When I was 17, a senior in high school in 1989 my girlfriend wanted to see Marillion who I couldn't stand. I finally agreed to go with her, and we took the train down to Manhattan from the Westchester suburbs. We got to The Ritz, and they almost didn't let us in because she was 16 ! Marillion at the time were more 'alternative', kind of like The Cure at least we thought so. Definately nothing like DT.
We eventually got it and were standing around when Dream Theater came on. This was when the original lead singer was with them, and we actually were making fun of Charlie! We thought he was the cheesiest old man we'd ever seen, lol. Ah a teenagers perspective... However, I did really like the music and was pretty blown away by the playing. I remember Petrucci very well and thought he was an incredible guitar player. By the end of their short set I was pretty into them, but I couldn't find their CD anywhere.
They barely spoke during the show at all, Mike was not the 'Mike' we know and love now, lol. He never said a word, Charlie did all the talking and it was very brief.
Unfortunatley I couldn't find their cassette or CD for another year. Finally when I was in college I found WDADU at a local record shop, this was late 1990. I bought it, and remembered why we laughed at Charlie's vocals. Honestly I probably listened to it two times, and was done because while the music was great - Charlie sucked, lol.
Two years went by and I forgot DT even existed. Then I head 'Pull Me Under' on the radio, I couldn't believe it when they said it was DT !!! I knew right away they got a new lead singer and rushed out to buy the CASSETTE of I & W !! Back then no one had CD players in their car - if you wanted to listen to music in your car it was cassette or radio, lol.
I was hooked, and have never looked back. I since bought every DT album on the day of release, and seen every single tour - technically starting with that opening gig way back in 1989. We didn't even know who the opener was that night. If you had told me 20 odd years later I would still be into them, and see them pretty much every year, and that they would be as successful as they are I would have never believed you, lol.
I now live in Phoenix, and am fortunate that they are coming here in June as BC & SL is the only tour I've never seen. Over the years there are only a handful of DT songs I haven't seen done live... I put together a list about a year ago:
(I've seen everything off WDADU, I & W, and Awake except SDV)
Space Dyed Vest
Take Away My Pain
Dissapear
Vacant
The Answer Lies Within
These Walls
Forsaken
Prophets of War
Repentance
all of BC & SL (that will change soon!)
That's it, I've seen them do every other song at some point or another!!
I can't imagine my life since 1992 without this band. Simple as that.