20 Years aboard the Train of Thought

[wolfking]

My fav DT album.  I remember going to the CD store and picking it up on release after school.  Putting it in the car and was blown away.  Incredible album.  I never get tired of it.

[romdrums]

I LOVED this album when it came out.  I was ready for them to do something like this, and I feel like my tastes and this album aligned damn near perfectly for that moment in time.  I saw them twice on the tour, in Chicago and Detroit, and both sets were ridiculous, especially the Chicago show! Here's that setlist:

3/19/2004 Chicago, IL

(previous show) (return to list of shows) (next show)

Venue: Riveria Theater
Other Act(s): no other acts

Set List:
band history video (intro tape)
1. As I Am
2. The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)
3. Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv section)
4. Hollow Years (w/ extended guitar solo)
5. Caught in a Web
6. Endless Sacrifice
7. To Live Forever/extended improv jam
8. A Fortune in Lies
9. Trial of Tears
~~~intermission~~~
10. The Glass Prison
11. This Dying Soul
12. Another Day
13. Vacant
14. Stream of Consciousness
15. In the Name of God
~~~encore~~~
Dead Poets Society (intro tape)
16. A Change of Seasons

I still rate this as the best DT show I've seen.  They were dialed in and on fire!

I saw them again in Detroit a few days later. Also a great set, and they actually performed the entire album on that show. The jam after Another Day was crazy cool, and I could see the eye contact between JR, JP and MP that they tapped into the muse and just rode the wave for a while. It was awesome!! Here's that set:

3/22/2004 Detroit, MI

(previous show) (return to list of shows) (next show)

Venue: State Theater
Other Act(s): no other acts

Set List:
band history video (intro tape)
1. As I Am
2. This Dying Soul
3. Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv section)
4. Through Her Eyes
5. Caught in a Web
6. Endless Sacrifice
7. Trial of Tears
~~~intermission~~~
8. The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)
9. Honor Thy Father
10. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
11. Another Day
12. spontaneous improv jam
13. Vacant
14. Stream of Consciousness
15. Finally Free
~~~encore~~~
16. In the Name of God

I don't really listen to the album much anymore, and it has fallen in my rankings a little bit, but man, it was my absolute jam from it's release until early 2005.

[KevShmev]

I was at the infamous show here in St Louis where the guy fell out of the balcony when Portnoy threw his drumsticks into the crowd (I believe that is when Portnoy put an end to that practice).  My memory of that show is getting all of A Change of Seasons at the start of the second set, which ruled.

[The Paddies]

I LOVED this album when it came out.  I was ready for them to do something like this, and I feel like my tastes and this album aligned damn near perfectly for that moment in time.  I saw them twice on the tour, in Chicago and Detroit, and both sets were ridiculous, especially the Chicago show! Here's that setlist:

3/19/2004 Chicago, IL

(previous show) (return to list of shows) (next show)

Venue: Riveria Theater
Other Act(s): no other acts

Set List:
band history video (intro tape)
1. As I Am
2. The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)
3. Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv section)
4. Hollow Years (w/ extended guitar solo)
5. Caught in a Web
6. Endless Sacrifice
7. To Live Forever/extended improv jam
8. A Fortune in Lies
9. Trial of Tears
~~~intermission~~~
10. The Glass Prison
11. This Dying Soul
12. Another Day
13. Vacant
14. Stream of Consciousness
15. In the Name of God
~~~encore~~~
Dead Poets Society (intro tape)
16. A Change of Seasons

I still rate this as the best DT show I've seen.  They were dialed in and on fire!

I saw them again in Detroit a few days later. Also a great set, and they actually performed the entire album on that show. The jam after Another Day was crazy cool, and I could see the eye contact between JR, JP and MP that they tapped into the muse and just rode the wave for a while. It was awesome!! Here's that set:

3/22/2004 Detroit, MI

(previous show) (return to list of shows) (next show)

Venue: State Theater
Other Act(s): no other acts

Set List:
band history video (intro tape)
1. As I Am
2. This Dying Soul
3. Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv section)
4. Through Her Eyes
5. Caught in a Web
6. Endless Sacrifice
7. Trial of Tears
~~~intermission~~~
8. The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)
9. Honor Thy Father
10. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
11. Another Day
12. spontaneous improv jam
13. Vacant
14. Stream of Consciousness
15. Finally Free
~~~encore~~~
16. In the Name of God

I don't really listen to the album much anymore, and it has fallen in my rankings a little bit, but man, it was my absolute jam from it's release until early 2005.

Awesome setlists. And this shows why it's worth to change (part of) setlists around during a tour. As a fan you feel treated and surprised.

[wolfking]

I LOVED this album when it came out.  I was ready for them to do something like this, and I feel like my tastes and this album aligned damn near perfectly for that moment in time.  I saw them twice on the tour, in Chicago and Detroit, and both sets were ridiculous, especially the Chicago show! Here's that setlist:

3/19/2004 Chicago, IL

(previous show) (return to list of shows) (next show)

Venue: Riveria Theater
Other Act(s): no other acts

Set List:
band history video (intro tape)
1. As I Am
2. The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)
3. Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv section)
4. Hollow Years (w/ extended guitar solo)
5. Caught in a Web
6. Endless Sacrifice
7. To Live Forever/extended improv jam
8. A Fortune in Lies
9. Trial of Tears
~~~intermission~~~
10. The Glass Prison
11. This Dying Soul
12. Another Day
13. Vacant
14. Stream of Consciousness
15. In the Name of God
~~~encore~~~
Dead Poets Society (intro tape)
16. A Change of Seasons

I still rate this as the best DT show I've seen.  They were dialed in and on fire!

I saw them again in Detroit a few days later. Also a great set, and they actually performed the entire album on that show. The jam after Another Day was crazy cool, and I could see the eye contact between JR, JP and MP that they tapped into the muse and just rode the wave for a while. It was awesome!! Here's that set:

3/22/2004 Detroit, MI

(previous show) (return to list of shows) (next show)

Venue: State Theater
Other Act(s): no other acts

Set List:
band history video (intro tape)
1. As I Am
2. This Dying Soul
3. Beyond This Life (w/ extended improv section)
4. Through Her Eyes
5. Caught in a Web
6. Endless Sacrifice
7. Trial of Tears
~~~intermission~~~
8. The Mirror/The Mirror (reprise)
9. Honor Thy Father
10. The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
11. Another Day
12. spontaneous improv jam
13. Vacant
14. Stream of Consciousness
15. Finally Free
~~~encore~~~
16. In the Name of God

I don't really listen to the album much anymore, and it has fallen in my rankings a little bit, but man, it was my absolute jam from it's release until early 2005.

That first set is an absolute thing if beauty.  Holy shit.

[Kyo]

Yeah, whatever one thought of the album, there's no denying that the Train of Thought tour was pretty amazing. They covered so much of their catalog then - here's just two nights I saw back to back at the end of January 2004:

January 30, 2004
Westfalenhalle, Dortmund

Set 1:
As I Am
This Dying Soul
Under a Glass Moon
Hollow Years
War Inside My Head
The Test That Stumped Them All
Beyond This Life
Endless Sacrifice
Caught in a Web
Finally Free

Set 2:
A Change of Seasons
Another Day
Goodnight Kiss
Solitary Shell
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Stream of Consciousness
In the Name of God

Encore 1:
Heaven and Hell (Black Sabbath cover)

Encore 2:
Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper



January 31, 2004
Stadthalle, Fürth

Set 1:
As I Am
Honor Thy Father
Through My Words
Fatal Tragedy
Endless Sacrifice
Erotomania
Voices
The Silent Man
Finally Free

Set 2:
The Glass Prison
This Dying Soul
Another Day
Only a Matter of Time
Vacant
Stream of Consciousness
In the Name of God

Encore:
Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper


That's over 3.5 hours of unique material across two consecutive nights. The full repertoire they were picking from at the time included several more DT songs (over 4 hours total) plus the occasional cover song here and there. Crazy stuff.

[Jamesman42]

It was the current album when I discovered DT. As I Am was one of the first songs I ever heard.

I find the album to be incredible. It's in the middle of their best 3 album run, and contrasts against the proggy SDOIT nicely. I love every song.

Also, Endless Sacrifice is underrated, at least from what I remember a decade ago.

[Stadler]

If I got any ONE of those four setlists above, I'd be beyond words.  To have ALL FOUR OF THEM in the space of two months... GTFO.

[Indiscipline]

Dream Theater Setlist
at PalaMalaguti, Casalecchio di Reno, Italy

As I Am
The Mirror
Under a Glass Moon
Act I: Scene Three: I. Through My Words
Act I: Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy
Act I: Scene Four: Beyond This Life
Endless Sacrifice
Trial of Tears

Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
This Dying Soul
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Act I: Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
Goodnight Kiss
Solitary Shell
Stream of Consciousness
(without Jordan Rudess due to rig breaking down.)

Encore:
In the Name of God

This is the show I went to, I misremembered the Jordanless song

[Jamesman42]

SoC without JR - I would like to hear that just to hear what it sounds like.

[Indiscipline]

SoC without JR - I would like to hear that just to hear what it sounds like.

Like a stream of 10000 Italians cursing

[TheHoveringSojourn808]

ToT was the existing "latest" album when I became a fan in the lead up to Octavarium's release. Overall it's not one of my favorites by them but it's an incredibly solid album

[MirrorMask]

Dream Theater Setlist
at PalaMalaguti, Casalecchio di Reno, Italy

As I Am
The Mirror
Under a Glass Moon
Act I: Scene Three: I. Through My Words
Act I: Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy
Act I: Scene Four: Beyond This Life
Endless Sacrifice
Trial of Tears

Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
This Dying Soul
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Act I: Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
Goodnight Kiss
Solitary Shell
Stream of Consciousness
(without Jordan Rudess due to rig breaking down.)

Encore:
In the Name of God

This is the show I went to, I misremembered the Jordanless song

And two days before, this was my sick show in Milan:

As I Am
This Dying Soul
Beyond This Life (with improvised jam)
Hollow Years
War Inside My Head
The Test That Stumped Them All
Endless Sacrifice
Another Day
Only a Matter of Time
Finally Free
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
New Millennium
Caught in a Web (with drum solo)
Honor Thy Father
Erotomania (preceded by Keyboard Solo)
Voices (Abridged)
The Silent Man
In the Name of God
================
Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden cover)
================
Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper


 

[DoctorAction]

It doesn't work for me. The shred feels pointless, the lyrics sound childish, the songs just aren't great. There's some good heavy moments. TDS intro for one. But overall, I dislike it a lot.

The lyrics to Just Let Me Breathe describe it well:
"Strike up your best angst-ridden posture.
Manufactured anger."

Props to them for trying something different, I guess? I liked Octavarium but, unfortunately for me, they brought a bunch of this "tough" metal style on SC and BCSL, and it just looks silly on them, imo. Lost my faith in the band then, and ToT was the start of that.

[Cool Chris]

I distinctly recall driving and hearing the DJ introduce the new song off DT's latest release, which I did not even know was out. As I Am hit, and I swear I started driving 5-10 MPH faster.

When I could I hit the record store, found the album, saw the tag on the plastic wrap that said something like "Dream Theater's Masterpiece of Modern Metal." My initial reactions were:

AIA: Hell yes, this rocks, can't wait to hear the rest!
TDS: Um... what was that?
ES: Back on track, that killed, let's go!
HTF: Well.. ok, some good stuff buried in the murk....
Vacant: Where did that come from? That was beautiful.
SoC: OMG that was a masterpiece of instrumentalism (not a word, I know)
ItNog: What a stellar way to end the al... what's with all the WEEDELY WEEDELY WEEDELY WEEDELY WEEDELY WEEDELY WEEDELY? Ok, it's over, what a way to finish an album!

That's not far off from how I feel it about it now. I don't listen to it often. If I do, I'll skip TDS and maybe HNF, but will really enjoy the rest. I don't get too invested in lyrics, as such nothing on ToT bothers me, I think all the lyrics are serviceable to very good. It was the point where I wondered 1) why are they making James sing like that and 2) these songs are getting longer than they need to be with instrumental sections that are dragging the song down.

[crystalstars17]

they brought a bunch of this "tough" metal style on SC and BCSL, and it just looks silly on them, imo.

Agreed, and it's exactly what I hope we DO NOT see more of going forward.

[Indiscipline]

Dream Theater Setlist
at PalaMalaguti, Casalecchio di Reno, Italy

As I Am
The Mirror
Under a Glass Moon
Act I: Scene Three: I. Through My Words
Act I: Scene Three: II. Fatal Tragedy
Act I: Scene Four: Beyond This Life
Endless Sacrifice
Trial of Tears

Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper
This Dying Soul
The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun
Act I: Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
Goodnight Kiss
Solitary Shell
Stream of Consciousness
(without Jordan Rudess due to rig breaking down.)

Encore:
In the Name of God

This is the show I went to, I misremembered the Jordanless song

And two days before, this was my sick show in Milan:

As I Am
This Dying Soul
Beyond This Life (with improvised jam)
Hollow Years
War Inside My Head
The Test That Stumped Them All
Endless Sacrifice
Another Day
Only a Matter of Time
Finally Free
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
New Millennium
Caught in a Web (with drum solo)
Honor Thy Father
Erotomania (preceded by Keyboard Solo)
Voices (Abridged)
The Silent Man
In the Name of God
================
Hallowed Be Thy Name (Iron Maiden cover)
================
Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper


 

Glorious set!

Out of topic: were you at the Arcimboldi for The Astonishing? If yes, I was the loud fock carrying a wife and a daughter around, both nights.

See you next tour?

[DoctorAction]

they brought a bunch of this "tough" metal style on SC and BCSL, and it just looks silly on them, imo.

Agreed, and it's exactly what I hope we DO NOT see more of going forward.

Absolutely.

[nobloodyname]

The rotating setlists were a thing of pure beauty, and those Train of Thought and Octavarium shows were the absolute pinnacle of their live performances. They've been nowhere close to that band for years now.

The flipside was you'd get the odd person whining, really whining, they missed out on XYZ song because they went on the wrong night. That'd be even worse what with the state of internet almost 20 years later.

[MirrorMask]

Out of topic: were you at the Arcimboldi for The Astonishing? If yes, I was the loud fock carrying a wife and a daughter around, both nights.

See you next tour?

I was at the last night of the Arcimboldi, the one before the supposed Trieste date that got cancelled.

And yup, I'm definitively gonna be there for the next tour!

[crystalstars17]

The rotating setlists were a thing of pure beauty, and those Train of Thought and Octavarium shows were the absolute pinnacle of their live performances. They've been nowhere close to that band for years now.

The flipside was you'd get the odd person whining, really whining, they missed out on XYZ song because they went on the wrong night. That'd be even worse what with the state of internet almost 20 years later.

Rotating setlists sound like an absolute nightmare. Especially if you do miss your bucket list song because they played it in the next city. Not everyone's schedule can allow for following them all over creation so that you may have a 25% chance of catching that song. I sincerely hope this is not a practice that is resumed. I'd rather know what I'm getting.

[nikatapi]

My introduction to DT, and one of my favorites (even though i got sick of it due to overlistening to it for about 2 years or so)

I think it is successful in the direction that DT wanted to follow. A heavy mix, some great songs, some instrumental craziness, i think this one has it all (even though JR is a bit underutilized in this album).

[nobloodyname]

The rotating setlists were a thing of pure beauty, and those Train of Thought and Octavarium shows were the absolute pinnacle of their live performances. They've been nowhere close to that band for years now.

The flipside was you'd get the odd person whining, really whining, they missed out on XYZ song because they went on the wrong night. That'd be even worse what with the state of internet almost 20 years later.

Rotating setlists sound like an absolute nightmare. Especially if you do miss your bucket list song because they played it in the next city. Not everyone's schedule can allow for following them all over creation so that you may have a 25% chance of catching that song. I sincerely hope this is not a practice that is resumed. I'd rather know what I'm getting.

What was I saying?

Look on the bright side, I imagine the likelihood of them playing a bucketlist song from what I believe is your preferred era has probably reduced, and rather dramatically so, in the last month.

[crystalstars17]

The rotating setlists were a thing of pure beauty, and those Train of Thought and Octavarium shows were the absolute pinnacle of their live performances. They've been nowhere close to that band for years now.

The flipside was you'd get the odd person whining, really whining, they missed out on XYZ song because they went on the wrong night. That'd be even worse what with the state of internet almost 20 years later.

Rotating setlists sound like an absolute nightmare. Especially if you do miss your bucket list song because they played it in the next city. Not everyone's schedule can allow for following them all over creation so that you may have a 25% chance of catching that song. I sincerely hope this is not a practice that is resumed. I'd rather know what I'm getting.

What was I saying?

Look on the bright side, I imagine the likelihood of them playing a bucketlist song from what I believe is your preferred era has probably reduced, and rather dramatically so, in the last month.

I have bucket list songs from all eras. Octavarium is my #1 bucket list song actually as it was my first introduction to the band. If I missed it I wouldn't just "whine", friend. I'd be legitimately disappointed.

[MirrorMask]

Let's be real: in a tour where Octavarium is in the set, it's gonna be played at every show. They're not gonna pull a Wrathchild and replace it with Pull Me Under or As I Am.

In the Images and Words and Beyond tour, it was the Astonishing songs that made way to the I&W b-sides, they did not drop A Change of Seasons for Don't Look Past Me.

[nobloodyname]

I can't imagine being "legitimately disappointed" over not hearing a song. Vocal performance, now that's a different matter. But to each their own, of course.

[crystalstars17]

I can't imagine being "legitimately disappointed" over not hearing a song. Vocal performance, now that's a different matter. But to each their own, of course.

Seriously? If you were not there for all the earlier eras and had never had the chance to hear your favorite classic song live, you would not be sad that you missed it if you were only able to catch one or two shows that year? You can't imagine for a moment what it's like to not take these things for granted?

[nobloodyname]

There just isn't a song in their catalogue (or indeed any band's catalogue) that I would honestly feel sad about not seeing if they played it the night before and not at 'my' night of attendance. I would settle for a unique show every single time and I'm less interested in a recital than a live performance. And that's why, to me, Mike's return may herald a brighter future in my fandom. It's also perfectly possible the setlists will remain static and they'll continue to adhere to the Mangini-suggested (and introduced)* click. And that'll be fine because I'll save money only going to one show per tour.

* He said in a recent interview, it's on YouTube somewhere, that the click was introduced because he suggested it to the band

[gzarruk]

I'm hoping for something similar to what they did for the ADTOE tour: A and B setlists with some songs rotating each night, but that's it.

What I definitely DO NOT want to return is the occasional "now we're gonna cover this classic album entirely".

[nobloodyname]

I'm hoping for something similar to what they did for the ADTOE tour: A and B setlists with some songs rotating each night, but that's it.

What I definitely DO NOT want to return is the occasional "now we're gonna cover this classic album entirely".

And yet the second night at Hammersmith in, ugh, forgotten, the mid-2000s is one of my most cherished memories. It was utterly magical.

Here you go.

25 October 2005, Hammersmith Odeon/Apollo, London

The Root of All Evil
The Mirror
Lie
Afterlife
Just Let Me Breathe
These Walls
I Walk Beside You
Raise the Knife
In the Name of God

Speak to Me
Breathe (In the Air)
On the Run
Time
Breathe (Reprise)
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
Learning to Live

[crystalstars17]

There just isn't a song in their catalogue (or indeed any band's catalogue) that I would honestly feel sad about not seeing if they played it the night before and not at 'my' night of attendance. I would settle for a unique show every single time and I'm less interested in a recital than a live performance.

And that's purely a matter of preference. Well as you said, "to each their own".

[TAC]

My kids were born in April 2001 and January 2003. It wasn't that my DT fandom dipped...well, it did dip, but it was more of an attention and time issue. I bought both 6 D's and Train Of Thought, but I generally listened to them on autopilot for the most part.

The day Train Of Thought was released, we were about to head home from Disney World, and we delayed the start of our drive home. We waited until the Virgin Megastore opened at Downtown Disney, so I could get Train Of Thought and have it to listen to for the ride home.

It took a bit to breakdown these long and dense songs. I remember feeling that As I Am was extremely pedestrian. And I remember thinking...jeez, this album is heavy. I should like it......more than I think I do.

I filed Train Of Thought in with the rest of my CDs and turned my attention to my young family. We were becoming aware that my oldest may have some..issues. I missed both the 6D's and Train Of Thought tours. Some of you have posted setlists from the tour, and the Boston show was no different.
I consider the Train Of Thought tour one of the best tours by any band. The shows were Zeppelingesque. I missed the tour, but I have collected as many bootlegs from the tour as I can.

Oddly, one day I was in Best Buy and I walked by the TV section, and believe it or not, they had their new live DVD on, Live At Budokan. I actually hadn't gotten around to buying it yet, but I just stood there. In awe. In that moment, my DT fanaticism was rekindled. I bought LaB, and signed up to the old DT.Net boards. (I had signed up during the SFAM cycle but having kids made me forget all about it)

The ToT songs that I thought were dense all came to life on LaB. I began to really understand them. Maybe it was the sound, as ToT, being made with Pro-Tools, sounds so sterile and samey. Maybe it was the performances, as the songs really breathed, or frankly, maybe it was my clearer headspace.

I was completely DT rejuvinated when Octavarium came out.

[gzarruk]

I'm hoping for something similar to what they did for the ADTOE tour: A and B setlists with some songs rotating each night, but that's it.

What I definitely DO NOT want to return is the occasional "now we're gonna cover this classic album entirely".

And yet the second night at Hammersmith in, ugh, forgotten, the mid-2000s is one of my most cherished memories. It was a utterly magical.

Here you go.

25 October 2005, Hammersmith Odeon/Apollo, London

The Root of All Evil
The Mirror
Lie
Afterlife
Just Let Me Breathe
These Walls
I Walk Beside You
Raise the Knife
In the Name of God

Speak to Me
Breathe (In the Air)
On the Run
Time
Breathe (Reprise)
The Great Gig in the Sky
Money
Us and Them
Any Colour You Like
Brain Damage
Eclipse

Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
Learning to Live

I'd really hate that if it was a show I went to

[hefdaddy42]

The rotating setlists were a thing of pure beauty, and those Train of Thought and Octavarium shows were the absolute pinnacle of their live performances. They've been nowhere close to that band for years now.

The flipside was you'd get the odd person whining, really whining, they missed out on XYZ song because they went on the wrong night. That'd be even worse what with the state of internet almost 20 years later.

Rotating setlists sound like an absolute nightmare. Especially if you do miss your bucket list song because they played it in the next city. Not everyone's schedule can allow for following them all over creation so that you may have a 25% chance of catching that song. I sincerely hope this is not a practice that is resumed. I'd rather know what I'm getting.

Nah.  That was easily the best live period for the band.

I would be a little surprised if the rest of the band went for full rotating lists like they used to do, but I hope they go back to SOME measure of rotation.  It makes each show its own event.  It also make me interested in bootlegs again.  Bootlegs were a HUGE part of DT fandom back in the day, because each show was different.  I mean, even if a couple of shows had identical setlists, they were still different, because there was no click track then, so they may play some songs with different feels, or tempos, or add in extra jam sessions or extended instrumentals, or throw in the occasional cover song.  Not much reason to collect bootlegs nowadays, since every show is a carbon copy of every other show.

[nobloodyname]

There just isn't a song in their catalogue (or indeed any band's catalogue) that I would honestly feel sad about not seeing if they played it the night before and not at 'my' night of attendance. I would settle for a unique show every single time and I'm less interested in a recital than a live performance.

Well as you said, "to each their own".

Yes, absolutely!