Songs with MP lyrics played live?

[senecadawg2]

I don't know if this has been discussed here yet, and I can't find it so I thought it was worth asking. Will Dream Theater be playing songs with MP lyrics live any time soon? Could this be a legal issue? Now granted, quite a few songs with MP lyrics are way too personal to honestly even consider playing live (Best of Times). However, quite a few other songs in which MP pegged the lyrics haven't been played live yet. I mainly ask for songs like A Change of Seasons (my favorite song of all time), the AA suite (also might fall under the 'personal' category), and the songs on Metropolis Pt. 2 SFAM: Strange Deja Vu and Home (I can't imagine these wouldn't be played live anymore, especially considering their roles in a larger concept album).

So have you guys seen any news regarding this?
Opinions?

[bosk1]

Will Dream Theater be playing songs with MP lyrics live any time soon?

Doubtful.  But not because MP wrote the lyrics--rather, simply because we have seen the two set lists for this tour, and it is unlikely we will see very many other songs (if any) rotated in.

Could this be a legal issue?

Possible, but not likely, IMO.

So have you guys seen any news regarding this?

I believe it was John Petrucci that was asked that question in an interview not long after the first few European set lists, and his response was along the lines of, "Yeah, we realized that after we picked the set list, but we weren't consciously trying to choose songs that Mike didn't write the lyrics to."  Something along those lines, if I recall correctly.

[Progmetty]

Only thing that bugs me about that is the 12-steps songs. I would love to see them live but that'll probably never happen now. Not just for the lyrics but for the awkwardness of having JP sing MP's vocals which he probably won't feel comfortable with. Same deal goes with Constant Motion.
I wonder if James will sing Mike's "Dad after day" section of A Nightmare to Remember.

[senecadawg2]

Well I just hope that EVENTUALLY, they will be able to start playing them: ACOS and the SFAM songs.

Only thing that bugs me about that is the 12-steps songs. I would love to see them live but that'll probably never happen now. Not just for the lyrics but for the awkwardness of having JP sing MP's vocals which he probably won't feel comfortable with. Same deal goes with Constant Motion.
I wonder if James will sing Mike's "Dad after day" section of A Nightmare to Remember.

Yeah, I thought it would have been really cool to eventually have the suite played live in its entirety (maybe on an official live CD/DVD release). Extremely unlikely that this will ever happen now.

[bosk1]

Only thing that bugs me about that is the 12-steps songs. I would love to see them live but that'll probably never happen now. Not just for the lyrics but for the awkwardness of having JP sing MP's vocals which he probably won't feel comfortable with. Same deal goes with Constant Motion.
I wonder if James will sing Mike's "Dad after day" section of A Nightmare to Remember.

I hear you on the 12SS.  What I had been hoping for was a "mini-12SS" where they went from The Glass Prison right into The Shattered Fortress. That, to me, is ideal because you get pretty much the best of the suite without having to spend an entire hour or so.  But, oh well.  Not meant to be.  The Glass Prison is such a crowd pleaser, and to me, the vocals don't seem to be as "signature Mike" as some others he has done.  I could see them figuring a way to work that some time down the road.  And with ANTR, I could see James doing the "day after day" section, since that was the way it was originally written and recorded before Mike added his vocals to it. 

[Another_Won]

I think that a bit of a "cool down" period might be good.  Take some time and pick some songs that aren't close to MP's heart.  To me it is respectful and pretty classey for them to do - intential or not.

After the current round of tours they should say that all bets are off and open up all songs as being possible for a setlist.  Now i might say that just a few might be too much, like best of times, but some of their classics like CoS and the AA suite cannot be off limits forvever.

[bosk1]

I think that a bit of a "cool down" period might be good.  Take some time and pick some songs that aren't close to MP's heart.  To me it is respectful and pretty classey for them to do - intential or not.

Agreed.  That was my first reaction when people first figured out that they didn't have any with his lyrics in the European shows.  They have more songs in their catalog than they could possibly play in a given show that do NOT have lyrics written by Mike, so it's pretty easy to put together set lists of solid material for quite awhile without doing any of those songs.

[Irock]

I don't know if this has been discussed here yet, and I can't find it so I thought it was worth asking. Will Dream Theater be playing songs with MP lyrics live any time soon? Could this be a legal issue? Now granted, quite a few songs with MP lyrics are way too personal to honestly even consider playing live (Best of Times). However, quite a few other songs in which MP pegged the lyrics haven't been played live yet. I mainly ask for songs like A Change of Seasons...

Uh, wasn't A Change of Seasons written about the death of Mike's mom?

[Tis BOOLsheet]

the only song i would lay off for the time being is the Best of Times. everything else is fair game. those songs belong to Dream Theater band. mike portnoy quit the band and unless there was some legal understanding, those songs belong to dream theater and they have every right to play them for the fans. they SHOULD play them for the fans. like i said, i think best of times right now would go a little too far. everything else though...

[darkshade]

I agree, there's no reason any song is off-limits except for The Best of Times. I guess the only way they'll play TSF is if they do the whole suite, which they could, though it wouldn't feel quite right without MP there and instead MM. Nothing against MM, but the suite was supposed to be played with Portnoy, and it never happened. I wouldn't be against it, but it would feel weird. I would like to at least see TGP, TROAE, or any of the first 4 songs.

I don't know about ACOS. It's one of their big epics, but the lyrics are close to MP. However, that song has been played many times already and is an older song. I don't really see a reason why they can't play this one. It has a better chance than The Best of Times of course. I say bring back Octavarium.

Anything else IMO is possible in the future.

[Mosh]

I say bring back Octavarium.

I second that.

[Chrissalix]

I think that a bit of a "cool down" period might be good.  Take some time and pick some songs that aren't close to MP's heart.  To me it is respectful and pretty classey for them to do - intential or not.

After the current round of tours they should say that all bets are off and open up all songs as being possible for a setlist.  Now i might say that just a few might be too much, like best of times, but some of their classics like CoS and the AA suite cannot be off limits forvever.

Only TGP is anywhere near classic DT out of that suite and it was never played live all that much anyway.

I agree about stuff that's not too close to MP's heart. I honestly think that out of respect for what the songs are about, DT will never play ACOS, any of the AA suite, Honor Thy Father, Constant Motion or The Best of Times ever again, at least while MP isn't a part of the band. Unless there are legal wranglings, I don't see a problem with them playing the less personal stuff (Home, Octavarium) that Portnoy wrote. There isn't much of it. Portnoy's lyrics were always very personal anyway so it's always going to be hard.

[BlobVanDam]

Only TGP is anywhere near classic DT out of that suite and it was never played live all that much anyway.

I agree about stuff that's not too close to MP's heart. I honestly think that out of respect for what the songs are about, DT will never play ACOS, any of the AA suite, Honor Thy Father, Constant Motion or The Best of Times ever again, at least while MP isn't a part of the band. Unless there are legal wranglings, I don't see a problem with them playing the less personal stuff (Home, Octavarium) that Portnoy wrote. There isn't much of it. Portnoy's lyrics were always very personal anyway so it's always going to be hard.

Even though ACOS is about a fairly personal issue to MP, I can't see them avoiding it forever. The main reason they'd avoid that is just the sheer length of it, same with Octavarium. They aren't good choices unless you're playing an Evening With show. I'd say that's the main factor for those two.

The 12SS I can't imagine them ever playing, because that's a huge chunk of time about something pretty close to MP too. I always figured the main reason they avoided Repentance and TSF live was to save it for playing the entire suite live to make it especially special. I can't imagine any of them being brought into the set again except for maybe TGP. I know it sounds weird, but to me that one feels the least personal and connected to the 12SS, being the first. I hope they bring that back into the set at some point, because it's generally much liked. But it's never been in high rotation for some reason.

I can't imagine them ever playing TBOT. That one's way too personal for MP, and it would be respectful to avoid it, plus I don't think it's not a favourite among fans.

I doubt CM will be played any time soon, because it has a lot of MP vocals and would fall flat live. And I think DT are dropping some of the really metal stuff at the moment, so HTF and CM probably not being played any time soon.

So I think regardless of lyrics, they've all got reasons they wouldn't have been played.

[?]

I'm sure they could play the SFAM songs with his lyrics at some point, as those aren't about personal topics.

[darkshade]

The Glass Prison was played on tour during the Octavarium tour (not sure about SC Tour). I don't really see a reason why it can't be played.

[namgalsipsclar]

As long as they play The Mirror again at some point then I'll be fine