An Evening with Dream Theater
The Tabernacle
Atlanta, GA
April 23, 2019
Six? Maybe seven times? I can’t tell you how many times I have seen Dream Theater. Every time I see Dream Theater it’s a fucking magical experience even if on paper it doesn’t look like it will be. When Dream Theater took the Astonishing album on tour to play it in its entirety was so conflicted. It wasn’t my favorite album but after seeing it played live along with the amazing visuals is what tied it all together for me and made me have a whole new respect for the album as a whole.
For their 2019 tour, Dream Theater was once again being bold by performing Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes From a Memory in its entirety. This time I wasn’t really conflicted because I love this album but what I was curious to see was how this album as a whole would hold up in a live setting. Dream Theater was also touring for their latest album Distance Over Time which, in my opinion, is one of their best pieces of work in a very long time.
The show kicked off “Untethered Angel” from Distance Over Time and this really seemed to get the crowd going. “A Nightmare to Remember” came completely out of nowhere and literally had me out of my seat, mouth agape, and taking in the greatness that is Mike Mangini. Mangini really shines on this song. I also can’t help but wonder if because this was one of the songs that got him the gig replacing Mike Portnoy that Mangini has a deep, and may I say spiritual, connection to. “Barstool Warrior” is definitely one of my favorite songs off of Distance Over Time but I was still so excited to hear Scenes From a Memory so at this point I was starting to get restless.
After closing Act I out with a stellar “Pale Blue Dot,” Dream Theater returned with Scenes From a Memory. Once again, Dream Theater did astonishing (no pun intended) job taking these amazing songs and having visuals created that told the story from a visual perspective. The album already paints so many images in my mind to see them on a screen was such a surreal experience. “Regression” and then into “Overture 1928” literally had the hairs on my arm standing straight up.
“Strange Déjà vu” once again showcased what an amazing unit Dream Theater has become. With Mike Mangini on the drums, the band seems to play as a more cohesive unit and not only that they seem to be having more fun that I’ve ever seen them. Dream Theater was in amazing form and vocalist James LaBrie sounded better than I’ve heard in maybe a decade. He roamed the stage like a prog metal Vampire with a captivating stage presence that truly captured the attention of everyone watching.
The highlight of the show for me was without a doubt “The Spirit Carries On.” LaBrie sitting on a stool and passionately singing one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard was such a cool thing to see. It created such an intimate setting both musically and visually that it made me forget that I was in this sold out theater. It made me feel like they were playing to me only. That, my friends, is not something just any band can do. It’s almost as if they learned some tricks from the Iron Maiden playbook during their time on tour with them.
Dream Theater exceed all of my expectations this with a fabulous show. I can safely say that this was hands down the best Dream Theater show I’ve seen to date. The band was absolutely outstanding, they were having fun, and the dramatic presence of James LaBrie resonated with the audience and pulled us all into the story. That is something I have never experienced at a Dream Theater show and it was definitely a moment that I will never forget.
About The Author
