Live Review: Dream Theater

An “evening with” featuring two sets spanning three hours (15-minute intermission included), this wasn’t a show for casual fans. That said, prog-metallers Dream Theater’s elaborate compositions don’t attract many of those anyway. 

Boasting an extensive catalogue, the band is able to present a unique event each time they visit a particular city. Set one was predominantly recent material a la On The Backs Of Angels and Enigma Machine, alongside older cut, Trial Of Tears , complete with stirring new intro. Act two was largely comprised of a suite celebrating the anniversary of 1994’s Awake, incorporating that record’s second half and thus rarities like the truly epic Space-Dye Vest. The encore, and perhaps the best received facet of the night, acknowledged another milestone; 15 years since the release of conceptual piece, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory. 

Although the final gig of their world tour, Dream Theater were well-conditioned for such marathon efforts and didn’t act as if they were doing the large, passionate crowd a favour just by being present. Oft-maligned vocalist James LaBrie was in the strongest form of their three Australian runs thus far, exuding greater confidence. Although far from a natural showman axeman John Petrucci remained the beloved guitar god. This also marked their first Australian appearance featuring newish drummer Mike Mangini. The enthusiastic tub-thumper was visibly pleased with the role, keeping his obligatory solo to a tasteful length and not being hampered by the pseudo-front-man ambitions of his predecessor. The American veterans didn’t skimp on production values either. Elaborate visuals off-set technical wizardry, the standout a career-spanning video montage of their album covers prior to the quintet hitting the stage. 

Witnessing an impressive display of this dizzying scope was akin to watching Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak; they do all the work, yet somehow you’re the one left feeling exhausted afterwards.