy]

Re: If you could go back in time and change on critical moment in DT's career

I'd fix that typo.

[Kotowboy]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

I'd do it to save Portnoy's mother. Removing ACOS from existence would just be a bonus.

Yes.

[MoraWintersoul]

Stop the food poisoning.

Most things happen because they have to.  What if KM stayed in the band and the personal dynamic got really bad?  What if they made another album with DS and it failed miserably, killing the band's career?

But the food poisoning added no value to the band's music and did nothing to help their career.  I'd like to see the version of the band where JLB kills it on vocals every time.

Yeah. Studio albums were always on a scale of satisfactory to holy balls it's like it never happened, but multiple live DVDs and bootlegs suffered inconsistencies that wouldn't be there without the poisoning. And obviously JLB suffered a lot over that.

And also, come on, literally no one values a song over another human being even feeling bad, let alone dying. Heck yeah I would erase ACOS as a minor consequence of MP having a long happy life alongside his mom. If I could erase Space-Dye Vest to have Kevin Moore continuously in a good mood over the DT-breakup, I totes would.

[Another_Won]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

I'd do it to save Portnoy's mother. Removing ACOS from existence would just be a bonus.

Yes.

I can't let this go without a response from more reasonable DT fans (LOL).  ACoS is epic.  Especially the way they released it.  As a EP is gives it the recognition that it deserves.  I will give everyone the opinion that they don't like it - that's fine.  I think it is their first (or one of the first) great epics.

[Zook]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

I'd do it to save Portnoy's mother. Removing ACOS from existence would just be a bonus.

Yes.

I can't let this go without a response from more reasonable DT fans (LOL).  ACoS is epic.  Especially the way they released it.  As a EP is gives it the recognition that it deserves.  I will give everyone the opinion that they don't like it - that's fine.  I think it is their first (or one of the first) great epics.

The only thing I don't like about it is the weak snare. Otherwise it's perfect.

[Rodni Demental]

Haha, I was just gonna let that one slide because there's always minorities that will dislike something. (eg. I'm not the biggest fan of SDOIT the song, first disc of the album is pure gold though). But ACOS is indeed the true DT 'epic'. Takes a while to grow on you but it builds into a masterpiece. Six Degrees kinda was quite amazing at first, but now it's a bit more of an effort to listen to as it's quite dragged out. Still no denying it was a very ambitious project and I do like it when DT attempts these sort of things. (Scenes concept, Octavarium mini concept, dare I say, ADTOE template concept ).

[wolfking]

The very first thing that came to mind was the food poisoning incident with JLB. I would prevent that for sure.

This is really the only correct answer to this thread.

[425]

Since the most popular answer has been to prevent the food poisoning incident, I've been thinking about how one would actually go about preventing that. Just imagine that you've gone back in time and you now have to find James and explain why he should not eat this particular bit of food.

"I'm a Dream Theater fan from the future, and this meal turns out to cause serious damage to your voice!"

[Grizz]

Follow JLB and torch the place.

Bring a copy of Psychosane to MP in August 2010, along with AFTR. Pray this isn't a dynamic timeline and warn of the future. Get official bootleg of first DT concert. Attend middle and high school simultaneously. Grow up feeling very out of place.

[BlobVanDam]

This thread made me think of a sadistic hypothetical:

If you could prevent Portnoy's mom from dying in that plane crash, but as a result remove A Change of Seasons from existence, would you?

I'd do it to save Portnoy's mother. Removing ACOS from existence would just be a bonus.

Yes.

I can't let this go without a response from more reasonable DT fans (LOL).  ACoS is epic.  Especially the way they released it.  As a EP is gives it the recognition that it deserves.  I will give everyone the opinion that they don't like it - that's fine.  I think it is their first (or one of the first) great epics.

The only thing that makes it stand out imo is that it was the first, but it's nowhere near one of their better ones. If hypothetically choosing between having an average DT song I never listen to, or bringing someone back to life, it would be a no brainer for me.

[manticore999]

I would erase everything after 6DOIT and  before ADTOE and forget they ever happened.   The last two albums are not in my 'favorites' list and, in fact, I haven't listened to either one in months, but they're still better than anything since 6DOIT as far as I'm concerned.

[BlobVanDam]

I would erase everything after 6DOIT and  before ADTOE and forget they ever happened.   The last two albums are not in my 'favorites' list and, in fact, I haven't listened to either one in months, but they're still better than anything since 6DOIT as far as I'm concerned.

Or you could just not listen to them and still let everyone else enjoy them? I mean, that's hardly changing "one critical moment in DT's career", that's steamrolling 1/3 of a career. The band wouldn't even still exist if they never happened.

[Sycsa]

I know this is dogging the question, but ACOS still would have likely existed without his mom's tragic death; it just would have had different lyrics.

Heck yeah I would erase ACOS as a minor consequence of MP having a long happy life alongside his mom.

It's a bit tasteless, but since we're doing this, MP's mom wasn't all that supportive of his musical career and he might not have gone to Berklee if things hadn't played out as they did. JP and JM still could have made it, but since the name came from MP's dad, 'Dream Theater' would have never existed.

[hefdaddy42]

I would try to talk them out of Raw Dog.

I mean this politely and out of curiosity (because I'm sorta new here, and because the song is meaningless to me) but is that a running joke, or do you really have a stick in your craw about Raw Dog?

I can't stand it.  I think it was an interesting opportunity for the band, and they wasted it completely.

[Scrub206]

I'd stop Portnoy from leaving. Hate me if you want but DT was beautiful with Portnoy. I would just try to stop all the internal bitching to keep them all best buddies 5ever.

[Madman Shepherd]

I would force MP and JP to rethink the lyrics to Full Circle, ANTR and CoT.  Perhaps give them to JLB to write. 

[Zook]

You do realize that just by going back in time, you risk causing that concert to cease from existence.

GREAT SCOTT!

This is heavy, Doc!

*runs in*

Sorry I'm late!

*fixes ruffled clothes*

Ok, uh uh uhhhhh WEIGHT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!

Phew! Carry on.

*leaves*

[a51502112]

I would force MP and JP to rethink the lyrics to Full Circle, ANTR and CoT.  Perhaps give them to JLB to write.

Burnomatic!