Distant Memories - New live release

[Ben_Jamin]

Thanks for the timestamp Ben, but I don't think their response does anything to change my thought that the dead crowds are due to the bands decisions.  and also that MM appearance was a bit awkward lol

He just wanted to play "Dharts"...

[cramx3]

I noticed that dart board and was wondering how bad the wall is behind the cardboard.  My roommate set up similar in our college apartment and lets just say the cardboard did little to nothing 

[jadiggerdt]

Seated venues is not helping DT but if u watch Pale Blue Dot some girl didnt noticed she was at a prog metal consert. only watch at her cellphone:) Interaction with the audience with Portnoy and after he left is totally gone.



It seems they overdubbs James voice like this  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MkfAS16zGk&t=145s

This is real
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otm70S2OAhQ

[Ben_Jamin]

That looked like it was the 2nd night. And I wonder if they'll use the 1st nights video, for his "Linked by...two lives" I honestly don't remember if he did this live, or he just forgot.

[Ben_Jamin]

I found Through Her Eyes in Denver, and discovered JP did a vocal melody from an Astonishing song in his guitar solo.


To Stand up or give in

[pg1067]

Zero response from the audience

That is something the band has no control over.

Of course they have some control over it by interacting with the crowd and encouraging people to stand up.  I totally blame DT for their poor crowd reactions that have consistently gotten worse since MP left.

The implication being that MP was somehow the focus of the live show?

I couldn't disagree more.  Other than for his drumming, I never thought MP was the focus of any live show I attended, and I once (I think it was on one of the SC shows) specifically thought that he was acting like a younger sibling trying to get his parents' attention.  I've noticed no difference in this regard since MP left.

[ZirconBlue]

I saw them on the most recent tour in Cincinnati, at the Taft Theater (same place I saw Phantom of the Opera in the early 90s).  Despite being a seated venue, the bulk of the lower level stood up for the show.  Having seen DT 9 times since the FII tour, I don't really see that the band is doing much different in the way of a performance.

[cramx3]

Zero response from the audience

That is something the band has no control over.

Of course they have some control over it by interacting with the crowd and encouraging people to stand up.  I totally blame DT for their poor crowd reactions that have consistently gotten worse since MP left.

The implication being that MP was somehow the focus of the live show?

I couldn't disagree more.  Other than for his drumming, I never thought MP was the focus of any live show I attended, and I once (I think it was on one of the SC shows) specifically thought that he was acting like a younger sibling trying to get his parents' attention.  I've noticed no difference in this regard since MP left.

That's a misinterpretation of what I was getting at.  MP was definitely more of a spotlight guy than MM and he defintiely does things to work the crowd (like standing up, clapping, interacting with the audiance) but I would say no one in DT is really the focus, although if I had to choose one person, it would be JP.  But it's not about who the focus is, it's about the arrangement of the live show which MP was very much involved in.  Most importantly, IMO, is the click track that they did not use until after MP left.  Not playing to a click brings the music more life IMO and leads to the crowd being more into it because that allows the band to play off the energy (and often play a bit faster).  MP also insisted on rotating setlists so the awe of not knowing what song is next brings a level of connectiveness from the crowd to the band.  But in general, MP was much more about the live show and entertaining the fans than the band currently is IMO.  The band today seems fine just standing back and performing as close as possible to the album and not really engaging the audience like they used to.  For example, the last Winery Dogs show I saw had a significant more energetic crowd than any recent DT show, but I'd say more of DT's music is more energetic than WD (not all).

[hunnus2000]

MP said in a recent interview he's more interested in watching showman drummers like a Keith Moon which explains his interaction with fans. MM's approach (to me at least) seems more like Neil Peart.

[cramx3]

Has anyone had an experience with the ushers while MP was in the band for example?  I've seen DT more now with MM than with MP, but I don't recall any experience of being told to sit while MP was in the band.  But I had issues with the ushers from the second MM US tour through the latest tour.

[Ben_Jamin]

Has anyone had an experience with the ushers while MP was in the band for example?  I've seen DT more now with MM than with MP, but I don't recall any experience of being told to sit while MP was in the band.  But I had issues with the ushers from the second MM US tour through the latest tour.

Again, could be the Venue seeing Dream Theater as a type of show that requires them to tell the Ushers to be more strict about obstructive viewing. Could also be, the band might know about it, but there's not much they can do, as they don't control that aspect of the bands live shows, the label could be in charge and what they say goes, and they can't say nothing, because they signed the deal.

I haven't had that problem when I went to our shows. And the camera thing could also be a label thing, or something the band decided to try. The Aristocrats at our show, had a no Video policy, you can take pictures, but if you had it up for a quite a while they'd get upset. Bryan Beller had to tell one guy to stop recording, and gave their reason why they chose to do the policy. They wanted the audience to enjoy the show, with their own eyes. I respected that decision, and laughed because our show was about 80-100 people, that's my guestimate, at a local venue that's a pretty intimate venue.

For D/T/SFAM, I was able to record and take pictures if I wanted to. I just chose not to this time. That was in Denver, and Mesa. I have actually been doing that when I would attend shows. Only taking a couple of pics, during good songs, or songs they don't really play or are good visually. If I could set up a little Tri-pod or stand, that isn't obstructing anyone's view and can still see the stage, I would definitely be doing that and recording video. I would just push record and check it in between songs, at least to make sure it's still going or hasn't died. 

I wish I could share more of that Herman Li and Misha Mansoor conversation they had on Herman Li's Twitch channel. Here's just a snippet, they discussed a bit more, but I haven't seen the whole thing yet either, it's a long 3 hours. This is not 3 hours, it's 10 min...https://youtu.be/39m3eZ7ndhs

[jingle.boy]

Zero response from the audience

That is something the band has no control over.

Of course they have some control over it by interacting with the crowd and encouraging people to stand up.  I totally blame DT for their poor crowd reactions that have consistently gotten worse since MP left.

Did you watch that Interview? (Can't remember the interviewers name) even said, we're getting old and standing for that long is getting harder. The audience can stand anytime,

I call massive bullshit on this.  You the audiences at Maiden, Metallica, or the final Rush tours don't seem to have an issue standing for 2-3 hours.

And I also don't think it's an MM thing, I think it's an Astonishing thing.  They totally went the 'performance' route for that tour, and got uber strict about it.  Didn't help that they chose mostly theater halls / venues, as opposed to venues suited for concerts, and have largely continued to do so for the past 5 years.

[cramx3]

I think it was confirmed the ushers are DT's call, not the venue.  I've seen plenty of concerts at the same venues that don't have ushers telling everyone to sit and put your phone away. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Zero response from the audience

That is something the band has no control over.

Of course they have some control over it by interacting with the crowd and encouraging people to stand up.  I totally blame DT for their poor crowd reactions that have consistently gotten worse since MP left.

Did you watch that Interview? (Can't remember the interviewers name) even said, we're getting old and standing for that long is getting harder. The audience can stand anytime,

I call massive bullshit on this.  You the audiences at Maiden, Metallica, or the final Rush tours don't seem to have an issue standing for 2-3 hours.

And I also don't think it's an MM thing, I think it's an Astonishing thing.  They totally went the 'performance' route for that tour, and got uber strict about it.  Didn't help that they chose mostly theater halls / venues, as opposed to venues suited for concerts, and have largely continued to do so for the past 5 years.

Again, all things that the band doesn't have control over. They, the band themselves, don't get to choose what venues to book. These things are Management or Label related decisions, The Band hired these people to make these decisions, as they are a lot work to do. They can suggest places, but it's not guaranteed.

If the band got comfortable, playing those type of Venues, than I don't fault them for it, nor blame them. We're along for the ride, on the train, and we can jump off anytime we want.

I think it was confirmed the ushers are DT's call, not the venue.  I've seen plenty of concerts at the same venues that don't have ushers telling everyone to sit and put your phone away. 

I would like to see an interview where that question was asked, or something similar. And also, this would be a good one to ask the band about in a Q an A...In regards to live shows, Many people are discouraged from attending shows, as they feel the venue Ushers telling them to sit or put away phones, is a drag at shows, is it a management or venue decision to have the Ushers do this? Then they may backpedal because they don't want to talk ill of their management.

[bosk1]

They, the band themselves, don't get to choose what venues to book. These things are Management or Label related decisions, The Band hired these people to make these decisions, as they are a lot work to do. They can suggest places, but it's not guaranteed.

This is only partly correct.  They don't choose the venues.  But they have their booking people book them in certain types of venues that they like playing.  They have a fair amount of say in that, and expressed that they want to play in those types of seated theaters. 

[pg1067]

They, the band themselves, don't get to choose what venues to book. These things are Management or Label related decisions, The Band hired these people to make these decisions, as they are a lot work to do. They can suggest places, but it's not guaranteed.

This is only partly correct.  They don't choose the venues.  But they have their booking people book them in certain types of venues that they like playing.  They have a fair amount of say in that, and expressed that they want to play in those types of seated theaters.

Not only that, but record labels have little to no involvement in their artists' touring activities.  And, especially for an act like DT, any manager who books his/her artist in venues the artist doesn't like or doesn't book the artist in venues it likes is going to be kicked to the curb pretty damn quickly.

[Ben_Jamin]

They, the band themselves, don't get to choose what venues to book. These things are Management or Label related decisions, The Band hired these people to make these decisions, as they are a lot work to do. They can suggest places, but it's not guaranteed.

This is only partly correct.  They don't choose the venues.  But they have their booking people book them in certain types of venues that they like playing.  They have a fair amount of say in that, and expressed that they want to play in those types of seated theaters.

That's what I meant by The Band can suggest places. Meaning the type of venues.

The only reason I say this is because I have seen Dark Tranquility, The Dear Hunter, The Aristocrats, Periphery, Protest The Hero, The Contortionist, Animals As Leaders, at a venue with 270 capacity. These were some of the best shows I have seen, and would prefer to see bands in this type of setting.

The reason for playing at this venue was a damned good promoter, and the band not having a big enough market to be able to sell enough to book the about-1,000 capacity venue, The Sunshine Theater. But, usually it's because another show is happening at The Sunshine, it's the one venue in New Mexico these bands play at, so the bands play there. That place is called The Launchpad, and is more like a Bar with a decent size venue in the back, the bar is in the entrance with the stage in the back.

It's why Dream Theaters Booking Agent doesn't see the reason to book here. The only way we got the I&W&B tour is due to the promoter wanting the tour to come here, as the band did state promoters were demanding that show. And I believe they only stopped here because they didn't have their usual Video Screens with them. As we don't have a venue small enough to hold video screens their size.

And why I really appreciate, and feel, fortunate and lucky to have witnessed both To Live Forever and Don't Look Past Me, before they dropped them from the set.

[noxon]

I'm pretty sure I talked about the photo thing with Jordan on my live chat with him.

For the Astonishing they set the "no photo" rule very strictly because they wanted to ensure that the audience was engaged in the actual performance, not focused on filming. This is also the main reason why most theatres do the same.

But in general there is no such rule other than the default "no photo or recording of the show" they have to put in to dampen SOME of the potential copyright problems. And label doesn't really have much of any say over what the band does outside of album releases.

[425]

The only time I saw them live was on the second leg of The Astonishing tour, when they took out a few songs from the album to play an encore consisting of As I Am, The Spirit Carries On and Pull Me Under. Everyone sat through the entire main set. I don't recall being told to sit by an usher or anything, and I can't speak to why other people did, but I stayed seated because I didn't want to be rude to the people behind me.

At the beginning of As I Am, James told everyone to stand up, in a tone that suggested frustration that we had been sitting the entire show. I think most people were all too happy to stand, and there was an awesome energy for the encore after that.

I think if they're going to play seated venues and they want people to stand, James should ask people to stand up early in the show ("On your feet, [city]!"). That way the norm is set up front by the band, instead of the ambiguity of a large crowd of people reaching a decision through some awkward form of groupthink.

[devieira73]

Fatal Tragedy tomorrow on youtube.

[Max Kuehnau]

Fatal Tragedy tomorrow on youtube.

I'm apprehensive. My benchmark for Fatal Tragedy is the version on the 2013 Christmas album.

[pg1067]

Fatal Tragedy tomorrow on youtube.

I'm apprehensive. My benchmark for Fatal Tragedy is the version on the 2013 Christmas album.

The what??

[Setlist Scotty]

Fatal Tragedy tomorrow on youtube.

I'm apprehensive. My benchmark for Fatal Tragedy is the version on the 2013 Christmas album.

The what??

https://www.discogs.com/Dream-Theater-Happy-Holidays-From-Dream-Theater/release/5228363

[ZirconBlue]

I think it was confirmed the ushers are DT's call, not the venue.  I've seen plenty of concerts at the same venues that don't have ushers telling everyone to sit and put your phone away.

No one was told to sit down at either of the shows I attended on the last 2 tours.

[bosk1]

Fatal Tragedy tomorrow on youtube.

I'm apprehensive. My benchmark for Fatal Tragedy is the version on the 2013 Christmas album.

I need to see if I still have that.  It was on my old computer, which I no longer have.  But I think I have a backup.

[fischermasamune]

Potentially helpful links (while eagerly waiting for the new version of Scene Three: II)

Through My Words/Fatal Tragedy in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 10/07/2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaVq90z9t5k

Happy Holidays From Dream Theater, the first disk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NGc0iGLn9c

Happy Holidays From Dream Theater, the second disk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ube9CHo1zKo

[Ben_Jamin]

I was watching Pale Blue Dot again and noticed how good the sound and video quality is. It reminded me of Budakon in a way.

I am really anxious to hear Fatal Tragedy now...

[Cool Chris]

Fatal Tragedy tomorrow on youtube.

I'm apprehensive. My benchmark for Fatal Tragedy is the version on the 2013 Christmas album.

The what??

https://www.discogs.com/Dream-Theater-Happy-Holidays-From-Dream-Theater/release/5228363

I totally forgot about that. I thought it was a cool release at the time. Looking at my files, I still have it, though I recall only ever really listening to The Count of Tuscany (which I gets a boost in a live setting) and Learning to Live. Everything else is on another live release in superior fashion, or not worthy of a special live release in the first place.

Still don't have plans to buy this right now. But looking forward to Fatal Tragedy!

[gzarruk]

Official audio for Fatal Tragedy already on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sX1HIc4fQaw

[erwinrafael]

Listened to Fatal Tragedy on iTunes. Why the hell can't they just release this with Scene II so that there would be a "proper" beginning?

[MoraWintersoul]

I'm squinting at the phone trying to see if the bearded man in the front is someone from DTF

[jadiggerdt]

omg the drum sound is so processed. Like PBD the audience is totally missing. It sounds like at studio album sorry ! Where is steven wilson or Devin live production sound? ITS A LIVE SHOW

[jadiggerdt]

omg the drum sound is so processed. Like PBD the audience is totally missing. It sounds like at studio album sorry ! Where is steven wilson or Devin live production sound? ITS A LIVE SHOW
And yeah i know that live and studio with these guys its almost the same except James but still!

[nikatapi]

This is going to be good release.
There's some blatantly obvious touch-ups on James' voice, but fact is his performances have degraded a lot recently, so it's unavoidable.

I like that DT seem to have found "their sound" with MM, both on DoT and this live album.
Also, Jordan's sounds are much better i feel.

[Quarter_Cask]

this sounds so bland, james' done live imho, no live energy at all in the mix, drums sound like they have 4 layers of effects/filters on them.
i'll pass.