Craft Your "Dream" DT Setlist - Consisting only of material you haven't seen

[jimgolf]

And about 58 minutes longer than the OP set for a limit. 

lol , eyyyyy, *rips up rulebook*

We having fun with DT playlists here. Commence with the insanity!

That's my rulebook.  That's my buddy.   

Everybody got to die sometime, Kinger.

[TAC]

Wow!

[gzarruk]

How do I fit their whole catalog in just 100 minutes?

[Laughingplace56]

And about 58 minutes longer than the OP set for a limit. 

LOL woops! Totally blew past that, I somehow completely missed the very first line of text in the topic 

It was incredibly hard to shave 58 min off that set, but in an effort to actually follow the rules, I got it down to 99 min:

1. The Glass Prison
2. This Dying Soul
3. Just Let Me Breathe
4. Take the Time
5. Blind Faith
6. Lines in the Sand
7. Surrender to Reason
8. Constant Motion
9. Panic Attack
10. Under a Glass Moon
11. Metropolis Pt. 1

[crystalstars17]

- Wither (5:25)

How I managed to leave this one out of my own list is beyond me 😭 Bucket list level favorite. That's what I get for making setlists at work. 🤭

[nobloodyname]

That got me wondering whether I've ever seen Wither live and it turns out I have:

10/10/2009 Wembley Arena

A Nightmare to Remember (with Mikael Åkerfeldt - this video at 6m 25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNTGn_MYaqg)
The Mirror
Lie
Keyboard Solo
Prophets of War
Wither
Act II: Scene Seven: I. The Dance of Eternity
Drum Solo (featuring Martin Axenrot from Opeth)
Take the Time
The Count of Tuscany

Didn't realise I'd ever seen Prophets of War live. Turns out there's a nice recording of it, too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cb1GG22Xfo Nice performance by James.

[Architeuthis]

Hmm, songs that I've never seen live.. 🤔

1. The Great Debate
2. Innocence Faded
3. Hells Kitchen
4. TROAE
5. Never Enough
6. ITPOE  pt1
7. The Bigger Picture
8. S2N
9. Transcending Time
10. Octavarium
Encore
11. Viper King
 

[TheCountOfNYC]

I’m gonna do an Evening With setlist since that’s how I prefer my Dream Theater shows. And yes some of these most likely will never be played live.

The Glass Prison
Answering the Call
Innocence Faded
Surrender to Reason
Panic Attack
Instrumedley
Lines in the Sand

Afterlife
Constant Motion
S2N
Vacant
Stream of Consciousness
Beneath the Surface
The Best of Times

Octavarium

[pg1067]

- Wither (5:25)

How I managed to leave this one out of my own list is beyond me 😭 Bucket list level favorite. That's what I get for making setlists at work. 🤭

It's really the only song I haven't seen and which, if I never get to see it, I'd be truly disappointed (kinda like Jacob's Ladder and Losing It with Rush, which I finally got to see at their last concert).

[Setlist Scotty]

This is a fun and interesting challenge, especially given that I’ve seen DT 55 times since 1993, and I’ve only missed a few tours, including the entire AVFtTotW tour cycle. As such, I’ve seen all of WDaDU, IaW, Awake, SFaM, SDoIT, ToT, 8v, ADToE and TA, so none of those albums can be represented, and I’m only missing only a few tracks from each of the other albums aside from d/t and the latest one.

So given the stipulations from the OP, I’ve created 2 setlists - one only focusing on songs that *have* been played live but I haven’t seen, and one that includes the songs that have never been played live.

Setlist 1 (using only songs that have been played live)
1. The Alien
2. The Bigger Picture
3. Fall Into the Light
4. The Way It Used to Be
5. Answering the Call
6. Don’t Look Past Me
7. Wither
8. Hell’s Kitchen
9. At Wit’s End
10. March of the Tyrant
11. Awaken the Master
~~~encore~~~
12. A View From the Top of the World

Setlist 2 (including songs never played live)
1. The Alien
2. Cover My Eyes
3. S2N
4. Don’t Look Past Me
5. Sleeping Giant
6. The Bigger Picture
7. Out of Reach
8. Raw Dog
9. Surrender to Reason
10. The Way It Used to Be
11. Fall Into the Light
~~~encore~~~
12. A View From the Top of the World

And yes, there’s a lot of the latest album in both setlists - this is not only because The Alien and the title track serve as great bookends for the setlist, but also because I really love the latest album. 

[Setlist Scotty]

Another Won
Your Majesty
A Vision
Two Far
Vital Star
March of the Tyrant
Cry for Freedom
The School Song
Status Seeker
Eve/Another Hand/The Killing Hand
Light Fuse and Get Away
Afterlife
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Only a Matter of Time

 

n00b! Any REAL fan has already seen all of those! 
 
 

How do I fit their whole catalog in just 100 minutes?

Medley schmedleys!!! 

[DragonAttack]

My 20th anniversary of DT shows last weekend....so there's not too many choices available

Erotomania
Tear Down These Walls
Build Me Up, Break Me Down
The Bigger Picture
Room 137

Encore
Viper King

time ...  under 35 minutes

(wish I could 'see' 'Misunderstood' again....the mood created from the blue lights during the first 3 1/2 minutes was perfection)

[Jamesman42]

This is a fun and interesting challenge, especially given that I’ve seen DT 55 times since 1993, and I’ve only missed a few tours, including the entire AVFtTotW tour cycle. As such, I’ve seen all of WDaDU, IaW, Awake, SFaM, SDoIT, ToT, 8v, ADToE and TA, so none of those albums can be represented, and I’m only missing only a few tracks from each of the other albums aside from d/t and the latest one.

What about songs like Eve, or even a jam like Bombay Vindaloo? Any consideration for those, or have you seen them?

[Setlist Scotty]

This is a fun and interesting challenge, especially given that I’ve seen DT 55 times since 1993, and I’ve only missed a few tours, including the entire AVFtTotW tour cycle. As such, I’ve seen all of WDaDU, IaW, Awake, SFaM, SDoIT, ToT, 8v, ADToE and TA, so none of those albums can be represented, and I’m only missing only a few tracks from each of the other albums aside from d/t and the latest one.

What about songs like Eve, or even a jam like Bombay Vindaloo? Any consideration for those, or have you seen them?

Great question - actually I saw TLF and Eve at my very first show, but I never did get to see any of the other instrumental jams from the 1992/1993 tours. So Moon Bubbles, Slow Motion, Bombay Vindaloo and Barfbag would all be options that I could include, and since I'm a big fan of both Bombay Vindaloo and Barfbag, I probably could alter the setlists to include those two although I'm too lazy to do so at the moment. 

[RaiseTheKnife]

Hmm, when I see DT next week I believe it will be my 50th show since 1994, so like Setlist Scotty, the below will mostly consist of deep cuts.  And I won't include tracks that will become ineligible as of 7/25/23. 

Behind the Veil
Room 137
Cover My Eyes
You Not Me
Transcending Time
Wither
Surrender to Reason
Vacant
Anna Lee
Disappear

Encore (featuring MP)
Raw Dog
Repentance
Best of Times

Definitely not a setlist that would have wide appeal, but I’d love it!  I tried making a setlist with only songs DT has played live, but a good chunk of it ended up comprised of the Majesty demo, Moonbubbles and Canadian Rap.  Just didn’t feel right.

[Trav86]

Hmm, when I see DT next week I believe it will be my 50th show since 1994, so like Setlist Scotty, the below will mostly consist of deep cuts.  And I won't include tracks that will become ineligible as of 7/25/23. 

Behind the Veil
Room 137
Cover My Eyes
You Not Me
Transcending Time
Wither
Surrender to Reason
Vacant
Anna Lee
Disappear

Encore (featuring MP)
Raw Dog
Repentance
Best of Times

Definitely not a setlist that would have wide appeal, but I’d love it!  I tried making a setlist with only songs DT has played live, but a good chunk of it ended up comprised of the Majesty demo, Moonbubbles and Canadian Rap.  Just didn’t feel right.

Raw Dog has to be the worst song in their catalog, but I would be cheering if they started playing it at a show I was attending.

[Freeze]

1.The Ones Who Help To Set the Sun
2.Innocence Faded
3.S2N
4.Speak To Me
5.Light Fuse And Get Away
6.Space-Dye Vest
7.Overture 1928
8.Strange Deja-Vu
9.Fatal Tragedy
10.The Looking Glass
12.Breaking All Illusions
13.The Killing Hand

Encore
14.Beaneath the Surface
15.A Change Of Seasons

[pg1067]

This is a fun and interesting challenge, especially given that I’ve seen DT 55 times since 1993, and I’ve only missed a few tours, including the entire AVFtTotW tour cycle. As such, I’ve seen all of WDaDU, IaW, Awake, SFaM, SDoIT, ToT, 8v, ADToE and TA, so none of those albums can be represented, and I’m only missing only a few tracks from each of the other albums aside from d/t and the latest one.

What about songs like Eve, or even a jam like Bombay Vindaloo? Any consideration for those, or have you seen them?

Great question - actually I saw TLF and Eve at my very first show, but I never did get to see any of the other instrumental jams from the 1992/1993 tours. So Moon Bubbles, Slow Motion, Bombay Vindaloo and Barfbag would all be options that I could include, and since I'm a big fan of both Bombay Vindaloo and Barfbag, I probably could alter the setlists to include those two although I'm too lazy to do so at the moment. 

Both Barfbag and Bombay were only ever played in Europe (and Bombay only a handful of times), right?  Didn't some of Barfbag turn into the original Met2?

I saw Moon Bubbles, TLF and Eve during the first handful of shows I saw.  The only one of those I care for is Eve.  It worked well as a "let's slow things down" moment in those early shows.

[RaiseTheKnife]

I saw Eve in the 1998 holiday shows and it was a pure gem.  Sadly, I've never seen Kevin Moore play live, but that tour in 1993 was especially special for those that got to a show during that era.

[pg1067]

I saw Eve in the 1998 holiday shows and it was a pure gem.  Sadly, I've never seen Kevin Moore play live, but that tour in 1993 was especially special for those that got to a show during that era.

It's funny that we don't always appreciate this stuff as much as we "should" because we don't know what's going happen in the future.  My first two DT shows were in November 1992.  The first was at a tiny club where my own band had played a couple years earlier (the Marquee in Westminster, CA).  It's now a strip club .  We saw them 11 days later at another tiny club called Rhythm Cafe in San Diego (also no longer there).  Another strip club connection:  there was one right across the street, and I think we spent an hour or so there before the show.  We got the entirety of I&W plus OAMOT, Ytse Jam, Moon Bubbles, and Another Hand/TKH (not enough songs to rotate set lists yet!).  In between, the band flew all the way to Japan for three shows!  After the Marquee show, we got to spend a good 20 minutes talking with JM, JP, JLB and MP, and they signed my I&W CD booklet.  KM stayed on the bus.

My third show was in February 1993 at the Palace in Hollywood (now the Avalon).  It was a shorter set, with AFIL and YJ being the only WDADU songs in the set.  Alan White and Tony Kaye of Yes were in attendance, which I learned while waiting around behind the club after the show.  My friend and I were talking, and I happened to glance over and saw Alan White.  For some bizarre reason, my first instinct was to say, "ALAN WHITE!" somewhat loudly, which naturally caused him to startle.  I apologized and shook his hand.  The band shot the Take the Time video in the next couple days after this show.

Show #4 was in June 1993 at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim (you guessed it; it's not there anymore).  This time, we got Status Seeker, Puppies on Acid, To Live Forever, and Eve, with Eve being the first encore, leading into Learning to Live (WFS was used to lead into Surrounded).  I remember thinking that TLF was probably a song in the works that would show up on the next album, and it has never seemed like a finished song to me.  I'm pretty sure this was the show where I got KM to complete the signatures in my I&W CD booklet.  Of course, I'm fortunate to have gotten the signature since he wasn't around the next time I saw the band in December 1994.

EDIT:  typo

[RaiseTheKnife]

Great stories, thanks for sharing!

[jimgolf]

Cool stories 

Actually I kind of forgot about To Live Forever, but I've always really liked it and would've considered putting it on my list. It never made its way onto an album, but we did at least get a couple studio recorded versions of it.

[Schurftkut]

Octavarium
a fortune in lies
ytse jam
a mind beside itself
the way it used to be
disappear
s2n
to live forever

[Wim Kruithof]

Hmm, songs that I've never seen live.. 🤔

3. Hells Kitchen

They played Hells Kitchen here in the Netherlands (013, Tilburg) during the Images, Words & Beyond Tour back in 2017.

[Wim Kruithof]

I've been blessed to see Dream Theater 5 times since I became a fan back in '17. But there's still much left to hunger to;

act 1

- The Killing Hand 8.40
- Voices 9.54
- The Mirror 6.46
- This Dying Soul 11.25
- The Glass Prison 13.52

act 2

- Octavarium 24.00
- The Shattered Fortress 12.50
- Outcry 11.24
- Far From Heaven 3.57

Total of 100.48 min. when the studio versions are taken as the standard. I pressume the encore - since it's an encore - doesn't count on the total minute-rule. So this is were the Illumination Theory comes in.

encore

- Illumination Theory 22.18

[svisser]

First Act:

Awaken the Master
This Dying Soul
Voices
Hollow Years
Invisible Monster
Panic Attack
Never Enough
Sacrificed Sons
Octavarium


Encore:

When the Water Breaks (LTE)
Raise the Knife (FFIF demo)
Anna Lee
Pull Me Under

I honestly think they should bring in more LTE stuff in, or do another thing in the vein of Instrumedely. Give James more chances to rest. I have heard PMU live, but it would just be a great closer. This is also an imagined setlist for an Octavarium anniversary of some sort.

[Bluefish]

The Glass Prison 13:52
I Walk Beside You 4:29
Innocence Faded 5:42
Afterlife 5:26
Erotomania 6:44
Raise The Knife 11:40
Stream Of Consciousness 11:16
In The Presence Of Enemies - Part II 16:38
Octavarium 24:00

Total time: 99:47

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Have they ever played S2N live? I would love to see that- think it would be a great live tune that energizes the crowd.

[Architeuthis]

Have they ever played S2N live? I would love to see that- think it would be a great live tune that energizes the crowd.

Oh heck yeah!  I'm surprised they haven't played that song live yet..
I wonder how thay go about making a setlist? I can only imagine the conversation: "oh yeah S2N is a great rocker with high energy but we better leave it out this time"   
I know the Rush fans would be happy if they played this song including myself. 

[Ben_Jamin]

Have they ever played S2N live? I would love to see that- think it would be a great live tune that energizes the crowd.

You think JLB would be able to sing that song live....

[wasteland]

Bit wonky and certainly not a setlist to appeal to the masses, but I'd probably go out of my way to actually attend.

- The Alien
- Innocence Faded
- Cover My Eyes
- The Killing Hand
- Sleeping Giant
- Panic Attack
-----------
- Eve
- Erotomania
- Voices
- Out Of Reach
- Lines In The Sand
-----------
- Vacant
- Stream Of Consciousness
- A View From The Top Of The World

[Ben_Jamin]

Bit wonky and certainly not a setlist to appeal to the masses, but I'd probably go out of my way to actually attend.

- The Alien
- Innocence Faded
- Cover My Eyes
- The Killing Hand
- Sleeping Giant
- Panic Attack
-----------
- Eve
- Erotomania
- Voices
- Out Of Reach
- Lines In The Sand
-----------
- Vacant
- Stream Of Consciousness
- A View From The Top Of The World

I actually wouldn't mind attending that show.

[OpenYourEyes311]

Bit wonky and certainly not a setlist to appeal to the masses, but I'd probably go out of my way to actually attend.

- The Alien
- Innocence Faded
- Cover My Eyes
- The Killing Hand
- Sleeping Giant
- Panic Attack
-----------
- Eve
- Erotomania
- Voices
- Out Of Reach
- Lines In The Sand
-----------
- Vacant
- Stream Of Consciousness
- A View From The Top Of The World

This would be a top tier DT show for me. Maybe #1!

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Have they ever played S2N live? I would love to see that- think it would be a great live tune that energizes the crowd.

Oh heck yeah!  I'm surprised they haven't played that song live yet..
I wonder how thay go about making a setlist? I can only imagine the conversation: "oh yeah S2N is a great rocker with high energy but we better leave it out this time"   
I know the Rush fans would be happy if they played this song including myself. 

I also think it is relatively straight forward to play on guitar and bass so I am not sure why they have neglected it. Maybe it's my imagination but I feel like the band repeated a bunch of songs on these last 2 legs that they've already done earlier in the MM era...Bridges, 6:00, Endless Sacrifice. I love Bridges and Endless but there are so many great songs like S2N that have been skipped entirely.

[JediKnight1969]

-   In the presence of enemies part 1 (9:00)
-   Forsaken (5:35)
-   Blind faith (10:21)
-   Take the time (8:21)
-   Octavarium (24:00)
-   Stream of consciousness (11:16)
-   In the presence of enemies part 2 (16:38)
-   Learning to live (11:30)