Dream Theater - Birmingham Review

Considering that I saw Dream Theater last April at the OVO Arena in Wembley, I was not expecting to see the legendary American progressive metal band again so soon. Dream Theater are a prolific band when it comes to releasing new albums, so tend to only visit the UK once per album cycle, but, for whatever reason, 2021's A View from the Top of the World has been deemed worthy of a second run of European shows. Perhaps the notoriously busy band are trying to make up for lost time following a relative lack of live activity throughout 2020 and 2021, or perhaps they are trying to capitalise on the excellent reviews that their 2021 opus received upon its release. Either way, though, I was surprised when, at the back end of last year, the band announced a second run of European shows - which included a handful of UK dates. Considering that I had essentially just seen the band, I initially talked myself out of buying a ticket. Not much would be different I told myself, but then I saw a video online from John Petrucci (guitar/vocals) in which he said that the setlist on this European run would be different from the 2022 tour. This, as well as finding out that some of the tickets for the Birmingham show were very affordable indeed, was all that I needed to put a plan together. As previously hinted at, I opted for the Birmingham show - at the excellent Symphony Hall. With the exception of a 2017 show in Cardiff, all of my other Dream Theater live experiences have been in London. With the Birmingham show on a Saturday, though, as well as it being at the Symphony Hall, I opted this time to head to the Midlands rather than to London for my latest fix of Dream Theater live. I have been to the Symphony Hall a few times over the years, and every experience has been positive. It is one of the best venues in the country that I have been to for sound quality, and it is also a pleasant place to be - with comfortable seats throughout and great views from wherever you happen to find yourself. Given that I had bought one of the cheapest tickets, I was sat in the Grand Circle - the highest tier of seating. I had sat in that part of the venue before, though, so knew that the view would still be great despite the height. As was the case last year, too, the band opted to again bring a support band with them. This has been relatively rare in recent years, with the band opting for lengthy 'Evening with...'-type shows - but perhaps these three hour marathons were starting to take their toll. As much as I loved seeing the longer shows of the past, last year's two hour show was still excellent. Given that there was a support act, I expected a similar length set this time - and when I arrived at the venue it was clear from the details on the wall that was indeed to be the case. I got there around half an hour before the support, so took my seat and watched the hall fill up. I have certainly seen bigger crowds in the Symphony Hall, but the place was still pretty full - and the atmosphere was great throughout, with the crowd being well-behaved and attentive.

The Finnish power metal band Arion had been playing with Dream Theater on the whole European run, and the five-piece hit the stage at 7:30pm with a flurry of drums and riffing. I only really became aware of Arion when they were announced as the support for this tour, but I have enjoyed listening to their most recent couple of albums over the past month - so was looking forward to seeing what the band would be like live. They only had half an hour to play with, but they made it count with a powerful six-song set that showcased their fast-paced, old-school power metal sound. I say old-school, as the band are certainly more guitar-driven than some power metal bands. There were lots of keyboards throughout, too, courtesy of Arttu Vauhkonen, but on the whole the songs were driven by the guitars of principal songwriter Iivo Kaipainen. Kaipainen's riffing was powerful throughout, and each song also featured plenty of shredded soloing. There were some great keyboard melodies and solos, too, but the it was Kaipainen who impressed the most. I had wondered if Arion's simpler, more overtly-melodic sound might not go down so well with a prog crowd - but Arion received a strong reception from the off. In fairness, the band really worked hard to get everyone on board. Frontman Lassi Vääränen barely stood still throughout the band's set, and he certainly did his job well - as after a couple of songs the cheers from the crowd were pretty loud. It helped, too, that the sound for Arion was excellent. Thankfully they did not have to contend with trademark muddy support band sound, and everything was clear - from Vääränen's powerful vocals to Vauhkonen's keyboard flourishes. This demonstrated that there were more layers to the band's songs that it perhaps first seemed - particularly when it came to the interplay between the guitars and the keyboards. Arion could not be confused for a progressive metal band due to their short songs and reliance on huge choruses, but there was still a lot of technical ability on show when it came to the soloing in particular. As someone who loves a big chorus, though, the amount of hooks pleased me. Songs like the huge I'm Here to Save You really hit the spot, whilst other songs like Punish You showcased the band at their heaviest. I recognised all of the songs from my pre-gig listening, too, which shows that Arion are the sort of band that stick in the brain pretty quickly. The big single At the Break of Dawn, with the disembodied voice of Amaranthe's Elize Ryd duetting with Vääränen, closed the set - and it was easily the hookiest moment of the night. The band even managed to elicit something of a sing-a-long, which was nice to see, and the chorus hooks were swirling around my head during the interval that followed. A job well done for Arion, then, and I will certainly be paying them more attention going forward. The setlist was:

The End of the Fall

No One Stands in My Way

I'm Here to Save You

Punish You

Unforgivable

Bloodline

At the Break of Dawn

Following a 30 minute break, the lights went down and Dream Theater slowly took to the stage - launching into The Alien following a cinematic intro. There were similarities between this show and the one last year, with the opening two numbers mirrored the 2022 gig. I was pleased with how different the two sets were, though, and I thought that the one from last night's show was perhaps a little more balanced overall. I thought that the 2022 show was very much a showcase for the band's heavier side - whereas last night also included a few more overtly-melodic pieces. Both sets were great, though, and The Alien certainly got the show off to a heavy start - and there was still understandably a focus on the 2021 album throughout the night, albeit with a few different cuts being played this time. Given the excellence of the venue, too, the sound throughout was clear. Frontman James LaBrie was occasionally a bit low in the mix, but this was not a problem too often - and the singer often powered through the high-octane riffing of the band nicely, and he made his mark during the Grammy-winning The Alien. A busy drum intro from Mike Mangini then heralded the arrival of 6:00, with the off-kilter song once again impressing. It was a great drum showcase for Mangini, but there was also lots of strong organic keyboard playing from Jordan Rudess. He does not tend to use organ sounds that often, so the old-school sounding 6:00 provided something different. The first change in the setlist came with Sleeping Giant. The track has always been a favourite of mine from the latest album, so it was great to hear the song live. It opened slowly, but soon got going with a lot more big riffing from Petrucci - before the cinematic chorus proved to be another showcase for LaBrie. Despite only having seen the band last April, there were a number of the songs played that I was very happy to have the chance to hear live again. One was the epic Bridges in the Sky, which is a song that has grown on me a lot over the years. I have always liked it, but in recent times it has become a real favourite. From its organic opening, through its soaring chorus, to the excellent instrumental mid-section, the song is one of the band's best works in my opinion - and it unsurprisingly received a big cheer as it came to its tribal conclusion.

A few shorter pieces followed, with the hooky and AOR-influenced Caught in a Web impressing. I had not seen the band do that one for quite a few years, and the poppy track went down well following the lengthy opening cuts. This segued nicely into another newer track, Answering the Call - which has a somewhat more atmospheric sound than much of what had come before. Rudess' keyboards shone as a result - but there was still plenty of heavy riffing throughout. The biggest treat of the night, though, came next - with the band pulling the final three parts of the Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence suite out of the vault. One of the other parts of the suite was included last year, but this time a larger chunk was played. It all kicked off with the upbeat and acoustic-led Solitary Shell, which proved to be a big sing-a-long, before the final two sections added a heaviness as well as soaring strings to round out this trip back in time. Looking to keep the upbeat vibe going, Pull Me Under was then played. The band's sole 'hit' has never really been a setlist staple, at least in recent years, so it was fun to hear it - as again it encouraged everyone in the crowd to sing. It is a song with an anthemic quality to it, and it worked well to get everyone on their feet before the lengthy set-closing number that was to follow. As was the case last year, the set came to an end with the title track from the latest album. It is impressive song, and it was great to have the opportunity to hear it live again - as I cannot imagine it being wheeled out too often following this album cycle. There are lots of great moments in the song, but for me the atmospheric, murky mid-section is the bit that stood out the most last night - with LaBrie in particular shining during it. It brought the set to an epic close, and the band then left the stage to huge cheers. Following a couple of minutes, though, the opening guitar moments of The Count of Tuscany rang out around the venue. I have always loved the song, but it has really risen up the ranks of late - and it has become one of my very favourite Dream Theater songs. I was not complaining about getting another chance to hear it live, then, and every part of the lengthy track was performed perfectly. With the exception of that epic closing section, with its soaring strings and emotional vocals, it was Petrucci's Echoes-inspired mid-section that impressed the most last night. His playing oozed emotion, and it was a great coda to a fantastic set - with the ending of the song also including a little tease of Black Sabbath's self-titled song to pay tribute to the city's most famous metal band. The setlist was:

The Alien

6:00

Sleeping Giant

Bridges in the Sky

Caught in a Web

Answering the Call

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Part VI: Solitary Shell

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Part VII: About to Crash [Reprise]

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence - Part VIII: Losing Time/Grand Finale

Pull Me Under

A View from the Top of the World

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The Count of Tuscany/Black Sabbath [Black Sabbath cover]

Dream Theater shows are always a treat, and last night in Birmingham was no different. The band delivered as they always do, and it was great to hear a varied mix of material - including five songs which I had not seen the band do live before. I will never tire of seeing Dream Theater live, and I imagine that it will be a little while before they return to the UK again - having now visited twice within the space of a year. I imagine that when they return, though, that they will have a new album in tow - and it will be another night to remember.