Dream Theater -- Minneapolis, MN -- August 21st, 2009

[Altmer7989]

A Nightmare To Remember
A Rite Of Passage
Keyboard Solo
Prophets of War
The Dance of Eternity
One Last Time
Solitary Shell
In the Name of God
---
The Count of Tuscany

what no pre scenes material what what

[Sanitarium78]

I think they had another set this tour where they didn't do any pre SFAM material. Sometimes i wonder exactly what Portnoy is thinking when he makes the sets. Metallica doesn't ignore Puppets and Justice live so why DT ignors I&W and Awake sometimes is beyond me. Plus the keyboard solo is third? Talk about a a mood killer right away. Then Prophets, Dance of Eternity and One Last Time all in a row? Are they purposely trying to bore the crowd to death? They MUST get back to the "evening with Dream Theater" format. That's what their music is made for not these short sets that are over as soon as they begin.

[es156]

Yeah, I would say that this is one of my least favorite sets of the current tour. I am glad they got this one out of their system before the Chicago show tomorrow night. Hopefully we will get a better set. Definitely hoping they skip the keyboard solo!

[Altmer7989]

Originally Posted by Sanitarium78

I think they had another set this tour where they didn't do any pre SFAM material. Sometimes i wonder exactly what Portnoy is thinking when he makes the sets. Metallica doesn't ignore Puppets and Justice live so why DT ignors I&W and Awake sometimes is beyond me. Plus the keyboard solo is third? Talk about a a mood killer right away. Then Prophets, Dance of Eternity and One Last Time all in a row? Are they purposely trying to bore the crowd to death? They MUST get back to the "evening with Dream Theater" format. That's what their music is made for not these short sets that are over as soon as they begin.

I like TDOE + OLT. I don't think the band can do those 3 hour sets anymore - they could prolly do a good 2h set though. The other reason they ignore awake and I&W is that they are bored shitless playing Metropolis and Pull Me Under. Metropolis is so complex, yet the band could play it in their fucking sleep because they have done that one about a million times. Apart from that, the changing setlists take into account the previous setlists from that area as well other nearby shows for double attendants.

may i add that i want in the name of god live dammit

[Sanitarium78]

Originally Posted by Altmer7989

I like TDOE + OLT. I don't think the band can do those 3 hour sets anymore - they could prolly do a good 2h set though. The other reason they ignore awake and I&W is that they are bored shitless playing Metropolis and Pull Me Under. Metropolis is so complex, yet the band could play it in their fucking sleep because they have done that one about a million times. Apart from that, the changing setlists take into account the previous setlists from that area as well other nearby shows for double attendants.

may i add that i want in the name of god live dammit

You can say that they're bored with the stuff off I&W but the album came out in 1992 it's not like they've been playing the songs live for 25 or 30 years like some bands. Priest probably gets bored with BTL but they still do it.Same thing with Maiden and NOTB or Metallica with MOP and don't think that Rush isn't bored as hell with Tom Sawyer but it's been in every set they've played since 1981. I don't buy the whole were bored with I&W. There's just certian albums from bands that need to be represented live and I&W and Awake are the two from DT.

I like TDOE and OLT as well it's just the way the set was made. It just comes off kind of boring to me that's all. When I saw them on the first Gigantour i was lucky enough and surprised to hear In The Name Of God. An excellent tune and was great to hear live.

[Altmer7989]

I don't know, I like that they switch it up, when I go to see them I don't want to hear the same 10 songs (although I will always wanna hear Metropolis). I can understand their point. And they have been rehearsing and playing the I&W songs for longer before that album was released; just without James on vox. So those songs are almost 20 years old by now. I also wouldn't complain if Maiden or Priest switched their sets up a bit more (Metallica does it enough for my liking).

[Maiden33]

The bottom line is that I think Dream Theater (*cough* Portnoy) get too caught up in trying to be different that they forget something. Images and Words and Awake are WORSHIPPED by their fanbase compared to anything else they've done aside from Scenes From a Memory. I actually don't know of many other bands who have such a disproportionate distribution of love of albums among non-die-hard fans. For how many fans love those two records compared to others, the thought of doing ANY shows where they don't play a single song off of either is preposterous. I've always admired how much the band go out of their way to rotate their set lists and make their shows different for the dedicated fans that go out of their own way to catch them as many times as they do. The bottom line is that it's unfair to the more casual fans or the younger fans who haven't been seeing them every tour for 15 years to not play any of their older material because they're "sick of it". As has been mentioned, the band has only been around 20 years and those two albums 17 and 15 years respectively. Compared to some of the other bands who have been churning out the same half-dozen staple songs EVERY show for 30 years, they're doing great. For what Dream Theater tickets cost, it's unfair to the fanbase that isn't obsessed with them to not play some of their best-received material, and have their sets be such a chance on-off thing from night-to-night.

[Sanitarium78]

Originally Posted by Maiden33

The bottom line is that I think Dream Theater (*cough* Portnoy) get too caught up in trying to be different that they forget something. Images and Words and Awake are WORSHIPPED by their fanbase compared to anything else they've done aside from Scenes From a Memory. I actually don't know of many other bands who have such a disproportionate distribution of love of albums among non-die-hard fans. For how many fans love those two records compared to others, the thought of doing ANY shows where they don't play a single song off of either is preposterous. I've always admired how much the band go out of their way to rotate their set lists and make their shows different for the dedicated fans that go out of their own way to catch them as many times as they do. The bottom line is that it's unfair to the more casual fans or the younger fans who haven't been seeing them every tour for 15 years to not play any of their older material because they're "sick of it". As has been mentioned, the band has only been around 20 years and those two albums 17 and 15 years respectively. Compared to some of the other bands who have been churning out the same half-dozen staple songs EVERY show for 30 years, they're doing great. For what Dream Theater tickets cost, it's unfair to the fanbase that isn't obsessed with them to not play some of their best-received material, and have their sets be such a chance on-off thing from night-to-night.

I agree with everything you just said. I'm not saying that they have to do Pull Me Under and Metroplis every night but you've gotta make sure that I&W and Awake are represented in every set. They are one of my favorites and i love that they switch the sets up every night but every band has albums you can't ignore live and those two are it for them.

[fonzbear2000]

Originally Posted by Altmer7989

I like TDOE + OLT. I don't think the band can do those 3 hour sets anymore - they could prolly do a good 2h set though. The other reason they ignore awake and I&W is that they are bored shitless playing Metropolis and Pull Me Under. Metropolis is so complex, yet the band could play it in their fucking sleep because they have done that one about a million times. Apart from that, the changing setlists take into account the previous setlists from that area as well other nearby shows for double attendants.

may i add that i want in the name of god live dammit

If Rush can do 3 hour sets, DT surely can!

[Sanitarium78]

Originally Posted by fonzbear2000

If Rush can do 3 hour sets, DT surely can!

I agree with that but there but a lot of DT's material is heavier and faster than Rush's so it may tire them out a bit more but if they balance the sets between the fast and slow stuff which DT always does well they shouldn't have a problem. I wouldn't mind it if DT went back to doing 2 hour sets like they did in '07 but where the fuck did this come from that they're only playing like 90 minutes now? You're Dream Theater go out there and do the Marathon sets that you made your name on like Rush does and stop being so damn lazy.

I hate to rip on one of my favorite bands like this but there's no reason for their sets to be so short unless someone in the band can't do it and they're just not saying anything.