So, even if it's 2am here, and i'm soooooo tired, i'll give you a short review
First of all, i would spend two words for Anathema: what a great band, and what a disappointment that their guitarist had to do self promotion after their gig through the crowd...
Dream Theater: Did you remember James being on stage for less of 1/3 of the show?. Did you remember his detached attitude towards the other members?. Have you ever seen James laughing that hard with JP to quite stop singing?. As far as i know your answer, let me say that now is the opposite.
They've done mistakes. Pretending they won't is something that goes behind ridiculousness. Mangini had some troubles right before UAGM's solo, and here and there he've lost tempo, and JR helped him a lot by clapping his hand on thigh. Petrucci lost sound during OTBOA, and Rudess during The Great Debate, if i'm not wrong (but i bet i am). To me, as opposite of what some italians fan are saying in Fb pages, James sound amazing. I would like to re-watch right now LTL to know if i imagined what i've heard: to me, he sounded almost perfect. Far better from what i've heard from Rome. It seems like Rome and, but we knew that, this tour really serve to getting into shape for the world tour.
But if this is their shape now, i can't even think of what they could do in a couple of months. What an energetic show, Petrucci had a great sound, a JMX too: maybe someone told the band that in Rome MM was too loud and JR too low, 'cause they've clearly exchenged the situation, JR was too loud and MM too low. The Great Debate live is phenomenal, hope you'll have the chance to see it.
About Mike Magini: my father said "they've lost sound". As said by my father,who's a non-musician, i can really understand what he meant. Even if Portnoy in last tours used to do basically always the same things, his mix was loud and aggressive. His focus wasn't to have a sound, but to make noise, and hitting that kit hard. But he made it in the right spots, 'cause he knew perfectly the songs. If i think of things that made DT more popular in the last couple of years, despite IMHO less quality, i'll think about guitar sound and loud drumming.
To me, Magini drumming sounds incredible, but it goes more in a musical direction. And i like it, but i can understand why people may would noticed more than i've done MP absence. I think time will give MM enough confidence to give aggressivness to his sound instead of being scared to make mistaks.
Apart from that, when at the end of the show we screamd MANGINI MANGINI MANGINI he freaked out jumping and clapping and smiling as a happy little boy. I felt so happy for him that you can't even imagine.
About James laughing hard with JP, it happend during TCOT, when lines say "i want to say goodbye, this could be the last time you see me alive" and JP made an hello hand to him... It was hilarious!.
In the end, i really enjoyed the show, i think they're in a really great shape, and i can't wait to ADTOE to come out and to see them again ASAP.
p.s. we got the new camel....