Dream Theater - London Review

Dream Theater are an example of what is possible, commercially, in the modern progressive rock world. While not exactly a 'modern' band, considering that their first album was released in 1989, they are the band that certainly spearheaded probably the third big wave of progressive music throughout the 1990s - and they still have an enduring popularity the world over. This is key because, all too often, progressive music is seen as something niche and only enjoyed by a select few who truly 'get it'. In truth, this is a viewpoint that often emanates just as strongly from inside the prog community as it does from the outside, with certainly elements of the prog fanbase being extremely insular and acting as gatekeepers - letting only the worthy enter into the prog world. This sort of attitude, from both 'sides' is frustrating - but it is also what makes bands like Dream Theater special. While the American five-piece certainly are not the only 'large' prog band still regularly touring the world in 2020, they are one of the handful of acts that seems to transcend genre boundaries and expectations. Dream Theater crowds are always pretty diverse, a place where the grizzled classic rock fan, the most ardent metalhead, and the jazz-fusion freak all feel at home - with the band offering something different to each. While ostentatiously a progressive metal act, and arguably one of the best and most important of all time, Dream Theater are a band that often incorporate a lot of other sounds into their music. The four musicians that make up the bulk of the band are all masters of their craft - true virtuosos - and in frontman James LaBrie Dream Theater have a singer who versatile, yet humble, enough to keep up with the rigours of the band's music - as well as knowing when to step back to allow the band's instrumental prowess to truly shine. Dream Theater's approach, that balances soaring melodies with extremely technical instrumental workouts, is one that has been fine-tuned over the years; with all five of the band's members knowing their role and place within the machine. It is this balance that makes a Dream Theater concert such a special experience, and I have made every effort to get to their UK tours over the past decade. This month saw the band's recent run of dates, announced partly to support 2019's Distance Over Time (an album that many saw as a return to form) and partly to celebrate 1999's Metropolis - Part 2: Scenes from a Memory - an album that is often regarded as one of the band's best works. Last year was the album's 20th anniversary, and the band have been on the road since March 2019 playing the Scenes from a Memory album in full as well as showcasing some of their new material. The show I took in was at the Hammermsith Apollo; the first of a two-night run that will be immortalised on a future live album release in the future. The band have played the Apollo numerous times over the years, and unsurprisingly the place was full. Carrying on with the tradition of their recent tours the show took on an 'Evening With...' format, featuring no support act and a lengthy Dream Theater set that certainly wowed the gathered crowd.

The structure of the show was very similar the band's 2017 UK tour, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of 1992's Images and Words, with the evening being split into two halves - with an encore following. The Scenes from a Memory set was kept for the show's second half, as the band warmed the crowd up with a powerful, six-song hour of music that was largely made up of cuts from Distance Over Time. While I am sure the highlights for many came during the show's second half, the opening moments of the evening were still special. The band took to the stage against a soaring cinematic backdrop, and immediately launched into the weighty riff to Untethered Angel - with John Petrucci (guitar/vocals) leading the charge with his muscular playing. It was clear from the off that the evening was going to be a special one, as the sound was crystal clear and loud from the get-go - with the band needing very little time to bed in. John Myung (bass guitar) was nice and high in the mix, which gave the band added weight, while (for the most part at least) LaBrie's vocals cut through the band's patented complex metal sound with ease. LaBrie can be a bit of a hit and miss live performer but, aside for a couple of rough moments during Untethered Angel, he sounded great. His floaty, emotional voice is the perfect foil for the band's heft, and he turned in a strong showing, particularly during the most emotional moments of Scenes from a Memory's story and the epic A Nightmare to Remember which followed Untethered Angel. The Black Clouds & Silver Linings opener has always been one of my favourite Dream Theater tracks, and it was great to finally hear it live. From the heavy, gothic-tinged opening section, through the gorgeous atmospheric mid-section, to the chaotic lengthy instrumental closing moments the song is a true Dream Theater classic. Petrucci and Jordan Rudess (keyboards) demonstrated their prowess multiple times throughout the track, and the song was greatly enhanced without Mike Portnoy's rough attempt at harsh vocals towards the end - with LaBrie instead delivering the section with a creepy, Alice Cooper-esque delivery that worked a treat. The rest of the first set really whizzed by, with the shorter Paralyzed and Barstool Warrior showcasing the concise sound of the band's latest album; while the rarely-played In the Presence of Enemies - Part I contained some of the most impressive soloing of the opening portion of the night. The track has a fairly lengthy instrumental intro, with both guitar and keyboard-led sections, before LaBrie danced back onto the stage to sing the more direct vocal-led sections with a certain amount of grit. This grit was carried over into Pale Blue Dot, the closing number of the evening's first set, which showcased more great soloing - as well as an atmospheric chorus that saw LaBrie and Petrucci harmonising well together to fill the Apollo with their voices.

A 20 minute intermission followed Pale Blue Dot, with the screen behind the band's gear coming to life just before the show re-started introducing the crowd to what was to come. Being a concept album, Scenes from a Memory really is an album that benefits from being played in full, and the story was somewhat played out in an animated form on the screen as the band played. Since the album's original tour, full performances of the album have been few and far between - with this latest tour being the first opportunity for many to witness it in full in a live setting. With the exception of a short breather between Through Her Eyes and Home to allow LaBrie to briefly address the crowd, the evening's second set was one continual piece of music - with the songs flowing together as they do on the original album. It started calmly, with LaBrie's gentle voice and Petrucci's acoustic guitar, but soon kicked up a few gears with the grand instrumental opening Overture 1928 and the riff-driven Strange Déjà Vu getting the album underway proper. For many people Scenes from a Memory is the band's magnum opus, so picking out highlights for this portion of the night was always going to be very difficult. The album has no true weak moments, with every song coming together in service of the overall story, and mood, of the piece as a whole. As a result, the atmosphere during the second set was particularly strong, with the crowd often singing the words along with LaBrie loudly - showing the band's penchant for an anthemic rock melody to sit alongside their overblown shredded instrumentals. This is perhaps why the album's long-form pieces, Beyond This Life and Home in particular stood out, as both really showcased all sides of this multi-faceted band. LaBrie was really on top form during the Scenes from a Memory set, belting out the vocals with real passion, while the rest of the band all took their multiple moments to shine with gusto. Home in particular was jaw-dropping, with perhaps the best moment coming when Rudess strapped on his keytar and walked to the front of the stage to rip into a great old-school sounding synth solo. The calmer moments also shone however, with the Pink Floyd-influenced Through Her Eyes bringing the best out of LaBrie and the stunning power ballad The Spirit Carries On containing a more restrained solo from Petrucci - but one that showcased the great emotional side to his playing. Instrumentally however, everything paled in comparison to the explosive, dynamic instrumental piece The Dance of Eternity, which featured some of Mike Mangini's (drums) best drumming of the evening and some excellent ragtime piano from Rudess. It is one of the band's best instrumental workouts, and it was great to hear it live again - with a deserving ovation following as the piece moved into One Last Time. By this point however, the end was nigh and Finally Free finished off the album's story and brought the bulk of the evening to a close. The band received a standing ovation as they trooped off following Scenes from a Memory's conclusion, and the cheering brought them back out for one more - the epic At Wit's End from the latest album. It was hard to follow the Scenes from a Memory performance, but At Wit's End had the scope and melody to hold its own, and it closed the evening out in fine fashion. The setlist was:

Untethered Angel
A Nightmare to Remember
Paralyzed
Barstool Warrior
In the Presence of Enemies - Part I
Pale Blue Dot
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Scene One: Regression
Scene Two - Part I: Overture 1928
Scene Two - Part II: Strange Déjà Vu
Scene Three - Part I: Through My Words
Scene Three - Part II: Fatal Tragedy
Scene Four: Beyond This Life
Scene Five: Through Her Eyes
Scene Six: Home
Scene Seven - Part I: The Dance of Eternity
Scene Seven - Part II: One Last Time
Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
Scene Nine: Finally Free
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At Wit's End

At close to three hours, Dream Theater's latest London show was another epic night of music that was a lot to digest - but also full of so many highlights. This was my fourth time seeing the band live, and each show has been special for different reasons. I had not seen the band perform most of the songs featured this time live before, and the full performance of Scenes from a Memory will no doubt be one of the gigging highlights of the year. The five tracks representing Distance Over Time more than held their own too however, with the band proving that they are just about the now as much as the past - and I hope the band do not leave it too long before returning to the UK again.