Phenomenal Show!
by Concert Goer on 8/30/23Dream Theater's Dreamsonic Prog Festival w/Devin Townsend & Animals as Leaders was phenomenal show!
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Grand Ole Opry House
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Texas Trust CU Theatre
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Majestic Theatre San Antonio
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Mission Ballroom
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2013 saw a double release for Dream Theater: a self-titled studio album and Live at Luna Park, an album that features material taken from the band's A Dramatic Turn of Events tour in 2012. This latter release is a treat, featuring two DVDs and three CDs of material that highlights the prog metal theatrics delighting ticket buyers for over 25 years. These theatrics revolve around the band's consummate artistry. Dream Theater's prog roots compel them to focus on musical craftsmanship as the driving force of their performance. However, serious musicianship is not without its spark of playfulness. A love of quirky humor often pops up when the band performs in concert. It's not uncommon for ticket buyers to be pleasantly surprised by alternating set lists, musical quotes and spontaneous bursts of improvisation. Members of the band have even swapped instruments mid-set just to keep things fresh.
Dream Theater's newest, self-titled album contains all the elements that make the band stand out among their peers. The opening, "False Awakening Suite," sets a cinematic tone for the rest of the tracks. The hard-driving "The Enemy Inside" invokes shades of classic Iron Maiden, yet with Dream Theater's own unique twist. The band has been going hard and strong since 1985, when three music school graduates started the band as a tribute to their heroes. Armed with a stack of potent demos, they hit the NYC circuit, shopping tapes and strengthening their live act. Each new album chronicles their steady artistic progression, as constant touring helps to keep things fresh and their musicianship alive. Dream Theater's music is a lively blend of heavy metal and prog rock, with jazz and classical elements thrown in for a healthy amount of spice.
Dream Theater's Dreamsonic Prog Festival w/Devin Townsend & Animals as Leaders was phenomenal show!
I know Dream Theater since 2007, that’s when I discover those guys and that literally changed my life. The album was Score a LIVE album and wow especially for Octavarium simply the best song of all time. Since then I saw them a few times and I loved them but sometimes the singer James is not good his voice his not great at all. That night in Laval unfortunately his voice was not good but at least the setlist was great and they played my favorite sont The Count of Tuscany. So the show was good but not great… hope next time will be better….
Loved the lineup, though I wasn’t familiar with Devin Townsend. I did listen to some songs to get an idea of what he and the band was all about. Animals as Leaders were fantastic!! The sound guys could have brought the bass response down a bit. Sometimes the bass notes from the guitars would be super muddy. Especially when the bass drum was involved too. I was impressed with Devin Townsend. His guitar player worked his behind off. Played lead and acoustic guitars, as well as the keys. Loved all the songs they played. The mix was better this time. Dream Theater!!! Awesome as ever!!!! I loved their set list as it was from all over their catalog of songs. It was a special treat when members of the other bands came on stage to play and sing with DT. It was an awesome way to end the concert. So there you have my perspective of the show. I would most definitely see Dreamsonic in the future.
The venue was quite nice. Quite chill inside, as opposed to the heat outside. Prices were okay.
Fantastic musical artists from Animals As Leaders, Devin Townsend Band, and Dream Theater.
I was looking forward to this concert mostly because of Devin Townsend, and he delivered spectacularly! His performance was fantastic, and his stage presence truly made him unforgettable! I also was introduced to Animals as Leaders, and found a new favorite! Dream Theater, unfortunately, left a bit to be desired. I am a moderate fan of Dream Theater, but was hoping to leave the concert wanting to revisit and listen to their setlist and other albums that I'm less familiar with. Unfortunately, it felt as if they were less than enthusiastic to be there, with many of the members leaving for minutes at a time while they were not needed on stage. I understand that it was the last stop of their tour and their songs are rather long, but it just left most of the songs to be rather boring to watch. If I wanted to just listen to the songs, I would have just stayed home and listened to them through speakers. That was paired with strange projected visuals of what looked like a mix of stock imagery and animations that vaguely fit the theme of the song, but were repeated over and over and ended up being distracting and adding almost nothing to the concert experience. Overall, Animals as Leaders and Devin Townsend were absolutely amazing, exceeding my expectations, while Dream Theatre was mostly just okay. Perhaps Dream Theater would be better to see earlier on their tour and closer to a new album release, but I can't see myself going unless they have some fantastic openers like they did for this tour.
The concert was somewhat different due to the fact that they had two warm up bands. They were excellent and really got the crowd in the mood. Dream Theater came on and gave the spectacular show they always do . Some of the new and a bit of the old. The presentation was outstanding and supplied a full range of their incredible talents.
This was my 12th time seeing Dream Theater live and it was just as amazing as the previous 11. They started (unleashed?) their set with "The Alien"and Mike Mangini's thundering drum intro. John Petrucci's guitar continued the sonic assault while John Myung and Jordan Rudess showed once again why they're both at the top of their respective crafts. James LaBrie, no less of a showman than his bandmates, wove his voice into the music with style. Also, and this is no slight to James, he knows that he's been doing this for 30+ years and there are notes that he can't hit anymore. With that, he knew when to go after the higher ranges and when to stay at a lower range (notably during "Caught In A Web"). The group medley at the end of the night was simply magical. "The Spirit Carries On"was such a great way to once again show off the talents of Tobin, Devin, and members of Devin's band. Anyone else notice Darby Todd (Devin's drummer) and Mike swapping places multiple times during the song? The fact that it was done so seamlessly is a tribute to their ridiculous skills. I'd also be remiss if I didn't make mention of how well Devin Townsend and Animals As Leaders performed during their sets. It was my first time seeing both of them live and they did *NOT* disappoint. Devin cracked jokes between songs and had fun interacting with the audience. The orange cowboy hats at the end of their set were a great touch. Animals As Leaders didn't interact much with the crowd, but they were no less awe-inspiring. All three members are simply lights out and stormed through a 9 song set that had fans begging for more. Here's hoping that DreamSonic becomes an annual or biennial tradition as this could become a great vehicle to showcase up-n-coming bands.
Simply put, this was a masterpiece of progressive rock/metal and was an amazing show to experience. My only wish is that I could have seen DreamSonic on multiple nights. Been following Dream Theater and Devin Townsend since their beginnings and they've only gotten better over time. And let's not forget Animals as Leaders! What a truly exceptional trio.
This show marked my 14th time seeing Dream Theater. They never fail to impress. The playing is always spot on and tight. They take their music seriously! It’s always fun to hear the musical Easter eggs in their improvisation. If I have to criticize anything, it’s James LaBrie’s voice. It’s getting very difficult for him to hit the higher registers and sustain notes. I fear his food poisoning incident in 1994 is really starting to haunt him. But a banged up LaBrie is still better than just about anyone! Animals As Leaders were very good. They are respective masters of their instruments. My wife was annoyed by the lack of vocals. I asked her how anyone could sing to the blitzkrieg of time changes? I would definitely see them again. Which now brings us to Devin Townsend. What can I say? The man’s a prog master. This was my first time seeing him live. Not disappointed at all! Great music, great entertainment, lots of fun and energy!!