Author Topic: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA  (Read 34388 times)

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Offline 2Timer

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #70 on: October 01, 2011, 04:11:12 PM »
I think,hope it will be set list b.
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Offline ResultsMayVary

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #71 on: October 01, 2011, 05:17:37 PM »
You guys are lucky you get Periphery. I saw them a few nights ago in Columbus, OH and they were really, really good. Such a good choice to open for DT, considering their musicianship, music, personal relation to JP, etc.
« Last Edit: October 01, 2011, 07:53:39 PM by ResultsMayVary »
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Offline composure77

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #72 on: October 01, 2011, 06:41:54 PM »
I have my tickets! Row A seats 5, and 7  :heart

Offline tjanuranus

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #73 on: October 01, 2011, 11:28:54 PM »
I think,hope it will be set list b.

According to the dates, it will be setlist B! Let's hope they keep it the way it is. I am going to see Setlist A once and B twice! Can't wait.

Offline PlaysLikeMyung

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #74 on: October 07, 2011, 08:44:41 PM »
I has tickets. Nick, I'd love to get a cheesesteak with you, but my dad doesn't feel like going all over the city before the show.

Maybe an in-lobby meetup for DTF members? Do they sell beer there?

Offline OsMosis2259

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #75 on: October 08, 2011, 10:29:36 PM »
I'll be at the show and if there is some sort of meet up, I'd be down.

Offline Gemuetlich

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #76 on: October 08, 2011, 11:26:20 PM »
Same here. If there's a DTF meetup, I'm there.

Offline Rkeister

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #77 on: October 10, 2011, 06:32:20 PM »
Did anyone else get the VIP Nation, I know I'm supposed to hear approx 5 days prior and we haven't quite gotten there yet. However, I'm so nervous since I haven't gotten anything other than a receipt from my payment back in august and the whole box set debacle makesme feel uneasy. I've been looking forward to this show forever and everything just seems too good to be true.


Offline 2Timer

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #79 on: October 14, 2011, 02:07:19 PM »
Because it's on a Sunday and I'll have the time, I'll probably walk about 15 blocks in order to get a Cheesesteak from Steaks on South, located between 3rd and 4th on South Street.

Neon said Jim's Steaks are the best, and they're also on South Street. Every tried them?
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Offline OsMosis2259

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #80 on: October 14, 2011, 04:41:35 PM »
From DTs facebook
"Dream Theater
Hey Philly fans! We have extra tickets for the show Sunday at the Electric Factory! Who wants to go? Respond and we will pick a winner tomorrow!"


Electric Factory? wtf... It's at the Merriam still right??

Offline Nick

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #81 on: October 14, 2011, 06:28:58 PM »
Yeah, Marriam is still right I'm sure.

In any case I'm going to Steaks on South around 5pm, anybody can meet me there. Probably get to the venue around 6:30 or 7. Will has my number, so if anybody gets together just give me a ring and I'll find you guys.
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Offline composure77

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #82 on: October 15, 2011, 12:36:11 PM »
would love to meet all you guys but you all dont know me too well cause im kinda shy around here  :'(


Offline 2Timer

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #84 on: October 16, 2011, 09:01:10 AM »
TONIGHT!

2Timer likes this.
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Offline IMeltFaces

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #85 on: October 16, 2011, 11:04:03 AM »
This is my 3rd time seeing them. First was Prog Nation 09 and I saw them in Holmdel, NJ last year with Maiden. Tonight is going to absolutely rule  :metal

Offline OsMosis2259

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #86 on: October 16, 2011, 11:19:03 AM »
TONIGHT!

2Timer likes this.
I haven't been this pumped about a DT show in a while

Yeah same here. This is going to be my 5th DT show but something about tonight that I am really excited about.

Offline PlaysLikeMyung

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #87 on: October 16, 2011, 11:24:32 AM »
I can has lobby meetup?

Would love to finally meet Osmosis and 2Timer :P

Offline OsMosis2259

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #88 on: October 16, 2011, 12:09:47 PM »
I can has lobby meetup?

Would love to finally meet Osmosis and 2Timer :P

Sounds good. I'm taking a train down and will be there at the venue around 6:45

Offline DTFan0789

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #89 on: October 16, 2011, 12:26:24 PM »
SO FUCKING STOKED FOR TONIGHT!!!

Look for a young dude with goatee, glasses, short blonde hair, Progressive Nation '09 T-shirt, and black DT wristbands. That be me.  :metal
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Offline OsMosis2259

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #90 on: October 16, 2011, 05:20:01 PM »
Excited for the show! Im here wearin a brown striped sweatshirt at the end of row e

Offline Phoenix87x

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #91 on: October 16, 2011, 09:22:37 PM »
That show was utterly incredible, I am speechless.  :hefdaddy


Offline Peter Griffin

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #92 on: October 16, 2011, 11:13:17 PM »
Go on.

Offline DTFan0789

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #93 on: October 16, 2011, 11:40:15 PM »


I snagged a setlist!  :yarr

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Offline DTFan0789

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #94 on: October 16, 2011, 11:45:22 PM »
OK, so it's late, and I've gotta get to bed soon, but I'm going to leave you all with a few random thoughts....

First of all, the Merriam Theater is beautiful. WAY better than the Tower. I hope they play here all the time.

Anyone who says that JLB "can't sing" or that the band "needs a new singer" can suck my left nut. The Pirate was AMAZING tonight, totally bringing his A game.

I got to shake hands with Jordan and JMX.

John Petrucci was mere inches away from me. We made eye contact throughout the night.  :heart

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Offline Major Thirteenth

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #95 on: October 17, 2011, 12:09:13 AM »
Another brilliant show. My 4th one of the week. Mike Mangini's drum solo has been different every night, and in tonight's edition, he found another gear. He was utterly amazing, what can I add? Force. Of. Nature. Period.

Oh and I actually had breakfast with Mike Mangini's wife. Yes that is correct. She stayed at the same hotel as us, and I met Rena in the lobby for continental breakfast and MM's wife and sister were there so we sat down with them and enjoyed a nice breakfast. They are both really fun and have lots of great family stories. A nice way to start the day after a DT concert.

After breakfast I had to pack quickly because Albany to Philly is not a short trip. Left about 12:30 and got there around 6PM. I did stop twice to break up the trip. When I arrived in Philly at the venue I went to the catering area and JP was having a quick meal with Matty his guitar tech and another guy who is responsible for their video presentation (the rhombus screens and the whole deal). I hung out for a bit and chatted about various tour stuff. But then Misha (Periphery's guitarist/producer) came in for some dinner and I got to overhear a fantastic conversation between John and Misha that covered lots of fascinating aspects of getting the best live sound, miking amps, using effects, techniques, settings, pickups, tubes vs digital, and more. I play guitar a bit myself and am a bit of a gear slut. Yet I understood  maybe a third of what they were saying. It was a very high level recording/touring/producing conversation. Very entertaining to hear! They even negotiated a highly secret "exchange of information" (I'll show you this if you show me that). Fun stuff!

Periphery's set was very much better than Albany. I was talking to Spencer and Jake and I learned that they did not have a proper sound check in Albany. They had to correct an equipment snafu and that ate about half of their sound check in Albany. With the benefit of a proper sound check, their performance was much better. Separation was improved, Spencer's levels were much improved, overall much better sound. If you haven't heard Periphery yet, get their album. You can't judge by this concert because they are the opening act and as such only get to play through a piece of DT's PA system. I remember when DT used to sound muddy and overbearing and the only reason I liked the shows was I knew the songs anyway and my brain "filled in the spaces", as it were. It takes a lot of time, money, and expertise to get consistently good live sound. DT has resources at its disposal that dwarf the opening act.

And towards the end of the show James took a minute out of his banter with the audience to thank Periphery for opening the 2 shows, and described them as one of his favorite bands. How often does the headliner even mention the warm up? Like almost never. They will be opening the whole European leg, so obviously DT believes they are worthy. Trust me if they didn't, the opening band would be thrown under the tour bus in a New York minute. After which the bus would go into reverse to make sure the job was finished.

As far as the Philly show it was fantastic of course. Again. I can't believe the sound they are getting in these sonically poisonous cavernous theaters. Just great! Outcry and Breaking All Illusions are becoming my favorite live songs, although Beneath the Surface is utterly brilliant also. And Endless Sacrifice is kicking some major ass. But JP's solos in BAI are mesmerizing.

The room? It was packed, I'm sure it was a near sellout if not a sellout. The audience was pretty enthusiastic, especially at the front. Some of the older guys around me (Row R) were statues, but I made up for them to the best of my ability. All in all another great show. If I did not have a backlog of work, I'd head down to DC, but the mortgage has to be paid, so after a quick Poker trip to the Borgata, I will return to work on Tuesday.

I also heard that there may be some additional dates in the Spring. I don't think anything is set yet, but that would be fantastic of course. I am ready to clear my schedule again should the opportunity arise.

Also, Jordan is doing a "with friends" thing in November in New York. Only $32! Plus drinks of course. I am going to this, because Jordon amounts to a one man orchestra. And where can you get tickets to an entire orchestra, with some friends thrown in, for $32?
« Last Edit: October 18, 2011, 10:27:57 PM by Major Thirteenth »

Offline OsMosis2259

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #96 on: October 17, 2011, 12:29:00 AM »
Awesome show. I seriously got chills during the acoustic set, it was beautiful. I was pretty close to the stage to the left but couldn't see JR which was the only downfall for me. Glad to finally see Periphery live too even though it was a pretty short set. 

Awesome meeting you Nick as well. Was looking forward to seeing some other DTF members but I guess next time :)

Offline tjanuranus

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #97 on: October 17, 2011, 03:46:06 AM »
My third and final show of the week. Great show once again! I was in row M dead center. The crowd was pretty lame to me but my friend and I did our part. Yes i was the guy who screamed... "John you sing like an angel!" at the end of the silent man. Got some nice laughs and applause around me lol. Anyway the sound was much better than in morristown but nothing beats the beacon! Mangini = Greatest alive. BLOWN AWAY. The man is on another level that's not human, well kind of like the other guys in the band. Fits right in!

Offline PlaysLikeMyung

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #98 on: October 17, 2011, 05:00:15 AM »
Yes i was the guy who screamed... "John you sing like an angel!"


lol that was you?

Offline TAC

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #99 on: October 17, 2011, 05:44:20 AM »

I also heard that there may be some additional dates in the Spring. I don't think anything is set yet, but that would be fantastic of course.

Wow, that would be awesome.
would have thought the same thing but seeing the OP was TAC i immediately thought Maiden or DT related
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Offline composure77

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #100 on: October 17, 2011, 11:00:32 AM »
I was touching the stage all the way on the left, John Myung actually spoke words to me, i almost cried on the spot!

Offline tjanuranus

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #101 on: October 17, 2011, 11:14:05 AM »
Yes i was the guy who screamed... "John you sing like an angel!"


lol that was you?

Yes of course!

Offline 2Timer

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« Reply #102 on: October 17, 2011, 11:52:45 AM »
Yeah, definitely a fantastic show. Perfect setlist! I never saw TW or Forsaken, so that was cool. I love how much they represented the new album, and it was done beautifully as usual. It was my 10th time seeing them. Major 13th, I was probably 1 of those statues in front of you, we were in row P. It's hard enough on my feet just to stand on those hard floors for 2 hours, let alone scream all night like I used to. I looked for you, but I wasn't looking behind me. Figured you would be up further. PlaysLikeMyung, I didn't see your post about meeting until just now, so definitely next time, man.
All 3 of us absolutely hated Periphery, but I think most of it was the sound. Not the right venue for a band like that imo, and I think having 3 guitars really made things sound unclear. I saw lots of people leave the room and wait in the lobby for them to be done. I had to wonder if that's why they stopped so early, since I was expecting them for 45 minutes.
Overall, a great day. The only thing I would change is we wanted to find Steaks on South or Jim's Steaks, but my wife has liver issues and after 1000000 blocks we stopped and settled for Famous Steve's Steaks.  I winded how much further the other places were?
I hope they play that place again !
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Offline tjanuranus

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #103 on: October 17, 2011, 12:25:44 PM »
A note on periphery. I'm not trying to be a dick but give an honest opinion. I was hopeful for them and wanted to like them but i thought they were terrible. Three guitars all using a digital amp sounded god awful. I do not understand why people don't' use real amps live like JP and most other people do. Digital guitar does not sound good live. I've heard it many times and it always sucks. I thought the singer was really bad as well as the songs. The drummer was VERY good though.

Offline Major Thirteenth

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Re: 2011-10-16 - Merriam Theatre - Philadelphia, PA
« Reply #104 on: October 17, 2011, 12:48:22 PM »
A note on periphery. I'm not trying to be a dick but give an honest opinion. I was hopeful for them and wanted to like them but i thought they were terrible. Three guitars all using a digital amp sounded god awful. I do not understand why people don't' use real amps live like JP and most other people do. Digital guitar does not sound good live. I've heard it many times and it always sucks. I thought the singer was really bad as well as the songs. The drummer was VERY good though.

Periphery is an acquired taste, and most of those acquiring that taste are in their teens and twenties. I was at their show at the Gramercy a couple of weeks ago, which they sold out, and the fans were digging them like mad. But it's a much younger crowd than a DT concert.

I find it very interesting that once you meet the performers personally, you are so much more open to their music. I didn't know Trivium from a hole in the ground, but I met the lead singer and bassist in Morristown. They were really cool guys and were so psyched to be on this tour. So when I listened to their set I realized 2 things: Number One: I hate them. Number Two: I am going to keep listening. By the end of their set I found some things to like and I started to appreciate them a bit. If I had not met them, I would have been in the lobby looking for strangers to talk to...