DreamTheaterForums.org Dream Theater Fan Site
Dream Theater => Concerts and Set Lists => Topic started by: wasteland on November 03, 2012, 05:08:44 AM
-
Simple, sharp and clean. Rate the latest DT tour.
I gave it a 9. Would have been 10 had the setlist enjoyed a more thorough rotation and had the shows been "Evening Withs".
Still, I can't really give anything less than 9, as the performance, the stage production and the batch of song played were extremely satisfactory to me. I heard of some acoustic issues here and there, but from what I understood it was mainly due to the Venue's staff or its architectural limitation (Long Island). So, a full 9, placing this tour right behind the epic ToT tour and tied with IAW's and SDOIT's cycles. :tup
Speak your opinion! :)
Note: I've made that you can change your vote once it's cast.
-
I'd say 9 for the non-variant setlists. Otherwise? STELLAR.
-
8 for the non-variant setlists and because of JR's ridiculous hydraulic stand.
-
8 for the non-variant setlists and because of JR's ridiculous hydraulic stand.
I might change my vote to 8 then, based on JP's awful shirts on the last leg, I MEAN WHAT'S UP WITH THAT JP.
-
8 for the non-variant setlists and because of JR's ridiculous hydraulic stand.
I might change my vote to 8 then, based on JP's awful shirts on the last leg, I MEAN WHAT'S UP WITH THAT JP.
Sush (https://i635.photobucket.com/albums/uu78/jimnic1-photos/smilies/emoticon_tongue.gif)
There was nothing wrong with JR hydraulic stand (cool addition), and only something sliiiiighly wrong with JP's attire.
-
9, that was my first show and I have nothing to compare it to. The only thing I would have changed would have been a bigger encore. I think two songs would have blown my mind.
Still a great show though, the setlist, the overall vibe of the show, the band, and the fans all made it a very memorable experience.
-
I'd give it a 9, as well. Great setlists, despite the lack of rotation that we're used to. They played for 2+ hours at most shows. And their live show was the best I think it ever has been.
-
8 for the non-variant setlists and because of JR's ridiculous hydraulic stand.
I might change my vote to 8 then, based on JP's awful shirts on the last leg, I MEAN WHAT'S UP WITH THAT JP.
I agree with you on the shirts, I might have to lower my vote down to 7
-
The show I saw in Boston on 7/16/12 might have been the best performance that I have ever seen from the band.
-
Based on the YouTube vids, the 2012 East Coast shows were the ones to be at.
-
Saw them twice on this tour and I had a fantastic time at both concerts, not being disappointed in absolutely anything. I don't see a reason to give it less than a 10. :smiley:
-
Saw them twice on this tour and I had a fantastic time at both concerts, not being disappointed in absolutely anything. I don't see a reason to give it less than a 10. :smiley:
Hooray! Fezen and Budapest?
-
Seriously though, seeing such high ratings from usually-spoiled Dream Theater fans (take that as a compliment, I know I'm always proud to say that)... yeah, I'll be there next time and I hope their game will be on the same level. Couldn't settle for anything less than that, they're my favorite band.
-
I give this an 8. A slightly longer show would be nice, skip the opening act (oh, go to hell Periphery-fans...) and vary the setlists a bit more. I saw two shows with one inbetween and got to see the exact same show twice except for the encore..
-
I'm bummed I didn't see them this tour, but I'll try to remedy that with the next one.
-
I'm bummed I didn't see them this tour, but I'll try to remedy that with the next one.
This. But judging by the setlists, videos and gig reports it seems that the tour was pretty awesome - I'm looking forward to the DVD! :metal
-
For me, had I have seen one show I would give them a 10.
Having seen multiple shows on each US leg, I would say that the early shows had some real enthusiasm. As each leg wore on. the performances got more stale and sterile. On the last US leg (summer 2012) I had tickets to multiple shows, and ended up not going to most of them. I didn't see any emotion on stage or that DT fire. On listening back to many of the shows from the last leg, the musical performances were still on par. The problem for me is that LA sounded like Philly which sounded like Boston which sounded like San Antonio. My favorite band became very boring.
-
Gave it a 9 for the non-varied sets and lack of evening with formats. But wow, what a great show these guys can play. Has me excited about their future. I truly feel the best is yet to come for them now, especially now that they're making arguably better music than they have in almost ten years.
-
Saw them twice on this tour and I had a fantastic time at both concerts, not being disappointed in absolutely anything. I don't see a reason to give it less than a 10. :smiley:
Hooray! Fezen and Budapest?
Yep, nice to see you recall correctly. :tup
-
I'd give it a 9 or a 10 for the sole reason that, other than the fact these setlists probably included less songs than an Evening With set, each of these sets are among, if not the, most enjoyable DT sets for me yet. I can't complain about the rotation because while they barely rotated songs between each show, the overall amount of songs represented in the entire tour, mostly thanks to differing sets between legs, was massive, and featured lots of all-time classics that I was extremely happy to see once again after many years of freakin' Pull Me Under and As I Am (both of these were played in the last tour, but not in every single goddamn show...).
-
8, because the setlists were a bit too predictable, but still awesome. However MM improved the sets with drum solos. Still can't wait to refresh memories from the Düsseldorf concert by watching the new DVD...... soon, soon..... :-\
-
I went for an 8. Loved the production and performance, but I missed having a little bit of rotation in the sets.
-
9. The rotating set-lists would be nice to bring back and I am a bit afraid that they might not be back here in Minnesota after the last show. We were all into it, those of us there, but the seating info I saw the day after the concert said there were a 1,000 open seats
-
For me, had I have seen one show I would give them a 10.
Having seen multiple shows on each US leg, I would say that the early shows had some real enthusiasm. As each leg wore on. the performances got more stale and sterile. On the last US leg (summer 2012) I had tickets to multiple shows, and ended up not going to most of them. I didn't see any emotion on stage or that DT fire. On listening back to many of the shows from the last leg, the musical performances were still on par. The problem for me is that LA sounded like Philly which sounded like Boston which sounded like San Antonio. My favorite band became very boring.
Very similar thoughts. I caught five shows, and four of them were identical and average. Not bad, but nothing special. Sterile is an excellent way to put it. The last show (Dallas, second leg) really knocked me on my ass. First time I've ever seen them really give a shit about playing Dallas. So overall I give it a 4. Considering one great show out of five, a 2 might have been more appropriate, but that Dallas show really was good.
Looks like I have the low score as of right now.
-
Wait, by rating the tour with 4 you are saying that it was "insufficient, outright disappointing". Is this, in all fairness, what you think? I get what you and bobs said, but the rating you gave as a result of that baffles me a bit.
-
Too put it simple: I've seen them 4 times and this tour was the best so far. Both sound, visuals and presence were generally better than previous tours! :tup
So it's a 9 from me!
-
Wait, by rating the tour with 4 you are saying that it was "insufficient, outright disappointing". Is this, in all fairness, what you think? I get what you and bobs said, but the rating you gave as a result of that baffles me a bit.
Where did "insufficient, outright disappointing" come from? As for my rating, I certainly would consider 4 mediocre nights and 1 great one to be a disappointment. Particularly because of the very high regard I held their live act in formerly.
-
Wait, by rating the tour with 4 you are saying that it was "insufficient, outright disappointing". Is this, in all fairness, what you think? I get what you and bobs said, but the rating you gave as a result of that baffles me a bit.
Where did "insufficient, outright disappointing" come from? As for my rating, I certainly would consider 4 mediocre nights and 1 great one to be a disappointment. Particularly because of the very high regard I held their live act in formerly.
Where I live, every school performance until University is evaluated with a 1 to 10 scale. 4 is "Insufficient, not goot at all. Fail grade". So, that's the way I have always interpreted a 4.
-
Figured it was something like that. Based on our Yank school grades, I'd give them a C-. You can't fail them, they are DT after all, but this was not a particular satisfactory tour, either.
-
I'm curious to see if those who attended the european shows agree with those complains. I am brought to believe by some supposition that they won't.
-
I'm curious to see if those who attended the european shows agree with those complains. I am brought to believe by some supposition that they won't.
My experience from the last time this came up is that very few people from anywhere shared my complaints. The fact that the two people in this thread that weren't impressed are both yanks (at least I think Bob is) is more a function of percentage of forummers who got to see them this go around than quality of shows or fans.
-
I'm curious to see if those who attended the european shows agree with those complains. I am brought to believe by some supposition that they won't.
I did enjoy the London show in February 2012 (and preferred the setlist), but I have to say the three summer 2011 shows I saw (which included a headlining slot at High Voltage) had much more energy and were generally more fun.
-
Well, it could have been just my show, but I have rarely seen the band so happy and active on stage as they were in Milan (and I have seen a lot of their concerts on film).
-
I vote 10. I saw them twice (once in Mexico City and once in LA), and well I did get different sets; audio-wise both shows sounded better than ever (I'm an Audio Engineering student so normally I get picky with that stuff), the production looked really professional (compared to Systematic Chaos and Black Clouds, where I thought the ants and the silver drops in the sides of the stage looked lame-ish :lol ) and the band was more motivated than past times I saw the band live.
-
I gave 7.
-1 because the lack of rotation.
-1 because needless JR's long solos with his toys.
-1 because they didn't come to Turkey this year.
-
I gave 7.
-1 because the lack of rotation.
-1 because needless JR's long solos with his toys.
-1 because they didn't come to Turkey this year.
The only two solos of JR were the one before Surrounded (just piano) and the one at the end of TDEN (not longer than in the studio, and significantly better). None was unnecessary for me.
-
I think we knew that when MP left, there would be the possibility of a sterile (same) setlist. And it could potentially be a problem if you attended multiple shows, or collected bootlegs. And trust me, I certainly understand that.
But as a fan that only sees DT when they come to Boston, at the end of the day, I don't give a shit what they played in Philly or New York. In fact, we've been pretty lucky as far as past setlists go in Boston, because even when MP was putting the setlists together, all setlists were NOT created equal. I would be bummed if another city got a song I really liked but it was omitted from my set. Still the rotating setlists were certainly a romantic feature of following DT.
Admittedly, I missed two of the best tours ('02 & '04), '04, arguably being the band's live peak, with a Zepplinesque qaulity about the shows. But other than that, I've been seeing DT since '92 and this tour was as strong performance wise, as well as audience engaging as I've ever seen.
I sat in the front row dead center for the BC&SL show in Boston and I don't think JP smiled once..ONCE! I sat and saw the show before Score was recorded and the band couldn't have looked less interested in playing the show, especially the onstage bickering between MP and JLB during the first set.
Ironically, the most happy the MP era lineup seemed was the Worcester show on the summer of 2010. Shit, even JM was visibly into it, of course they were feeding off a MONSTER of a crowd!
Still, the two stops in Boston one the ADTOE tour featured competely different setlists save for BITS, OTBOA, and BAI.
And think of the songs that made the "master" setlist for the entire cycle.
I didn't expect TDEN. I didn't expect 6:00. I didn't expect TROAE. TCOT??
Busting out things like These Walls (which I did expect) and Ytsejam to follow the drum solo..brilliant.
I still think the band could some day miss the sponteniety of MP's performances, but I think that's still a ways away. The band just seems in a good place now.
I am actully expecting an incredible album and tour in 13-'14. Better than '04? I consider DT's '04 tour to be one of the best by ANY band. DT, as they were with MP, were never going to replicate that anyway. That's just my opinion.
But anyway, sorry for the rambling. As I stated earlier in the thread:
The show I saw in Boston on 7/16/12 might have been the best performance that I have ever seen from the band.
-
It wasn't rambling, it was a very nice read :)
-
These are holy words Tim, holy words. I agree on every single point you made. And the girl up there above me, I have turned her on the amazing bootleg you just quoted as the best performance. Indeed it is, one of the best of this tour and by far the best to be recorded.
-
Thanks. I would also add that Dream Theater is my favorite band because of a lot of the things MP brought to the table: rotating setlists, fan club gifts, covers.. just tons of extras. But my number one reason was actually watching Mike Portnoy perform. So I knew I was going to miss him and what he did.
Some things worked (Surrounded '07) and some didn't (Solitary Shell '09), but I'll say this. That bit that JP and JR did before TSCO on this last leg kicks all of their asses! So perhaps that "spirit" IS safe within the band.
-
Thanks. I would also add that Dream Theater is my favorite band because of a lot of the things MP brought to the table: rotating setlists, fan club gifts, covers.. just tons of extras. But my number one reason was actually watching Mike Portnoy perform. So I knew I was going to miss him and what he did.
Some things worked (Surrounded '07) and some didn't (Solitary Shell '09), but I'll say this. That bit that JP and JR did before TSCO on this last leg kicks all of their asses! So perhaps that "spirit" IS safe within the band.
It surely is! The spirit of the band resides in whoever will play for it, for the dream. :tup
And also, you must be the first to think the same way I do, concerning what's in the bold statement.
-
As far as Surrounded '07, I could definitely do without the Sugar Mice thing at the end. Really drags it out. But the intro is terrific, and the extended guitar/keyboard solo is incredible. Actually prefer it to the original.
-
I wouldn't go that far (Surrounded as it is and as it was played in the late 2012 tour - South America, and you will see why when the DVD comes out - is now a top 10 song), but the song definitely worked. :)
-
I sat and saw the show before Score was recorded and the band couldn't have looked less interested in playing the show, especially the onstage bickering between MP and JLB during the first set.
What was this about, do you know?
-
But anyway, sorry for the rambling. As I stated earlier in the thread:
The show I saw in Boston on 7/16/12 might have been the best performance that I have ever seen from the band.
Ironically, I would very likely say the same thing about the last Dallas show. However, since the question was about the tour, and not a specific show here or there, I have to look at it from a different perspective from you. Honestly, you probably have the better idea only seeing one show per tour, which is what my plan forward is. If I'd only seen one show, I'd probably rate it a 9. But I didn't and based on all of them I stand behind my 4 for the tour.
It occurs to me that from the perspective of il Signore Wasteland, or the lovely lady from Serbia, I probably sound like a real ass. They get to see them infreqently, at best, and I'm bitching about making the mistake of seeing them 5 times on a tour. :lol
-
It occurs to me that from the perspective of il Signore Wasteland, or the lovely lady from Serbia, I probably sound like a real ass. They get to see them infreqently, at best, and I'm bitching about making the mistake of seeing them 5 times on a tour. :lol
You'd better drop the final "e", as Signore followed by the name means Lord instead of Mr. :rollin
But nevermind about the rest, if I had the chance I would see them five times on a tour, maybe more! It's just that i live in a pretty isolated place, so I make do by listening tens of bootlegs per tour :D
-
But anyway, sorry for the rambling. As I stated earlier in the thread:
The show I saw in Boston on 7/16/12 might have been the best performance that I have ever seen from the band.
Ironically, I would very likely say the same thing about the last Dallas show. However, since the question was about the tour, and not a specific show here or there, I have to look at it from a different perspective from you. Honestly, you probably have the better idea only seeing one show per tour, which is what my plan forward is. If I'd only seen one show, I'd probably rate it a 9. But I didn't and based on all of them I stand behind my 4 for the tour.
It occurs to me that from the perspective of il Signore Wasteland, or the lovely lady from Serbia, I probably sound like a real ass. They get to see them infreqently, at best, and I'm bitching about making the mistake of seeing them 5 times on a tour. :lol
Yeah Bart, I get that. But just the fact that you, who's seen DT countless times, rated the show a 9, Bob, who's been to an ungodly number of shows rated his a 10, and me, who's experience goes back to the Ritz, rated it an 11 goes to show that this band was successful in what they wanted to achieve: to put forth the best show they can every night!
MP had a great vision for his band. He created an almost Grateful Dead like experience for some of the fans. Unfortunately, like I said, that experience was going to be a casualty post MP.
-
It occurs to me that from the perspective of il Signore Wasteland, or the lovely lady from Serbia, I probably sound like a real ass. They get to see them infreqently never, at best, and I'm bitching about making the mistake of seeing them 5 times on a tour. :lol
Fixed it for me :D
To quote myself from a previous thread on a similar issue:
Not to take away from your ongoing argument, but all I see here is a bunch of people privileged enough to see DT multiple times in one tour for several tours in a row.
Don't want to be a gloom cookie for living in the middle of nowhere, nor say people should be happy with whatever they get, just making an observation that, while the OP thinks MP fanboys/"plebeians" are obviously biased, bringing this up for discussion on a forum where most people aren't your regular DT fans either, but something completely different, won't be fruitful.
However, I completely understand your argument and rating, and you don't sound like an ass at all. DT knows they have fans who adored the rotating setlists and they knew they'd be taking a risk when dropping them.
-
I sat and saw the show before Score was recorded and the band couldn't have looked less interested in playing the show, especially the onstage bickering between MP and JLB during the first set.
What was this about, do you know?
They were at the end of a massive leg, playing massive sets(almost as intense as ToT) IIRC that was the third night(originally planned to be 4) in a row and they were wiped. JP was getting sick, JLB was just dead. The next day they had rehearsal with the orchestra down in NYC. I had seen the previous 6 or 7 shows in preparation for RCMH. Just the travel was brutal, let alone those guys doing 3+ hour shows. I don't know how they pulled it off. In answer to the question, they were running on fumes at that point.
-
But anyway, sorry for the rambling. As I stated earlier in the thread:
The show I saw in Boston on 7/16/12 might have been the best performance that I have ever seen from the band.
Ironically, I would very likely say the same thing about the last Dallas show. However, since the question was about the tour, and not a specific show here or there, I have to look at it from a different perspective from you. Honestly, you probably have the better idea only seeing one show per tour, which is what my plan forward is. If I'd only seen one show, I'd probably rate it a 9. But I didn't and based on all of them I stand behind my 4 for the tour.
It occurs to me that from the perspective of il Signore Wasteland, or the lovely lady from Serbia, I probably sound like a real ass. They get to see them infreqently, at best, and I'm bitching about making the mistake of seeing them 5 times on a tour. :lol
Yeah Bart, I get that. But just the fact that you, who's seen DT countless times, rated the show a 9, Bob, who's been to an ungodly number of shows rated his a 10, and me, who's experience goes back to the Ritz, rated it an 11 goes to show that this band was successful in what they wanted to achieve: to put forth the best show they can every night!
What it tells me is that they're capable of going out and really slaying, however, they've pigeonholed themselves into a situation where it takes extraordinary effort. By standardizing each show to the extent that they have, the only way for one show to really exceed another is by putting out 110%, which they're clearly not capable of doing each and every night. The result is that you get a lot of ordinary shows with the occasional monster thrown in. Great if you're in a city that gets the monster. Not so much otherwise.
-
I sat and saw the show before Score was recorded and the band couldn't have looked less interested in playing the show, especially the onstage bickering between MP and JLB during the first set.
What was this about, do you know?
They were at the end of a massive leg, playing massive sets(almost as intense as ToT) IIRC that was the third night(originally planned to be 4) in a row and they were wiped. JP was getting sick, JLB was just dead. The next day they had rehearsal with the orchestra down in NYC. I had seen the previous 6 or 7 shows in preparation for RCMH. Just the travel was brutal, let alone those guys doing 3+ hour shows. I don't know how they pulled it off. In answer to the question, they were running on fumes at that point.
Yes Bob that was clear. I cannot tell you how bad James looked that night. He looked so sick and frail. My wife mentioned how unhealthy he looked.
Also MP was pissed off at something the entire first set. I know they were having sound issues and his microphone was not working properly. He was barking at Eric and James.
When they came out for the second set, things seemed much more settled down. It was the third straight night, and I had always worried that the show would be cancelled, especially after the Detroit cancellation.
But in the end, my respect for them went way up. They gutted out that performance, ESPECIALLY James.
When I listen back to that show, I can't believe how good he sounded.
-
I sat and saw the show before Score was recorded and the band couldn't have looked less interested in playing the show, especially the onstage bickering between MP and JLB during the first set.
What was this about, do you know?
They were at the end of a massive leg, playing massive sets(almost as intense as ToT) IIRC that was the third night(originally planned to be 4) in a row and they were wiped. JP was getting sick, JLB was just dead. The next day they had rehearsal with the orchestra down in NYC. I had seen the previous 6 or 7 shows in preparation for RCMH. Just the travel was brutal, let alone those guys doing 3+ hour shows. I don't know how they pulled it off. In answer to the question, they were running on fumes at that point.
Yes Bob that was clear. I cannot tell you how bad James looked that night. He looked so sick and frail. My wife mentioned how unhealthy he looked.
Also MP was pissed off at something the entire first set. I know they were having sound issues and his microphone was not working properly. He was barking at Eric and James.
When they came out for the second set, things seemed much more settled down. It was the third straight night, and I had always worried that the show would be cancelled, especially after the Detroit cancellation.
But in the end, my respect for them went way up. They gutted out that performance, ESPECIALLY James.
When I listen back to that show, I can't believe how good he sounded.
James does look sick-ish in the Score docu, his nose is all red, and JP looks like he's down with a cold on Score (I always thought that was the reason why he wasn't moving too much). All 'round, considering these stories... good job, Dream Theater.
-
I have the bootleg of Boston 06, and would have never guessed all those issues you are telling us now. It's very weird, James does even sound quite great on Take The Time or Learning To Live. It was also the show where they play-reharsed About To Crash, right? :)
-
Overall, I think 7 is more appropriate, although an 8 could have been suitable as well.
I saw them 4 times this tour and like someone mentioned, some of the shows were somewhat sterile.
The 1st show (the 2nd show of the ADTOE tour, in Los Angeles) was incredible. I give it a 9 mainly because of the newness of the tour and the anticipation of seeing DT for the 2nd time. The setlist was probably the best one, out of the 4 concerts I attended.
The 2nd show in Anaheim was like an 8 (some Shrek-like brute was in my way most of the time so that dampened the experience a bit). But I was 2nd row, standing, and seeing DT that close for the first time was spectacular. Possibly the 2nd best concert of the tour.
The 3rd show in Universal City was by far the weakest. I would give it a 6. I don't know if it was me or what but the band seemed kind of "off" that night. There was nothing particularly memorable in their performance but it wasn't a complete failure either. Somewhat of a sub-par show but it was great seeing them for a 4th time.
The 4th show at Anaheim the day after is probably tied for second place with the 2nd show. I'd give it an 8. Although it had the same setlist as the previous, I was front row, standing, and got to see the guys right in front of me. A somewhat predictable show but much more intense, probably because they were so damn close! I got to touch their glorious hands after the show :lol
By far, the best opening act was the Crimson ProjeKCt, although Andy McKee (?) was cool. I didn't like Trivium but what can you do? ;)
Hopefully for the next tour, it'll be "Evening With" shows with greater rotation in the setlists (which I doubt but one can hope).
Overall, the ADTOE tour was pretty solid and great.
Can't wait for the new album and a chance to see them again :metal
-
I remember seeing/reading somewhere that the guys WANT to bring back the "evening with" shows, which is totally fine with me as I've only ever seen them with opening bands.
-
-1 because needless JR's long solos with his toys.
I thought he gave those a rest on this tour. He had one solo spot and it was a piano solo, that was very nice.
-
Yes. Even though I wouldn't have minded an eigenharp or harpeji solo. (forgive the spelling mistakes I surely made)
-
I gave it a 10. I really love A Dramatic Turn of Events Tour Show!!! :heart