DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site

Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: TL on April 18, 2010, 10:56:15 PM

Title: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: TL on April 18, 2010, 10:56:15 PM
As the thread title suggests, this is a place for discussing how the music of Dream Theater has effected your life.

I first discovered the band in the fall of 2004, when a friend of mine showed me the Metropolis 2000 DVD. Until that point in my life, I'd been searching for something musically, but I had no idea what. By the end of Overture 1928 / Strange Deja Vu, I knew that I had found what I had been looking for. Music has always had a very deep significance for me, so to find such an incredible band was an amazing, almost spiritual moment for me. To this day, they're still my favorite band, and I have their music to thank for really introducing me to the progressive genre. It helped me realize that there is music (and later, film) beyond the mainstream, that is truly incredible. It sent me on a journey of self discovery, which has allowed me to be more artistically fulfilled than would ever have been possible otherwise. I already had a pretty good life before discovering DT, but their music ultimately led me in a very positive direction, and to some degree, shaped who I am today. Perhaps one of the most important things it showed me; it let me know that it's still possible for a genuine artist to realize their vision.

Aside from SFAM, an album of theirs that holds a lot of importance to me, interestingly enough, is Systematic Chaos. There are many DT albums I prefer to SC, but it came along at a time when I was experiencing many lows in my life. It, in part, helped me get past some difficult times. Sure, my favorite album now is Awake, which always puts me in an incredible mindset, but SC came along at just the right time.

This may seem sappy and overly sentimental, and it probably is, but I've always felt that music is an absolutely incredible force.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 18, 2010, 11:29:39 PM
Basically my musical life has two parts:

Pre-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory

and

Post-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Scrub206 on April 19, 2010, 12:18:28 AM
it ruined it.. i cant listen to anything else with out me being like omg they suck... like no joke.. ive been a fan for like 6 or 7 years andddd i cant  do it...
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: youngaspiring on April 19, 2010, 02:37:24 AM
When I first heard Images and Words about 6 ir 7 years ago, I thought they were decent.  In the last few years I have really gotten into them, as Scenes from a Memory was probably my favourite conceot album of all time.

They've had a big influence - I'm watching them with Maiden this summer and I'm tempted to say that I'm more stoked to hear DT than the Irons
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: hefdaddy42 on April 19, 2010, 04:48:55 AM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Zook on April 19, 2010, 07:51:04 AM
Pretty much what Hef said. Although Iron Maiden, Kamelot and Symphony X helped. Credit for my metal music discovery ultimately goes to Fozzy.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: LTE on April 19, 2010, 08:00:59 AM
Basically my musical life has two parts:

Pre-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory

and

Post-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory

I can agree with this.

Also include Pre-First-Listen-to-A-Change-of-Seasons  and Post, because those were the first two DT albums I owned and really listened to.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Space Invader on April 19, 2010, 08:05:59 AM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

Pretty much this, word for word.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Dark Master Of Sin on April 19, 2010, 08:18:11 AM
It helps me bond with my dad, and I post here.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: ZeppelinDT on April 19, 2010, 08:23:44 AM
If not for DT I'd probably have a lot more money right now.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Quadrochosis on April 19, 2010, 08:24:37 AM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

This too, if it weren't for DT I'd never have discovered bands like Transatlantic, Neal Morse, Transatlantic, OSI, The Flower Kings, or even older prog stuff like ELP, Rush, Yes, King Crimson, etc.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: YtseBitsySpider on April 19, 2010, 08:42:44 AM
I'll certainly echo the sentiments that I'm now a bit of a "musical snobb" because of them.

But at the same time...as a teenager in 1990...I was....wayward....lost....looking for meaning...angry..all of the usual thing wrapped up in teenage angst. Dream Theater was a life epiphany...it...was a "wow.....there's really more out there than what I've been given" type event.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Rafael Guerra on April 19, 2010, 09:21:42 AM
I wish I could actually have words (or images) to describe it, but the impact is so vast in so many fields and its part of my routine is such a natural way, that it would be very challenging to actually write it in a sentence. Interestingly enough, we can note something interesting here with the SC comment...When it comes to music impact on your life, It doesnt really matter if the song is too long, too technical, to "pianoish" or any of that...DT music is DT music...always. Thatīs always nice to remember :)
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: hefdaddy42 on April 19, 2010, 09:40:30 AM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

This too, if it weren't for DT I'd never have discovered bands like Transatlantic, Neal Morse, Transatlantic, OSI, The Flower Kings, or even older prog stuff like ELP, Rush, Yes, King Crimson, etc.
Transatlantic: the band so nice, he named them twice!
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: orcus116 on April 19, 2010, 09:53:33 AM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

This definitely though it was a combination of their music plus joining forums and whatnot that led me to discovering new music.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: hefdaddy42 on April 19, 2010, 10:00:16 AM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

This definitely though it was a combination of their music plus joining forums and whatnot that led me to discovering new music.
Well, me loving DT is what led me to join DT.net.  It was all downhill from there.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: emindead on April 19, 2010, 11:15:30 AM
Basically my musical life has two parts:

Pre-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory

and

Post-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: nightmare_cinema on April 19, 2010, 11:35:37 AM
Basically my musical life has two parts:

Pre-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory

and

Post-First-Listen-to-Scenes-From-A-Memory

This! Though probably not even musical life, just life. I got into them around... 6 years ago I think, when a guitar salesguy at the guitar shop I worked at told me to listen to DT. Since then my life has been consistently awesome, or at least that's how the music makes me feel.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: juice on April 19, 2010, 05:52:46 PM
I liked listening to music before but after DT i really became a music fanatic
Basically my musical life has two parts:

Pre-First-Listen-to-Score

and

Post-First-Listen-to-Score
adjusted
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: zmazar on April 19, 2010, 08:35:13 PM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

This too, if it weren't for DT I'd never have discovered bands like Transatlantic, Neal Morse, Transatlantic, OSI, The Flower Kings, or even older prog stuff like ELP, Rush, Yes, King Crimson, etc.

I completely agree with this statement.  I was always drawn to longer songs, but it wasn't until I was introduced to DT that I started finding the music I really enjoy listening to.  Learning to Live has been particularly impacted me, and I've since gotten a tattoo representing a stanza from that song.  DT will always be in my mind.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Sigz on April 19, 2010, 08:40:37 PM
They were pretty much the band that got me into metal as a whole. Opeth got into growls shortly after, but I didn't even really like metal until I got into DT.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: setrataeso on April 19, 2010, 09:08:02 PM
The biggest influence they've had on my life is that they were the gateway to most of the music I like now.  I don't know that I ever would have discovered most of the artists I now love if I weren't into DT.

Pretty much this, word for word.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Nic35 on April 19, 2010, 09:40:59 PM
Before I listened to 50 Cents. Then I discovered DT. Now I listen to progressive bands, such as The Dear Hunter, Transatlantic, Opeth, Dream Theater, etc.

That's a pretty big impact.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: Dublagent66 on April 20, 2010, 04:09:15 PM
DT has had a profound impact on my life.  The band has allowed me to enjoy wonderful music that the majority of the world's population either doesn't know about or would otherwise not appreciate.  I'm one of the few lucky ones.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: AwakeFromOctavarium on April 21, 2010, 04:35:04 AM
DT was pretty much my entrance to the world of prog. After checking out their discography(haven't checked out bootlegs since I'm quite too lazy to get 'em :|), I've joined this forum, and learned about some other cool prog bands. Symphony X and Pain of Salvation are my most favorite aside from DT. Besides, listening to DT made me completely isolated among my friends during music discussion.

And I can listen to 20+ minute epics without any pressure.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: erik16 on April 21, 2010, 11:13:55 AM
And I can listen to 20+ minute epics without any pressure.
Same here, I didn't enjoy longer songs before, now I sometimes dislike short songs. Because of DT I now think (in general) that it's impossible to tell a good musical story in less than 4 minutes.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: DarkLord_Lalinc on April 22, 2010, 09:01:22 AM
They opened my ears and my heart to new and exciting ways of listening to music, and they remain my favorite band nowadays. Ever since I discovered Dream Theater, my life has become better in many, many ways.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: lateralus88 on April 22, 2010, 10:25:47 AM
I now scare women away twice as easy when they ask what kind of music I listen to.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: antigoon on April 22, 2010, 10:56:42 AM
DT.net
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: DarkLord_Lalinc on April 22, 2010, 10:58:00 AM
DT.net
Octavarium forum.
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: toro on April 22, 2010, 01:04:41 PM
I now scare women away twice as easy when they ask what kind of music I listen to.
This, and thanks to DT i found Transatlantic :heart :tup
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: antigoon on April 22, 2010, 02:16:22 PM
DT.net
Octavarium forum.
Yeah, it made me lose faith in humanity. :neverusethis:
Title: Re: How Has DT Impacted Your Life?
Post by: nightmare_cinema on April 23, 2010, 06:43:33 AM
I feel like I'm 200% happier than before I started listening to Dream Theater. From the age of about 14 I've been really heavily into music (starting off with the typical kiddie 'alternative' bands of Linkin Park, Sum 41 etc. moving through to stuff like Muse, System of a Down, Sigur Ros and then sliding eventually into more prog about 6 years ago) but the week I got into DT was like I imagine taking heroin or something, I literally could not believe how freakin' awesome the music was, I felt like I was high all the time and my daily life was focused around when I'd be able to get back to listening to Dream Theater.

Basically it's hard to put into words without sounding like a fangirl but I've never heard anything as amazing as DT, and even though if I'd never got into it I'd never know what I was missing, I feel like my life is pretty much amazing thanks to how their music makes me feel. I love a lot of other music too so it's not like I sit and listen purely to DT all day long but man... the way I feel listening to Scenes is better than any other feeling in the world, rolled into a big ball and timesd by a trillion. So in a nutshell, I'm just really happy, and I also feel like whatever else in my life goes wrong (people leaving, dying, losing jobs, failing at everything) I'll pull through as long as I have DT and other music to listen to.

I've also met some pretty cool friends through the shared love, got into the genre of prog through DT and discovered some incredible music, and scared off a lot of people with my enthusiasm for it :P oh and had the best night of my life at the Blackburn gig with Symphony X, Portnoy throwing his drumstick to me and generally feeling like I could die happy after that evening :heart