Review & Photography by Ritchie Birnie for MPM
On the penultimate date of the UK tour Dream Theater bring not only a musical masterpiece but a sumptuous visual display that left us all in complete awe.
It has been six long years since the band have graced Scotland’s second city and with the last show being the 25th anniversary of Images and Words you would have thought it was going to be a tough show to beat but tonight moved past that show with ease.
The scene was set even before the show started with atmospheric music and an animated backdrop of the latest album “A View From the Top of the World”. This was impressive from the off but when you can open your set with a Grammy winning song in “The Alien” you are in for a treat. The fact that a song written in 17 8 won and the fact that this is the bands 38th year in existence to receive this now is testament to the quality of music put out by this group.
We then go a long way back for track two in “6.00” and Mike Mangini and John Petrucci kick things off in metronomic precision before James LaBrie growls at us all. I have to say I normally hate being seated at a gig but this is the way to take in a DT show as you get to sit back and marvel at the brilliance before you and take in the ever changing visuals on the huge projector curtains. I am in total bliss.
It is back to another new song now with “Sleeping Giant” and how good it is to hear these new tracks being played for the first time. This is classic Theater and shows they have not diminished or receded musically over the years. John Rudess and his ever spinning and rising keyboard is at the forefront.
The slow build of “Bridges in the Sky” comes at us next with that flatulent hippo screaming at us all and the DT geeks go crazy. The Armadillio sound is always good but when the choir piece starts this is sublime and the voices bounce all across the serrated room before John comes in and rips our fucking heads off.
On the next track “Caught in a Web” I am sure a huge amount of ladies(and a good few men) had their eyes closed for the whole outing as the massive screens had incredibly realistic and incredibly large spiders coming at you. I have to admit to this song being one of my favourites so myself and a lot of fans here were screaming along with James.
Another newbie in “Answering the Call” and the futuristic number went down a storm before another fan favourite in “Solitary Shell” makes its Jethro Tull journey to our ears. This is a beautiful song and the enlightening story that unfolded on the screens behind the band wrapped everything together for this song.
This is followed up from another song from “Six Degrees of turbulence” in “About to Crash” and although a very different track it is also beloved amongst us and everywhere I look people are freaking out in their seats.
A huge cheer goes up as yet another song from the same album opens up with “Losing Time/Grand Finale”. Another slower but beautifully atmospheric number that plays out to very accepting fans.
The closing build up is starting and where better to start that than “Images and Words” and “Pull me Under”. This was the album I discovered this band so it will always have a huge place in my heart and it gets better every time I hear it. Every note is tied down to perfection, for me this is a flawless album and those riffs just suck me in(under?).
It is the title track of latest album next and once again pure perfection and as the band leave the stage we catch a breath and take in what we have seen tonight but we know this is not the end(As James told us the story of the band he went to see who did not do an encore) and to be fair not many bands can throw a near 20 minute song as an encore and not many bands have the talent to wish they had written never mind actually play “”The Count of Tuscany”.
This Prog masterpiece is one hell of a way to end a show.
There is only one Dream Theater, there will only ever be one Dream Theater and that is why they should be on everyone’s bucket list regardless of chosen genre of choice. Prog fans love them, metal fans love them. Musicians love them and all because of the brilliance wrapped up in each and every song and the utter sublimity of a live performance.
Dream Theater never let you down and each and every member are masters of their craft.
