DT are not that good live.
Let me justify this, if I may. I first saw DT at a small club (800 people) in about 1993 and they blew my f*cking socks off. I've seen them play larger and larger venues in the UK until October 2005, when they played 2 nights at the Hammersmith Apollo (a 5,000 capacity theater), the second of these was the DSOTM performance. Every single time they blew me away. So far, so good.
After that, things went a bit downhill. They moved up to Wembley Arena (12,500 capacity), where they've played every tour since. And as a result, I haven't enjoyed the shows as much - this venue is just too big for DT, and they're kind of lost in it - I know they're popular, but their brand of music just isn't arena suitable, IMO. Their Wembley shows have gone downhill, partially as a result of a pretty poor show on the BC&SL tour, which has seen the rear of the venue curtained-off, and even the side tiers empty. On the last tour I think they played Silent Man and Beneath The Surface, but the shit acoustics in this cattle-shed venue mean that all I could hear was a-holes in the audience talking loudly to each other all the way thru.
All of which is fine as far as it goes. On the last few tours I've travelled to Leeds to see the band in a smaller and more suitable venue, and they've been f*cking brilliant, and I've had a great time. Next month I'm off to Wolves to see them there.
But the downside is the huge increase in ticket prices. I've got all my old ticket stubs, and they're all in the UKP30-40 bracket. Suddenly they're up to UKP60, and even UKP90 if you want a good seat. Rush put on a stonking arena show, one of the best I've ever seen, for UKP66. DT's show, both sound-wise and visually, just doesn't compare. The sound at DT shows has always been too harsh, and since they stopped rotating setlists, the setlist selection hasn't been that inspired either. The cost of travelling to Leeds - Wolves has also added to the overall cost, of course.
So for a variety of reasons, I just don't enjoy DT shows as much as I used to. Perhaps I'm just getting old.
I'm off to Wembley next month to see them, but it was a post-Xmas afterthought rather than an essential concert experience. I'm travelling to Wolves the day after to see them again. It's costing me a fortune.
I suspect these might be my last DT shows for a while. I still love the band, but seeing them live is no longer the essential it once was. DT live just ain't that good.