Will
Strata Poster
So, as we all know, I've been a huge Dream Theater fan for quite a long time now - naturally, there was nowhere to be except the o2 on Sunday night - a far cry from Leeds Academy where I saw my first DT show back in Spring 2009.
For those not in the know, drummer Mike Portnoy ended up leaving the band back in 2010 (meaning I'd only seen them with him 4 times) and this was his first gig back with the band after rejoining last year. It was also used as an excuse to play a 40th anniversary tour with plenty of classics - most notably, the 24 minute Octavarium, played in its entirety for the first time since 2006.
I've been feeling off colour for the last week or so, but there was plenty to get me out of my seat - I still don't much like the o2 - it's too big, too soulless, the acoustics aren't great and it tends to attract a somewhat disinterested looking crowd for some reason - and they also didn't play anything off 6DoIT (which I recently decided was my favourite album) - but even with a three hour set, there's only so much you can fit in
I'll be curious to see if they go back to the MP setlist shuffling of the old days.
It was also a little nostalgic - I was with my brother in law who hadn't seen this incarnation of the band since the Leeds gig in '09 and with whom I'd spent a lot of my early twenties involved in music gooning. He's a fairly reserved chap, particularly when put next to me, but I'm not sure I've ever seen him so excited
... I also finally got the new cred at Thorpe yesterday. Not bad, is it?
For those not in the know, drummer Mike Portnoy ended up leaving the band back in 2010 (meaning I'd only seen them with him 4 times) and this was his first gig back with the band after rejoining last year. It was also used as an excuse to play a 40th anniversary tour with plenty of classics - most notably, the 24 minute Octavarium, played in its entirety for the first time since 2006.
I've been feeling off colour for the last week or so, but there was plenty to get me out of my seat - I still don't much like the o2 - it's too big, too soulless, the acoustics aren't great and it tends to attract a somewhat disinterested looking crowd for some reason - and they also didn't play anything off 6DoIT (which I recently decided was my favourite album) - but even with a three hour set, there's only so much you can fit in
I'll be curious to see if they go back to the MP setlist shuffling of the old days.It was also a little nostalgic - I was with my brother in law who hadn't seen this incarnation of the band since the Leeds gig in '09 and with whom I'd spent a lot of my early twenties involved in music gooning. He's a fairly reserved chap, particularly when put next to me, but I'm not sure I've ever seen him so excited
... I also finally got the new cred at Thorpe yesterday. Not bad, is it?