Author Topic: Future Tour Setlist...  (Read 45381 times)

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Offline gzarruk

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #140 on: August 20, 2020, 05:54:35 PM »
As I am listening to my itunes on shuffle, False Awakening Suite begins to be played. Expecting a newer heavy song next, it decides to play a DT song, and what does it play...WITHER. 

I laughed hard as I thought, Damn Itunes is trolling me hard, Imagine DT opening a set like that.

I just got FITL and HTF back to back on DT shuffle :metal :metal :metal
It sounds like, "ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk, ruk." Instead of the more pleasing kick drum sound of, "gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk, gzarruk."

Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #141 on: May 14, 2021, 01:45:35 AM »
So...Since bands started to announce their rescheduled tour dates. I started thinking of Dream Theater and their set list for when they decide to tour. Likely, when they release the new album.

Without taking the new album into account...

Here's a set-list for if they were to do a quick warm-up style leg. Meaning full show but no new songs from the new album.

Overture (Pre-recorded Intro Tape)/
About To Crash
Room 137
Blind Faith
Lost Not Forgotten
Chosen
S2N
Breaking All Illusions

---Intermission---

The Glass Prison
The Enemy Inside
Misunderstood
Bridges In The Sky
Stream Of Consciousness
About To Crash (Reprise)
Surrender To Reason
At Wit's End

---Encore---

Octavarium
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #142 on: May 14, 2021, 10:46:43 AM »
Interesting setlist. Doubt you'll ever see TGP or BF in the setlist again (altho I'd be happy to be proven wrong as I love both tracks). And AtC(R) w/o LT/GF? Even if you had them go directly into StR, it doesn't flow at all. Can't see them following up TGP with TEI - maybe have TEI somewhere else in the set. I can see why you included much from SDoIT (for the 20th anniversary), but 3 tracks from both ADToE and d/t? Maybe one from ADToE and 2 from d/t, but that's about it, especially given that there's nothing from their first 5 albums nor SC or BCaSL in included.
« Last Edit: May 15, 2021, 11:41:53 AM by Setlist Scotty »
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #143 on: May 14, 2021, 07:58:42 PM »
So...Since bands started to announce their rescheduled tour dates. I started thinking of Dream Theater and their set list for when they decide to tour. Likely, when they release the new album.

Without taking the new album into account...

Here's a set-list for if they were to do a quick warm-up style leg. Meaning full show but no new songs from the new album.

Overture (Pre-recorded Intro Tape)/
About To Crash
Room 137
Blind Faith
Lost Not Forgotten
Chosen
S2N
Breaking All Illusions

---Intermission---

The Glass Prison
The Enemy Inside
Misunderstood
Bridges In The Sky
Stream Of Consciousness
About To Crash (Reprise)
Surrender To Reason
At Wit's End

---Encore---

Octavarium

Octavarium is long overdue for a comeback.  I think most would agree that it is one of the band's most popular songs, yet it has not been played in full since 2006.  I can't think of another major fan favorite that has had that long of a hiatus (from full plays; I am not counting the part of it in the medley on the SC tour).

I just hope they don't ignore songs from The Astonishing going forward.

Offline TheCountOfNYC

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #144 on: May 14, 2021, 09:36:24 PM »
Octavarium and The Glass Prison are both due for a comeback. A Change of Seasons was obviously the big one, but now that they brought that back as the encore for the Images, Words, & Beyond tour, the two aforementioned songs should absolutely be the next two in line. Neither has been played since 2006, and pretty much every other fan favorite has been played since then. They’re more than overdue.

Plus if I experience Octavarium (my favorite song ever written) live I can die happy.
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Offline geeeemo

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #145 on: May 14, 2021, 09:48:10 PM »
Yep. Octavaruim is a total bucket list item. Home was another and it lived up to my hype! :metal

Offline countoftuscany42

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #146 on: May 14, 2021, 11:27:33 PM »
Here's a setlist I'd be down to see for the DT15 tour, with all non-DT15 songs being ones I haven't seen live yet:


DT15 Single
The Glass Prison
DT15 Song
Surrender To Reason
Panic Attack
DT15 Song
At Wit's End

(Intermission)

DT15 Song
Solitary Shell
S2N
Erotomania
DT15 Song

(Encore)

Octavarium


Offline mariner

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #147 on: May 15, 2021, 07:48:20 AM »
I would love that set list just above me.  Would be awesome.

Offline Pettor

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #148 on: May 15, 2021, 01:10:54 PM »
TGP and 8V are the two songs they need to start playing. You don't create songs like that if you choose to ignore them 😉

I would love The Count of Tuscany also. However it's a great closer in the same way that 8V kind of need to be a closer (yeah I remember Score) so can't have both I guess 🤔

Offline IgnotusPerIgnotium

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #149 on: May 15, 2021, 01:31:48 PM »
I'd love bringing back some past staples like Hollow Years, Erotomania, Voices, The Glass Prison, Blind Faith, Stream of Consciousness, Only a Matter of Time, Octavarium..I mean the list goes on and on..unfortunately the biggest issue is that we get a fixed, never changing set list per album cycle..I hope some of us won't have children to college just to see again some of these songs.. :P

Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #150 on: May 15, 2021, 02:15:07 PM »
I'd love bringing back some past staples like Hollow Years, Erotomania, Voices, The Glass Prison, Blind Faith, Stream of Consciousness, Only a Matter of Time, Octavarium..I mean the list goes on and on..unfortunately the biggest issue is that we get a fixed, never changing set list per album cycle..I hope some of us won't have children to college just to see again some of these songs.. :P

The static setlist doesn't bother me, as much as how every tour since Along For The Ride Tour has had a set dedicated to an album. And this isn't just a dream theater issue, this was also when the music business was starting to begin doing "Album Anniversary or Album Dedicated tours".

Just look at how I&W&B evolved into the massive tour it did. Which was not the plan at all. If the Promoters never seized the opportunity to have them play, as it is their most known album and most loved, a lot of us never would have even seen this tour.

Now, what I do want to see and hope the band does this upcoming tour, is to forgo any album celebration what so ever, and make sets that don't revolve around that album.

A Dramatic Tour of Events, has an amazing setlist, and this was done without the set having to revolve around the album.
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Offline IgnotusPerIgnotium

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #151 on: May 16, 2021, 06:47:48 AM »
For sure I wouldn't want them doing any album dedication in their playlist too. I've enjoyed them in the last tours but right about now I feel everyone is burned out up until this point. Also doing something like the ADTOE tour approach with the playlists would be great but the last reference of a proper setlist is the DT12 tour..my guess is that they will remove any solo spots and just make time for more songs..then it's up to them to fit in as much of their old and new material that understandably have to promote.

Offline MirrorMask

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #152 on: May 16, 2021, 07:07:05 AM »
With the gift of insight, the SFAM portion of the Along for the Ride tour was forgettable. It was cool to hear half of Awake, but dedicating 30 minutes of the set to SFAM while in a couple of tours we would have gotten the whole thing was a bit of a waste.

Heck, they could have still kept Finally Free as a show closer, and play two other songs in place of Overture / SDV and Dance of Eternity; any two older songs that weren't played on the Dramatic tour would have worked for a more rounded setlist.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #153 on: May 16, 2021, 07:52:23 AM »
With the gift of insight, the SFAM portion of the Along for the Ride tour was forgettable. It was cool to hear half of Awake, but dedicating 30 minutes of the set to SFAM while in a couple of tours we would have gotten the whole thing was a bit of a waste.

Heck, they could have still kept Finally Free as a show closer, and play two other songs in place of Overture / SDV and Dance of Eternity; any two older songs that weren't played on the Dramatic tour would have worked for a more rounded setlist.

I disagree.  It is important to note that that tour was the first where nothing was played from Images & Words, so playing some Scenes songs was almost a must, since I&W and Scenes are easily their two most popular albums, especially amongst what passes as casual DT fans.   That tour was a great balance of a lot of new stuff, a couple of songs from the prior album, a bunch of deep cuts for the diehards (Trial of Tears and half of Awake) and then a few songs from one of their two biggest albums.

Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #154 on: May 16, 2021, 12:29:39 PM »
With the gift of insight, the SFAM portion of the Along for the Ride tour was forgettable. It was cool to hear half of Awake, but dedicating 30 minutes of the set to SFAM while in a couple of tours we would have gotten the whole thing was a bit of a waste.

Heck, they could have still kept Finally Free as a show closer, and play two other songs in place of Overture / SDV and Dance of Eternity; any two older songs that weren't played on the Dramatic tour would have worked for a more rounded setlist.

I disagree.  It is important to note that that tour was the first where nothing was played from Images & Words, so playing some Scenes songs was almost a must, since I&W and Scenes are easily their two most popular albums, especially amongst what passes as casual DT fans.   That tour was a great balance of a lot of new stuff, a couple of songs from the prior album, a bunch of deep cuts for the diehards (Trial of Tears and half of Awake) and then a few songs from one of their two biggest albums.
I disagree with you, and agree with MM. MM's not saying that they shouldn't have included anything from SFaM, but one track would've been more than enough rather than a 4-song encore. Keep in mind that they completely ignored playing *anything* from 6 other albums on that tour (save for a few times when PMU was added for some summer festival dates). Surely playing one track from WDaDU would have been nice since it *also* was celebrating a milestone anniversary at that point (25 years at that point) and a case could've been made for them to have included a few tracks from the other albums not represented, too.
As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Offline Max Kuehnau

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #155 on: May 16, 2021, 01:01:11 PM »
With the gift of insight, the SFAM portion of the Along for the Ride tour was forgettable. It was cool to hear half of Awake, but dedicating 30 minutes of the set to SFAM while in a couple of tours we would have gotten the whole thing was a bit of a waste.

Heck, they could have still kept Finally Free as a show closer, and play two other songs in place of Overture / SDV and Dance of Eternity; any two older songs that weren't played on the Dramatic tour would have worked for a more rounded setlist.

I disagree.  It is important to note that that tour was the first where nothing was played from Images & Words, so playing some Scenes songs was almost a must, since I&W and Scenes are easily their two most popular albums, especially amongst what passes as casual DT fans.   That tour was a great balance of a lot of new stuff, a couple of songs from the prior album, a bunch of deep cuts for the diehards (Trial of Tears and half of Awake) and then a few songs from one of their two biggest albums.
I disagree with you, and agree with MM. MM's not saying that they shouldn't have included anything from SFaM, but one track would've been more than enough rather than a 4-song encore. Keep in mind that they completely ignored playing *anything* from 6 other albums on that tour (save for a few times when PMU was added for some summer festival dates). Surely playing one track from WDaDU would have been nice since it *also* was celebrating a milestone anniversary at that point (25 years at that point) and a case could've been made for them to have included a few tracks from the other albums not represented, too.
and I actually distinctly remember John mentioning them wanting to include OAMOT in 2014 but there was no time left in the set for it (I'd have loved to have heard this one though, really.)
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Offline DTA

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #156 on: May 17, 2021, 01:16:40 PM »
I'll still never forgive them for dropping Don't Look Past Me from the I&W&B tour before they hit Philly. What a slap in the face to the die-hard fans who look forward to seeing that kind of rare shit. It's not like they're KISS who expects their fans to only know the hits.

Offline Trav86

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #157 on: May 17, 2021, 01:45:14 PM »
JP mentioned how it seemed like no one in the audience knew DLPM when they played it. So they dropped it. Also James was struggling with it. JP didn’t say that. I did.

But…if you look at their post-Portnoy setlists, they’ve been going in a more “hits” direction. Not digging all that deep, and repeating a few of universally loved songs quite a bit.
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Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #158 on: May 17, 2021, 03:13:08 PM »
JP mentioned how it seemed like no one in the audience knew DLPM when they played it. So they dropped it. Also James was struggling with it. JP didn’t say that. I did.

But…if you look at their post-Portnoy setlists, they’ve been going in a more “hits” direction. Not digging all that deep, and repeating a few of universally loved songs quite a bit.

And I blame the band, for not having JLB introduce the song, and what it is they will be playing. When you let people know that this next song, is one that is a rare song that has ties to the album they will be playing in it's entirety, and is special, more people would have understood and been more interested in it.

The way they did it, was throwing this Rare, unheard of by the masses, song right in their face with no explanation for what this song they're hearing is. I remember, looking at the setlist after the first show, and seeing the set list mention "New Song". It was quite a while before someone changed them to show it was Don't Look Past Me, and not a new song. Everybody in that audience had a confused look of what the hell is this song.

I was fortunate and really damn happy they decided to play it here at my show, because they never come here to headline. And getting to see them, here, and the one song I never, ever, expected them to play at all, and they played it, I was in Euphoria. Even though, JLB couldn't do that song justice anymore, it was still a nice treat, and I was singing away, in the front row, in front of JP, and did the other background lyrics, where JLB does the lead parts. I think the band was at least, glad I knew the song, and was singing along to it.  :lol
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Offline Trav86

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #159 on: May 17, 2021, 04:00:43 PM »
I know at some shows, he did introduce Don’t Look Past Me and To Live Forever as songs that were written during the I&W days. But the thing is, with a lot of fans, even if you introduce the song, and they don’t actually know it, it’s going to be hard for them to get into it. I for one, like you, knew the song. I’ve known it for years. And I thought it was awesome they brought it out and was disappointed to see they didn’t finish off the tour with it. Or start doing it at the beginning. However, I understand that when there are 2 or 3 thousand people in the audience and maybe 100 people (that’s probably stretching it) know the song. I can see why they cut it. A band doesn’t want to play a song that gets no reaction from the crowd just to appease a handful of fans. That’s not fun.
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Offline pg1067

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #160 on: May 17, 2021, 04:14:58 PM »
I'll still never forgive them for dropping Don't Look Past Me from the I&W&B tour before they hit Philly. What a slap in the face to the die-hard fans who look forward to seeing that kind of rare shit.

If there's a cosmic equalizer somewhere, I'd gladly give up having seen it.  It's not a particularly good song to begin with, and James was not up to it.


JP mentioned how it seemed like no one in the audience knew DLPM when they played it. So they dropped it. Also James was struggling with it. JP didn’t say that. I did.

Yup.  You had a small handful of people freaking out over it and about 70% of the audience saying, "huh?"


I know at some shows, he did introduce Don’t Look Past Me and To Live Forever as songs that were written during the I&W days. But the thing is, with a lot of fans, even if you introduce the song, and they don’t actually know it, it’s going to be hard for them to get into it. I for one, like you, knew the song. I’ve known it for years. And I thought it was awesome they brought it out and was disappointed to see they didn’t finish off the tour with it. Or start doing it at the beginning. However, I understand that when there are 2 or 3 thousand people in the audience and maybe 100 people (that’s probably stretching it) know the song. I can see why they cut it. A band doesn’t want to play a song that gets no reaction from the crowd just to appease a handful of fans. That’s not fun.

I knew DLPM was coming and had heard it a few times over the years, but I was pretty lukewarm about it because I don't think it's particularly good (there's a reason it never made it onto an album).  Same with TLF, which I knew even better (they played it at, I think, three of the first shows I saw back in 92 and 93) but also don't think too highly of.
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Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #161 on: May 17, 2021, 04:41:39 PM »
I know at some shows, he did introduce Don’t Look Past Me and To Live Forever as songs that were written during the I&W days. But the thing is, with a lot of fans, even if you introduce the song, and they don’t actually know it, it’s going to be hard for them to get into it. I for one, like you, knew the song. I’ve known it for years. And I thought it was awesome they brought it out and was disappointed to see they didn’t finish off the tour with it. Or start doing it at the beginning. However, I understand that when there are 2 or 3 thousand people in the audience and maybe 100 people (that’s probably stretching it) know the song. I can see why they cut it. A band doesn’t want to play a song that gets no reaction from the crowd just to appease a handful of fans. That’s not fun.

I really think it'd be cool if there was a study that asked, "Why do people go to a concert?" That would be interesting to know, as it would show how the general audience reacts to certain songs, and how the general reaction the band will feel for how the audience is receiving the song. It'd be like if Meshuggah suddenly went into a Showtunes song, imagine the reaction to that  :lol .

I know it all depends on the band themselves and whether they care about that reaction or not. And Dream Theater does.

But, also, the I&W&B tour drew in a lot of casual fans that only bought Images and Words just for Pull Me Under. These people bought tickets to the show. And there was apparently enough of a draw for it, that promoters were almost salivating over it. Those people, were the audience at the show I went to. Those people, are the only reason the band actually got to play at that venue, and I think the amount of promoters wanting the Tour to come, prompted the band to forgo the video screens to accommodate these areas venues, which are smaller and can't accommodate the size of a video screen.

And in all honesty, That setlist wasn't a bad first set at all, it included some songs that the general casual listener of Pull Me Under would enjoy. A rocking metal opener with a headbanging outro, newer songs to showcase the sound the band has now, an instrumental, and even a JM bass solo cover homage. Also, even a Metallica Riff inserted into a song, something of a throwback to Peruvian Skies, which was also headbanging and different.

Now that I think about it. I can see how To Live Forever and Don't Look Past Me would get the reaction they got. And it's due to their placement in the set, the same with The Astonishing songs. Maybe if they were placed before Breaking All Illusions they would've got a bit of a better reaction, but who knows.

And the only other choice was putting in their next most beloved ballad, The Spirit Carries On.
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Offline Trav86

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #162 on: May 17, 2021, 05:09:48 PM »
I really liked that first set. Besides Hell’s Kitchen and The Bigger Picture, (and the aforementioned deep cuts and Astonishing tracks) the rest of that set was the closest thing to a “greatest hits” kind of set. Imagine something like this…

The Dark Eternal Night
Lie
Solitary Shell
Panic Attack
The Spirit Carries On
As I Am
Breaking All Illusions
———————————
Pull Me Under
Another Day
Take the Time
Surrounded
Metropolis, Pt. 1
Under a Glass Moon
Wait for Sleep
Learning to Live
———————————
A Change of Seasons
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Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #163 on: May 17, 2021, 06:55:17 PM »
Yup. I would consider these all to be the DT "Greatest Hits" and "Best Album" tour.

I would've loved that just for Solitary Shell.
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Offline Setlist Scotty

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #164 on: May 17, 2021, 11:26:06 PM »
JP mentioned how it seemed like no one in the audience knew DLPM when they played it. So they dropped it. Also James was struggling with it. JP didn’t say that. I did.
Yup.  You had a small handful of people freaking out over it and about 70% of the audience saying, "huh?"
No offense, but so what? How else do you get the audience to become familiar with more of the songs? If the band did a full show or even just a full set of rarities that few people were familiar with, you might have a point. But throwing in one or two rarities for the diehards in a 2.5+ hour show is not unreasonable. I know you don't like it, but that's how Raise the Knife was brought to the attention of the general fanbase: because it was included during some shows on the 20th Anniversary tour and was released on Score.

That's one thing I hate about how the setlists are handled now - if a song doesn't elicit much of a fan reaction, JP will have it dropped from the set, and TSCO will be added for the umpteenth time again. That's what happened after both DLPM and TLF were both dropped.

Even back in 2011, they dropped TGD - an album track - from the setlists because of a lack of audience response.


I know at some shows, he did introduce Don’t Look Past Me and To Live Forever as songs that were written during the I&W days. But the thing is, with a lot of fans, even if you introduce the song, and they don’t actually know it, it’s going to be hard for them to get into it. I for one, like you, knew the song. I’ve known it for years. And I thought it was awesome they brought it out and was disappointed to see they didn’t finish off the tour with it. Or start doing it at the beginning. However, I understand that when there are 2 or 3 thousand people in the audience and maybe 100 people (that’s probably stretching it) know the song. I can see why they cut it. A band doesn’t want to play a song that gets no reaction from the crowd just to appease a handful of fans. That’s not fun.
I knew DLPM was coming and had heard it a few times over the years, but I was pretty lukewarm about it because I don't think it's particularly good (there's a reason it never made it onto an album).  Same with TLF, which I knew even better (they played it at, I think, three of the first shows I saw back in 92 and 93) but also don't think too highly of.
It's funny - first time I saw DT live was during their summer run in 1993. At my show, they played TLF, Eve, Puppies on Acid and had SSeeker with the revised intro. How did I respond? I was *elated* for something new/different! It was exciting to me to learn about these new songs or changes. That's what I love about live shows: not seeing carbon copy performances of stuff I already know - I can always listen to the CDs for that - but variations, surprises, changes, new stuff, so that the experience is something special.
 
 
I know it all depends on the band themselves and whether they care about that reaction or not. And Dream Theater does.
Sadly, too much since MP's left. The only time they really didn't was when they did the TA tour. Just as they don't cater to the fans when writing a new album, so I wish they keep the same mentality when it comes to putting together the setlist.
As a basic rule, if you hate it, you must solely blame Portnoy. If it's good, then you must downplay MP's contribution to the band as not being important anyway, or claim he's just lying. It's the DTF way.

Offline KevShmev

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #165 on: May 18, 2021, 06:18:14 AM »
Yeah, it is crazy to drop a song that almost no one in the audience is reacting to, and then insert a song that crowds go nuts for.  What insanity!! :lol :lol

Offline Lonk

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #166 on: May 18, 2021, 06:54:44 AM »
Sadly, too much since MP's left. The only time they really didn't was when they did the TA tour. Just as they don't cater to the fans when writing a new album, so I wish they keep the same mentality when it comes to putting together the setlist.

Didn't they dropped some songs from TA at the end of the tour to add AIA, PMU and TSCO to the setlist?
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Offline Trav86

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #167 on: May 18, 2021, 07:06:10 AM »
Yeah, it is crazy to drop a song that almost no one in the audience is reacting to, and then insert a song that crowds go nuts for.  What insanity!! :lol :lol

Right?! Some people have this “hardcore fan” mentality and think it’s  insane that not everyone else does as well.
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Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #168 on: May 18, 2021, 08:04:07 AM »
Yeah, it is crazy to drop a song that almost no one in the audience is reacting to, and then insert a song that crowds go nuts for.  What insanity!! :lol :lol

The thing also, that I myself feel, is Dream Theater setlists have been focusing on songs that fit the overall vibe of the new album or tour. And when songs have an odd setlist position, that can affect the flow and make people lose interest.

Not everyone who sees Dream Theater is a music fan, and not everyone is a big fan, like us in this forum. They rely on touring and merchandise for Band Income, and need to get as many seats as possible to make profit from each show. The reason ticket prices have been so high, is due to the fact that  the production of bands, in general, has really approved and are really neat and pretty, but that costs money and it's not cheap.

So you either, make more money and can do more Band Related things by playing a setlist and songs that generate people in the seats, or play to your dedicated fans only.

The thing also, is, that JP doesn't have a "Fan Mentality" like MP does. JP has that business mentality and this affects how the band is ran.

I've said before, MP did a lot for the band, because he still is a music fan at heart, and still has that "Fan Mentality". It's why he personally goes out of his way to do things that the fans will enjoy, as he also enjoys these things, he was the one to suggest making The Absolute Universe a double album, he went out of his way to even make a combined Ultimate Version.

And now since he is gone, that fan mindset is gone and these things the fans loved are now gone and Dream Theater are now like your regular band. These things that MP did is why I say that Dream Theater fans were spoiled, because MP went out of his way to give these gifts to the fans, that no band has thought of doing, or wanted to put in the effort to do.

It's also why I ask, did you really like the band, or was it just all the perks that kept you interested in the band?...

I myself, love the band and their music. I, as a fan of music and Dream Theater, am just along for the ride. And this goes for any band I follow or go to see.

I have my issues with bands that do not play anything else besides their hits, and is a very big reason why I do not like festival shows, and bands touring with a big lineup. I also, see the reason why though. And I, see this as an effect of music education and understanding. As many other places in the world actually incorporate music into their cultures and therefore will have many styles of bands and music being enjoyed by the masses. Japan is a great example of this, based on their audiences, and the style of music their people release and listen to. Just look at Anime, and it's music.


I just wish bands wouldn't and shouldn't care about what songs they play live. If people don't react to it, so what. Not everyone reacts to music the same. Now if they boo, then I'll understand the song being dropped.


Sadly, I tend to enjoy the songs that bands happen to not even bother with live.  :lol But I still go see the band, because I like the band and want to see them play their songs live, and to me, it really doesn't matter what they play. It's why I waited to look at the setlists, as much as I could, and was surprised by the songs when they were played.

The availability of being able to look at the setlists, is also why, I think, people do not go to the shows, because they apparently care about what songs the band plays. When I look up the sets, I say oh cool, or oh, well ok, guess I'll be jamming out those songs again, maybe they'll do something different, but these songs never sound the same, as each member can have off or on days, and that can affect how the song is played.
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Offline pg1067

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #169 on: May 18, 2021, 09:20:50 AM »
JP mentioned how it seemed like no one in the audience knew DLPM when they played it. So they dropped it. Also James was struggling with it. JP didn’t say that. I did.
Yup.  You had a small handful of people freaking out over it and about 70% of the audience saying, "huh?"

No offense, but so what?

Not really sure what this question is supposed to mean.  I was just confirming JP's observation, as related by Trav86.


How else do you get the audience to become familiar with more of the songs?

I don't think there was any need for the band to "get the audience to become familiar" with a relatively obscure, 25-year old song that wasn't deemed good enough to make it onto an album.


If the band did a full show or even just a full set of rarities that few people were familiar with, you might have a point. But throwing in one or two rarities for the diehards in a 2.5+ hour show is not unreasonable.

I never suggested otherwise.  However, neither was it unreasonable for the band to drop the song from the setlist when it was poorly received.


It's funny - first time I saw DT live was during their summer run in 1993. At my show, they played TLF, Eve, Puppies on Acid and had SSeeker with the revised intro. How did I respond? I was *elated* for something new/different! It was exciting to me to learn about these new songs or changes. That's what I love about live shows: not seeing carbon copy performances of stuff I already know - I can always listen to the CDs for that - but variations, surprises, changes, new stuff, so that the experience is something special.

Cool.  However, it's 2021, not 1993.  I first saw DT in November 1992.  I was familiar with I&W, but I'd never before heard Only a Matter of Time, Ytse Jam or The Killing Hand (and, in February 1993, A Fortune in Lies).  I think I knew they had an album before I&W, so I (correctly) assumed those were songs off that album.  I didn't even have a computer yet, much less anything like YouTube where I could check out pre-existing material.  But here's the difference.  Those songs were good.  When To Live Forever showed up in June 1993, my reaction was less positive.  You can bust out all the obscure stuff you want, if it's good.


I know it all depends on the band themselves and whether they care about that reaction or not. And Dream Theater does.
Sadly, too much since MP's left. The only time they really didn't was when they did the TA tour. Just as they don't cater to the fans when writing a new album, so I wish they keep the same mentality when it comes to putting together the setlist.

I'm at a loss to understand why it's a negative for an artist to care about its audiences' reactions, but it's more than just caring about the audience's reaction; it's also caring about the audience.  Force-feeding the audience an obscure song that isn't getting a good reaction just to satisfy a small minority of the fans isn't a positive thing.
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Offline KevShmev

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #170 on: May 18, 2021, 09:42:46 AM »


I just wish bands wouldn't and shouldn't care about what songs they play live.

Quoting just this part of your post for the sake of length (and I agreed with a lot of the rest of your post)...

I think bands should care what the fans want when it comes to live show to an extent (vs in the studio when what fans want should no matter at all).  No, fans should not dictate what gets played, but what songs go over well and what songs do not should certainly be taken into consideration, and if an obscure song is doing nothing for live crowds, dropping it makes total sense.  In the case of Don't Look Past Me, that is an obscure non-album song, and not even of their better ones, and it sounds like almost no one was giving a crap about it getting played, so why keep playing it? So a handful of diehards online can stay excited about it? Nah.

Offline Trav86

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #171 on: May 18, 2021, 10:19:14 AM »
I think what all of this boils down to is that as DT goes on, they have to appeal to the wider audience more. Because frankly, a majority of the audience hasn’t been a fan for 20+ years. They weren’t around to get the ytsejam bootlegs, let alone the fan club CDs. If it’s not on iTunes and Spotify, a lot of people don’t know it.

On top of that, as they get older they are becoming more nostalgic, devoting lots of time celebrating album anniversaries. Although, I doubt they will do those for any other albums.

So yeah…for the old folks who’ve been around forever and know everything ever recorded by the band, the shows aren’t  going to be perfect for you. I don’t see that changing much either. 
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Offline Stadler

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #172 on: May 18, 2021, 10:21:58 AM »
Cool.  However, it's 2021, not 1993.  I first saw DT in November 1992.  I was familiar with I&W, but I'd never before heard Only a Matter of Time, Ytse Jam or The Killing Hand (and, in February 1993, A Fortune in Lies).  I think I knew they had an album before I&W, so I (correctly) assumed those were songs off that album.  I didn't even have a computer yet, much less anything like YouTube where I could check out pre-existing material.  But here's the difference.  Those songs were good.  When To Live Forever showed up in June 1993, my reaction was less positive.  You can bust out all the obscure stuff you want, if it's good.


Except for me, "To Live Forever" IS good. I'd much rather have that than anything off of WDADU.

Offline Ben_Jamin

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #173 on: May 18, 2021, 11:03:01 AM »


I just wish bands wouldn't and shouldn't care about what songs they play live.

Quoting just this part of your post for the sake of length (and I agreed with a lot of the rest of your post)...

I think bands should care what the fans want when it comes to live show to an extent (vs in the studio when what fans want should no matter at all).  No, fans should not dictate what gets played, but what songs go over well and what songs do not should certainly be taken into consideration, and if an obscure song is doing nothing for live crowds, dropping it makes total sense.  In the case of Don't Look Past Me, that is an obscure non-album song, and not even of their better ones, and it sounds like almost no one was giving a crap about it getting played, so why keep playing it? So a handful of diehards online can stay excited about it? Nah.

Coming from a fan that is finally able to go to live concerts out of town. I have been able to attend the evening with shows. I actually would've went to the Along For The Ride tour, but had other commitments so wasn't able to attend, and that setlist is one I really wanted to see, basically for Space Dye-Vest.

My first tour ended up being The Astonishing, and I enjoyed it, because I was finally seeing a Dream Theater evening with show. I saw it again on the 2nd leg in Tucson and enjoyed it as well, and also enjoyed hearing The Spirit Carries On for my first time.

The next tour was the I&W&B, and they just so happened to hit my local venue that I knew could accommodate the band. That was a nice treat, but unfortunately, had commitments that prevented me from seeing the 2nd set and encore. I then, went to see the last show of the entire tour in Dallas. That was an extremely fun show, and even though they played TSCO again, and I enjoyed it still, hearing Hourglass was the best thing to include for the last shows. I got to hear some great songs on this tour, including Don't Look Last Me, and To Live Forever.

D/T was just as good because they played ITPOE pt.1, and also ANTR, one of my faves. I had to go to a show on the 2nd leg, because I wasn't going to miss At Wit's End, and we all knew it was going to be played. It personally felt like an older DT encore and show due to that being played rather than Pull Me Under.


I am actually happy with what they played, and will play. It's just what I would like them to do, but it doesn't hinder my enjoyment of the band. It's why I still go. I won't complain about the set when I'm there, I'll still watch and listen and headbang away, because I came to hear them play.  :metal
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Offline pg1067

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Re: Future Tour Setlist...
« Reply #174 on: May 18, 2021, 12:13:05 PM »
Cool.  However, it's 2021, not 1993.  I first saw DT in November 1992.  I was familiar with I&W, but I'd never before heard Only a Matter of Time, Ytse Jam or The Killing Hand (and, in February 1993, A Fortune in Lies).  I think I knew they had an album before I&W, so I (correctly) assumed those were songs off that album.  I didn't even have a computer yet, much less anything like YouTube where I could check out pre-existing material.  But here's the difference.  Those songs were good.  When To Live Forever showed up in June 1993, my reaction was less positive.  You can bust out all the obscure stuff you want, if it's good.


Except for me, "To Live Forever" IS good. I'd much rather have that than anything off of WDADU.

Fair point, and I didn't articulate mine real well.  Back in 92-93, anything not on I&W was "new" to most folks (and, for a lot of folks, anything that wasn't PMU was new), and most folks had no access to WDADU.  When you heard something new, you weren't really sure (unless James did an intro) whether it was something from that first album you knew existed but hadn't heard or something they were putting together for the follow up to I&W.  When I first heard TLF, I figured it was a work in progress that might be on the next album, as opposed to a leftover from I&W.  It always felt incomplete and never did much to me.  By contrast stuff like OAMOT and TKH really appealed to me.  Obviously, others will feel differently about different songs.  Now, however, there's nothing "new" for the hardcore fan, and the casual fan doesn't care about rarities, even though they have access to setlists and the ability to hear those rarities beforehand.
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