Oh yeah, I'd seen them play "The Mirror/Lie" 2 years earlier at Hammersmith, and it brought the house down. It's always been one of my favourite DT songs. But if you look at the other setlists from the ProgNation 09 European tour, Wembley got short-changed that night. This was also the last time I saw them with Portnoy, so IMO the break did them good.
If it's any consolation, Manchester of the same leg wasn't amazing, either. Some good songs, but:
1. A Nightmare to Remember
2. A Rite of Passage
3. Keyboard Solo
4. Sacrificed Sons
5. Wither
6. The Dance of Eternity
7. One Last Time
8. The Spirit Carries On
9. In the Name of God
Encore:
10. The Count of Tuscany
I mean, I enjoyed the gig. However - The Count of Tuscany, while a great song, is a rubbish encore. Three minutes to get going, about three minutes of spacey floydy stuff in the middle... by the time the "whoaaaaas" arrive, not only is the audience tired out from the rest of the gig anyway, but they've had the chance to space out, too. And the correct response to a band playing The Dance of Eternity, while impressive, is to stand there and shrug. Clap after the ragtime section, but mostly shrug. One Last Time - nice song, not amazing, and it's certainly not a live song. And The Spirit Carries On is played at every gig. Nice, but it's probably been played more than Pull Me Under over the last seven years.
Sacrificed Sons was good! And In the Name of God. Religious zealots took a fucking pasting at that gig. And though it was predictable, I liked getting all the live songs from Black Clouds & Silver Linings. In the Name of God was the only real "moment" of the night, though. That ain't grand.
I preferred the gigs before Black Clouds came out. I think they were up there alongside the Dramatic Turn tour and the 20th Anniversary Tour as some of the best setlists. I was at Leeds, and I think it's the best gig I've been to bar none:
1. In the Presence of Enemies pt. 1
2. Beyond This Life
3. Misunderstood
4. A Rite of Passage
5. Hollow Years (extended)
6. Caught in a Web
7. Forsaken
8. Erotomania /
9. Voices
10. Solitary Shell (extended)
11. Constant Motion
12. As I Am
Encore:
13. Metropolis Pt. 1 (extended) /
14. Learning to Live /
15. A Change of Seasons
How cool is that?! What a mix - what a balance! And I've still never been able to find a bootleg. Disappointing!