DREAM THEATER WITH SPECIAL GUESTS ARCH ECHO
I had the pleasure to see Dream Theater for the 32nd time in my life, when the band made a stop at the Toyota Oakdale in Wallingford, CT March 5th 2022 as part of their “Top of The World,” tour. This was also a special night, as it was my 13-year-old son RJ’s first time seeing the band that he hears often playing on the stereo in my household. Although I tried to prepare him for the intensity of the show the best I could, I don’t think he was quite expecting the high level of sheer excitement and energy, as his face was shredded off within the first 3 songs and he is now a fan for life.
Dream Theater is one band that has withstood the test of time. Throughout their career they went through some personnel changes, the last being in 2010 when drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy left the band and was replaced with Mike Mangini, most know for his time in the popular 90’s band “Extreme.” Die-hard fans had various reactions to Portnoy’s departure, and many thought the band would never be the same. However, Dream Theater didn’t miss a beat, and Mangini picked up right where Portnoy ended, changing the hearts and minds of those who were skeptical. The band started in 1985 at Berklee College of Music in Boston under the name Majesty consisting of guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, along with Portnoy on drums. The band also saw a few singers come and go up until current front man James LaBrie joined the lineup in 1991. Immediately the band embarked in recording and releasing their breakout album Images and Words, which was very well received both in the progressive metal community, and commercially. In 1999, current keyboardist Jordan Rudess joined the lineup and since then, Dream Theater has continued to be ranked as one of the greatest progressive rock/metal bands of all time.
The evening started off with a power set from a band that I knew little about called Arch Echo. After their first song I was hooked, as the young band completely blew me away with their incredible playing, emotional songs, and an extremely high-energy performance. Their set ended to a standing ovation by the nearly sold out crowd, and I can comfortably say that they got the job done better then most touring support acts that I have seen. With the intensity of their set, they set the tone for what was to come. I will be checking out these guys much more in-depth, as they definitely gained a new fan from CT.
After what seemed like a quick stage turnover, Petrucci, Myung, Rudess and Mangini took to the stage and were greeted by a roaring, on-their-feet crowd. They started their opening song called “The Alien,” off their new album A View From The Top Of The World. After an intense instrumental intro, vocalist James LaBrie made his entrance to a crowd whose energy and excitement literally drowned out the front of house system for over a minute. There was no doubt that every single person in attendance was more then ready to gather in numbers to rock out after a long few years of pandemic restrictions on the live music industry. Fans have been waiting eagerly for this show, as it was postponed from its original date of November 28th, 2021. The band then quickly transitioned into “6:00,” off of their second official album titled Awake, which was released in 1994.
Continuing with new material, “Awaken The Master,” was next up, with Labrie delivering an incredible and emotional performance behind Petrucci’s heavy guitar and Myung’s thunderous bass. From there, the band took the crowd to a song called “Endless Sacrifice,” off of their 2003 album Train Of Thought. Throughout this song, the crowd was singing along and the band was feeding off the vibes. Petrucci delivered an incredible solo that brought the energy up even higher in the room. The band then transitioned into “Bridges in the Sky,” which is off of their 2011 release A Dramatic Turn of Events, and the first album to feature current drummer Mike Mangini after Portnoy’s departure. Next up was another new song off their touring album called “Invisible Monster,” which highlighted an incredible instrumental section with some unique offerings from keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Next, they busted out a fan favorite from their 2002 double disc release Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence called “About To Crash.” The band made a quick transition into “The Ministry of Lost Souls,” from Systemic Chaos released in 2007 then followed that song up with the title track of their new album, “A View From The Top of The World,” which ended their regular set. The crowd wanted more, and after an intense 1 hour 45 min performance, the band gave everyone one last song. They encored with “The Count of Tuscany,” from their 10th studio album released in 2009 called Black Clouds & Silver Linings. LaBrie encouraged the audience to sing along, and he got exactly what he was looking for. The band ended the evening to a standing ovation and five minutes of applause.
As mentioned previously, this was my 32nd Dream Theater show, and I would certainty rank this show in the top 5 best live Dream Theater performances that I’ve seen. This is a band that is worth checking out at least once if you want to experience a super high energy show, and listen to extremely technical music performed by some of the best musicians within their instrumental disciplines. I am already looking forward to the next one, as is RJ. Meantime, listening to them at home or in the car will have to do for now. Make no mistake; they will be around again very soon, and for many years to come. Who knows, maybe Mike Portnoy will make an appearance with the band again sometime down the road, as everything about this band is quite unpredictable- in a huge way!
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