My first DT show in several years (because of my schedule, not lack of desire). Glad I "took the time" to attend in Albany (2 hr drive for me, not bad at all). The venue was nice and I thought the sound was done well. Overall I was able to enjoy what was going on and hear what I wanted to hear without thinking about or being distracted by the mix. I wore earplugs for most of it just because that is my preference. Here and there, and during the whole of A Change of Seasons the plugs came out because I wanted to channel every decibel they had to give.
That fuchsia sparkle guitar JP brought out during To Live Forever was quite a statement. It seemed more striking under all the lights compared to pictures, but I guess that's true of a lot of things. I was having gear envy the whole night seeing so many of his guitars.
I enjoyed the JLB stories and wandering around stage. I don't get too worked up about how well he hit every vocal part, it was fine with me. I read a few comments that it felt like a retirement send off for I&W or something to that effect . I got a little of that vibe, particularly during Surrounded, not sure why.
Highlights for me:
Hell's Kitchen was something I've always wanted to see live, glad it was included.
I unexpectedly really enjoyed Wait for Sleep, not a song I would have put on a wish set list but in context of the entire I&W and something subtle about how JR played it brought it to life in a new way for me. The number of times I listened to I&W start to end back in 1992-1994 easily numbers >200. I think I became most nostalgic during Wait For Sleep and that contributed to my enjoyment.
The Bigger Picture, I just like it.
A Change of Seasons was pretty much out of this world good.
It was a good Tuesday night.