Technically my first show was the day before my 14th birthday in 1998. My dad brought me to see two of his favorite bands, ELP & Deep Purple. DT opened. While I wasn't hugely blown away (like I was at ELP), the name "Dream Theater" always stuck with me as something really cool. Got into them a few years later right before Train of Thought came out. My first concert as a fan was 4/1/2004 in Boston. While I hadn't heard every song yet, I had done my research and recognized at least every song's title when James sang it (Hollow Years, Trial of Tears, Light Fuse and Get Away were among the names I recognized that night). It was amazing!
Ten years ago... I saw DT on the last three nights of their 20th anniversary tour. I honestly couldn't say which of the three shows I liked the best, because they all had something different to offer. Only 3 songs were played at all three shows (Root of All Evil, Octavarium, Another Won), while a BUNCH of songs were only played once: A Fortune In Lies, Pull Me Under, Take the Time, Under a Glass Moon, Wait For Sleep, Learning to Live, Caught In A Web, Innocence Faded, The Mirror, Lie, Speak To Me, Strange Deja Vu, Home, The Spirit Carries On, The Glass Prison, Goodnight Kiss, Solitary Shell, About to Crash (Reprise), Losing Time/Grand Finale, This Dying Soul, Endless Sacrifice, Vacant, The Answer Lies Within, and Never Enough. Looking back on it, it really was the end of an era. I don't think we'll ever get the variety they used to play back then ever again. I still go to every show they play in Boston (and haven't missed one since that day in 2004), but nothing will ever beat that 2006 tour.