Dream Theater - London Review

Sometimes when walking out of a venue after a concert you think that what you have just witnessed was something special. Most concerts are special in a way but, in truth, the vast majority of them are a routine day's work for the band in question - but every so often a show comes around which feels like a momentous occasion, and a key touchstone in their history going forward. Last night's show by Dream Theater in a packed O2 Arena in London felt like one of those nights. The American progressive metal band are a true favourite of mine, and I had seen them live before a handful of times, but last night's showing was the best of the bunch - and by quite a significant margin. For those who have been paying attention, earlier this year Mike Portnoy (drums/vocals) returned to the band after a 14 year absence - following his somewhat acrimonious departure back in 2010. As one of the band's founding members and a significant contributor both musically and lyrically from their 1985 genesis until his departure in 2010, Portnoy was certainly missed. Dream Theater carried on successfully without him, with the excellent Mike Mangini behind the kit, but after seeing the band last night it was clear that something had been missing over the past 14 years. My first Dream Theater show came back in 2011, when they headlined the second and final High Voltage Festival, which was one of Mangini's first shows as a member of the band. I had only gotten into the band properly over the preceding couple of years, so had not seen them with Portnoy until yesterday, but I managed to see them six times over the Mangini era - which each show being an excellent and memorable experience. I had seen Portnoy a number of times, too, with Transatlantic, Twisted Sister, and Sons of Apollo, so I had been somewhat keeping up with his myriad of projects, but I remained fully committed to Dream Theater despite his absence - and, in my view, the band put out plenty of excellent albums over the past 14 years. As I said, though, I now realise that something had been missing - at least from a true chemistry perspective. It was clear from last night just how much natural chemistry and camaraderie there is between the band and Portnoy - particularly between him and John Petrucci (guitar/vocals) - in a way that there just never was between them and Mangini. This is to take nothing away from Mangini, who put in some monstrous performances behind the kit over the past 14 years, but I am not sure I truly appreciated how important Portnoy was to the band until last night. Speaking of the night, then, the show at the O2 was the first night of their lengthy 40th anniversary tour - which extends well into 2025. The band will release a new album Parasomnia next year, too, but the next few months are all about getting back out there again on tour - and a packed arena in London was the best way to get this new era underway. Given that Dream Theater have often been caught between venue sizes here, and their Birmingham show last year was not exactly bursting at the seams, I thought that the O2 was ambitious for them - but they packed the place out, even if some of the top-most tier was closed off. I imagine the show being the first of the tour meant that some people travelled from far and wide, though, and this was not just another London show.

Having reverted to more traditional set lengths post-pandemic, and having support bands on their last couple of tours, this tour sees the band return to their 'Evening with...' format - something which has generally served them well over the years. With a strict 10:30pm curfew and lots of music to squeeze in, the lights went down at 7:25pm to ensure that everything could fit. By this point, the venue was filled with a few thousand fervent fans - and the atmosphere was electric. Everyone was up for the show and the anticipation was apparent. Being the first night of the tour, too, no-one had any idea what songs the band would play - although it was clear that it was going to be a long one. I had not given the setlist too much thought, as I did not want to get caught up in it, but I had thought that the perfect opening track would be Metropolis - Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper - so when some classical music stopped playing over the PA, the lights went down, and the opening sound effects of the track could be heard, I was not all that surprised. It is a long-time fan-favourite that has not actually been played live that much in recent years - and as the curtain dropped as the band truly kicked in the place went wild. Dream Theater crowds can often be reserved and more appreciative than rowdy - but this was a loud crowd, with plenty of singing and air instruments on display throughout. It helped, too, that the sound, at least where I was sat, was excellent - particularly for an arena. The band sounded heavy, but Jordan Rudess' keyboards were always audible and frontman James LaBrie cut through the mix nicely. The mix allowed the intricacies in the band's music to shine through - and every solo and riff was lapped up by the expectant crowd. It was great not knowing what songs were to come so each in turn was a surprise. Following Metropolis - Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper, the band cleverly segued into the opening two songs from its sequel album - with the barnstorming Overture 1928 being a surprisingly emotional moment before Strange Déjà Vu upped the heaviness with some excellent riffing. With Portnoy back on backing vocal duty, too, there just seemed to be more vocal heft. He is not even a great singer, but his backing vocals always added a gruffness when needed - and he backed LaBrie nicely. LaBrie was, as is typical, a bit up and down. He sounded a bit rough during the first couple of songs in particular - but was generally pretty solid after that, with the heavier songs suiting his aging voice more. The first set was pretty heavy overall, in truth, and the crowd favourites came pretty thick and fast during this first hour-plus. The Mirror, which included a portion of Lie as the band often used to do, saw Petrucci rocking a seven-string guitar, whilst the snappy and riff-driven Panic Attack saw the band operating in full-on metal mode with very little prog to be seen. There was some respite with the more melodic and flowing Barstool Warrior, one of two Mangini-era songs played, and a fantastic rendition of Hollow Years. The latter was a bit of an overall highlight thanks to its extended guitar intro, sing-a-long chorus, and a lengthy outro which was led by Rudess' piano - giving the song something of a country/southern rock feel. There was more heaviness to come, though, with a huge version of Constant Motion and a real crowd-pleaser in As I Am bringing the first set to a metallic and hard-driving close.

A 20 minute break was announced, but it only turned out to be around 15 minutes in the end - and before the band took to the stage a video was played which showcased all of their albums, ending with flashes of the Parasomnia artwork. This meant that it was time for something new, and the second set kicked off with the first ever live performance of new single Night Terror. Given the heaviness of the first set, Night Terror fit in nicely. The vibe of the song certainly harks back to the sound of the last few albums the band did with Portnoy - so it sounds like they are picking up where they left off in 2010. The near-10 minute track has clearly already become a favourite, though, as plenty around me were singing along - and it featured some pretty impressive instrumental moments, with Rudess playing some more traditional Hammond organ at times and Petrucci really laying into his whammy bar. The second set was a bit more involved than the first, though, with more of a varied overall feel and more of a focus on lengthier pieces on the whole. A lot of big fan-favourites and some riffier pieces kept the first set feeling pacy, whereas the second set felt a bit more 'prog' in that sense - although a beautiful rendition of the rarely-played ballad This Is the Life acted as a breather after Night Terror. It was nice to hear a couple of Mangini-era songs in the set. I do not like it when bands essentially disown certain periods of their catalogue following line-up changes, particularly songs written when certain key players were not in the band. The two songs played were not obvious choices, either, with This Is the Life not having been played since the A Dramatic Turn of Events touring cycle. Under a Glass Moon felt a bit more expected, though. It is another old favourite which has not been played live too often in recent years, but it has always been one of my favourites from the band's early days - and Portnoy nailed the knotty drum intro as if he had never been away. The last three songs of the main set were all big surprises, though, with the short and delicate ballad Vacant a real showcase for both LaBrie and bassist John Myung - before LaBrie took an extended break to allow the band to run through the gargantuan instrumental Stream of Consciousness. Neither song had been played for the best part of 20 years and the latter was a real showcase for all four musicians - with the soloing from Petrcci and Rudess some of the evening's most impressive. The real treat for die-hards, though, was the main set closer: Octavarium. Another song which had not been played live for a long time, the 20 minute-plus epic was one of the overall highlights. It has never been a particular favourite of mine but it nevertheless was a fantastic addition to the show - from Rudess' lengthy continuum and lap steel intro, through some emotional vocals from LaBrie, to some full-on metal later on, the track was likely to be the song of the night for many. It felt like the big surprise everyone was waiting for, too, and the band rightly received a standing ovation as they left the stage. A three-song encore followed, though, and the band returned to some other old favourites. The riffy and anthemic Home kicked off a two-song suite of songs from Metropolis - Part 2: Scenes from a Memory, which was fitting giving how the show opened. A huge sing-a-long rendition of The Spirit Carries On was next, with plenty of phones in the air, before the mammoth evening was rounded out with the band's 'hit' single Pull Me Under - with plenty more singing and air guitaring as a memorable night came to a close. The setlist was:

Metropolis - Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper

Scene Two - Part I: Overture 1928
Scene Two - Part II: Strange Déjà Vu

The Mirror/Lie

Panic Attack

Barstool Warrior

Hollow Years

Constant Motion

As I Am

-

Night Terror

This Is the Life

Under a Glass Moon

Vacant

Stream of Consciousness

Octavarium

-

Scene Six: Home
Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On

Pull Me Under

It is only right to describe last night's show at the O2 as a triumph. Dream Theater always impress live, but last night was on a whole other level to previous experiences. Portnoy has clearly given the band a real kick again - and it seems fitting to have him back in the band he helped form. I probably would have been against it a decade or so ago, but there has been a lot of water under the bridge since then and the band seem in rude health. This tour is likely to be their biggest for some time - and with a new album to look forward to next year I cannot wait to see how this latest era pans out.