Dream Theater (March 2002)


Date of Performance: March 22, 2002
Venue: Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA, US

Dream Theater In Concert

Dream TheaterWhat burdens will a fan take upon their shoulders to see their favorite groups perform live? Well, just about anything. My brother-in-law Bruce Witherell (who runs his own entertainment agency Aries Entertainment) and I left from the safe confines of the Berkshires to travel through some three hours of bizarre patchwork blizzards, traffic jams, and driving around endlessly in downtown Boston lost and confused to finally reach our destination, and one hour late for the event. It was all worth it. Our driving force was our love and respect for fine musicianship, and the fact that we had an opportunity to meet with the band after the show.

When we got there the band was playing the epic and deeply moving "The Great Debate." We had heard the song three times on the way to the concert, so it seemed appropriate when we walked in that it was playing; it was like a welcome mat to us.

At one point during the concert Bruce looked at me and said "This sucks, I don't know who to watch!" I laughed and realized that I was going through the same thing; my eyes were darting back and forth in amazement as I watched with intense interest and excitement each member of Dream Theater. After inspection of the crowd surrounding us I realized that it was a seemingly subdued and controlled group of music lovers, mostly men ranging from 18 to 50-something. I could well imagine that there were plenty of musicians in the audience watching one of the greatest progressive rock shows on earth unfold. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that, this was one incredibly mesmerizing performance.

Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2002)As the group made their way through their new album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, it came to me what the title means. There is an inner restlessness in all of us; it may show or it may be dormant, but it's there, ready to come forth in many forms ... verbally, physically, and in the dream state. I tried counting how many different emotions we have and it wasn't long before I got to six. When listening to the lyrics of each of song I also came to know the people, places and things that the group builds their music around. There is a message in every song; their emotions, convictions, and political opinions on issues that are affecting us every day are recognized in their powerful and rocking intricate arrangements.

James LabrieJames LaBrie, the emotive lead singer, has tremendous range and the perfect set of vocal cords for the kind of music that they play. He is always in control and has the audience in the palm of his hand. There were many points during the night when James was able to step away while the rest of the band was making their way through one of their magnum opuses so he could quench his thirst and massage his vocal cords with some cool water. Lord knows he needed it, as he really gives his voice a workout. After the show I had the opportunity to chat with James before the picture and autograph seekers got to him. I found out that he is originally from Canada and he studied Opera. He also said that he has some contacts in place to pursue that avenue of artistry. Don't be surprised if you see a release within the next year in the realm of Opera by Mr. LaBrie. I found James to be a very engaging conversationalist and open to all of my questions, actually the entire group was. John Petrucci (guitar), Jordan Rudess (keyboards), and John Myung (bass) were all complete gentleman. The only disappointment for everyone was that the drummer Mike PortnoyMike Portnoy never came out. I can understand why, though, he played like a man possessed all night long, he must have been exhausted. The show lasted for three hours, and all of it was at an intense and feverish pace. Portnoy was the most animated of the group all night, he looked like he was having so much fun. His drum kit is an awesome sight to behold. It's actually two complete drum kits with a gong strategically placed behind him. He also had some very cool lights underneath his cymbals that were that were going on and off at key points to accentuate the colorful light show changing with the music. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. At one point in the evening LaBrie's Mullmuzzler drummer Mike Mangini jumped in right beside Portnoy and they played together! Then to top it off they switched seats in midstream and never missed a beat! It was a phenomenal sight to witness, and one I shall never forget. [*]

Jordan RudessI also spoke with Jordan Rudess after the show about his setup with his keyboards. He was gyrating and spinning around all night long. It was a unique arrangement to say the least. I asked how him how he enjoyed it, and he said that it's much more comfortable and the freedom to move around allows him to be more expressive when he plays. He customized it himself and had a hand in the design.

John PetrucciJohn Petrucci pulled out a double neck guitar for his parts in "Solitary Shell." The Monday morning lunatic that is described in the song may be someone you know, or it may be you, nevertheless it's a real person. My point is that the music is so powerful that it brings the characters to life. I told John after the show that I thought the sound of the double neck guitar was fantastic, and it sounded very much like an acoustic guitar. When listening to the studio version you would never know that it was an electric guitar. I was floored when I saw this happening right before my eyes. John said it was magic, and Ernie Ball guitars are his choice with no exception. That pretty much summed up his feelings in a nutshell.

John MyungI noticed the stoic Myung never moves from his place on stage with his bass, the only thing that you see moving are his incredibly fast fingers, and he pulls his head back frequently to get his long black hair out of his focused eyes, that are always zoomed in on his bass strings. He was the first one to come out for the meet and greet after the show. He is quiet and humble and was ready to accommodate his fans even though he was obviously out of energy after the show. The one thing all of us were asking the group was if they were tired, one guy said to me that he was worn out just watching them play!

The encore consisted of the classic Metallica's "Master Of Puppets." The crowd's emotions came to a head like a volcano at that point, and the entire evening seemed complete after that, but it wasn't over yet. Their breakthrough album Images And Words got its just due as they went into "Pull Me Under." There was plenty of crowd participation thanks to LaBrie. LaBrie and Petrucci were always at the front of the stage interacting with the audience. When it all was over I was stunned and amazed, and as Pink Floyd would say - "comfortably numb."

I really found the emotion and meaning of Dream Theater's music that night. If the opportunity presents itself again to see this group I wouldn't hesitate ... as long as it's not in Boston. I made sure before I left that I let James LaBrie know that I think that they are the #1 Progressive Rock group in the world. I always believed it, but last night confirmed it, and it gave me further proof of their position as the best of the best. Life happens when we are not looking; make sure you see this group while they are still performing together. Remember, nothing last forever. I consider myself fortunate to now have images and words to hold on to for the rest of my life.

[*Well, isn't that interesting... that bit about Mike Mangini joining Mike Portnoy on stage... 10 years later (or so) Mangini replaced Portnoy behind the kit... -ed. Sep 2011]


Added: April 5th 2002
Reviewer: Keith "Muzikman" Hannaleck

Artist website: www.dreamtheater.net
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