When did you first listen to Dream Theater?

[The Letter M]

I don't recall the FIRST time I heard DT, but according to my Amazon.com orders, I started ordering their albums in early 2004, so I picked 2003-2004, after TOT came out.

Actually, I may have bought TOT in a brick-n-mortar store not long after it's release, thus prompting me to purchase their earlier/previous albums. That album got a LOT of play in my CD players because it's my most scratched up album! I had to buy another copy of it (which unfortunately wasn't an original pressing - it's a foreign one with a thin-paper booklet and not the rough paper used on the one I bought first, and the CD is printed glossy on the top, not flat like the original).

-Marc.

[cookienut]

Listened to LSFNY back in 2000 or 2001 - grabbed scenes studio after that and I was hooked. Scenes to this day is my favorite album by any band ever.

[contest_sanity]

Actually, I may have bought TOT in a brick-n-mortar store not long after it's release.

That's weird you got it at a brick-n-mortar store.  I looked at Home Depot and Lowes when Black Clouds came out to no avail...

But anyway - a friend played Awake for me back in 95/96.  The beginning of 6:00 is such an amazing way to begin one's DT experience.  Said friend also had WDADU and ACOS, but it was me, dutifully pursuing their past catalog, who first purchased I&W.

[LCArenas]

When Systematic Chaos got out. The first song I heard was TDEN... And I didn't like it. Then I heard Pull Me Under, Surrounded and Panic Attack... And fell in love with them  

Saludos!

[The Noob]

2006. I first listened to the entire 8VM album and loved it. I then listened to I&W and and then Awake had me hooked for good.

[Birch Boy]

Actually, I may have bought TOT in a brick-n-mortar store not long after it's release.

That's weird you got it at a brick-n-mortar store.  I looked at Home Depot and Lowes when Black Clouds came out to no avail...

[Mitch555]

I discovered them in 2007 but with Images and Words. The first DT song I ever heard was Metropolis Part 1. Needless to say, my music-listening life was changed forever that day. 

[Xanthul]

A friend of mine didn't have anyone to attend a Dream Theater + Symphony X concert with... that was the CiM tour, I listened almost exclusively to DT for more than a year after that. So, chalk me up in the SC lot too.

[Super Dude]

I heard my first DT song in August of 2005, so around the release of Octavarium.  My first song was This Dying Soul and ToT was my first album though, and I didn't hear 8vm until December or so.

[AwakeFromOctavarium]

2008 when my Non-DT fan friend made me hear their song. He isn't still a fan, and he only has Constant Motion, Glass Prison, Metropolis, Dance of Eternity and Overture 1928 in his library(Sucks to him). I started gathering their material starting early 2009. Can't still forget the moment when I first listened to I&W, Awake, and SFAM. SDOIT was nice too, but didn't strike me as much as the ones mentioned earlier.

[silver_linings]

in FII era. lines in the sand the first song I listen to. but that made me decide to become fans DT, when I listened IaW album

[bodiesinflight]

I first listened to DT in late 2006/early 2007.

Panic Attack was the first song I heard and ToT and 8vm were my first albums

[emindead]

When Systematic Chaos got out.

How? They never promote these kind of bands.

[Plasmastrike]

When Systematic Chaos got out.

How? They never promote these kind of bands.

How are you asking "how?" People just get into bands at certain times. I got into them my freshman year of high school when Train Of Thought came out.

[Bone_Daddy]

I&W. Pull Me Under. Watched it on Headbangers Ball and was blown away. Listened to it on KILO 94 (Colorado Springs) and had a chance to see them at Rack n Roll but passed on it. KILO 94 morning radio DJs stated it was one of the best concerts in '92 and that it was awesome to see KM get pissed at the sound guy and push over his keyboard. Guess it really charged the audience.

But I didn't buy any of their albums until ACOS was released and then cracked out hard to DT for a solid year. First concert was FII with my brother and great group of beautiful girls from Hungary who loved DT. 

[emindead]

When Systematic Chaos got out.

How? They never promote these kind of bands.

How are you asking "how?" People just get into bands at certain times. I got into them my freshman year of high school when Train Of Thought came out.

I'm asking, the internet, a friend, you went to Tower Records and saw that cool album cover... how? It's not really common on how you got into DT. If it weren't for a friend lending me SFAM...

[Genowyn]

For the how question, I still wasn't really into DT with SFAM, but when SC came out I was in a CD Store and saw it. I didn't really like DT but I had enough change to buy it, so what the fuck!

[Slain]

One of the history teachers at my school saw me wearing a DT shirt, and went on to tell me how they're his favorite band, and how he actually got a demo of WDADU back when they went to Berklee, and has been a fan ever since.

 I wish I would've known about them earlier, but I started liking them in 07-08 SC era.