Yep. 5th December 2009. That definitely a date to remember for me. My first Dream Theater show! I was looking forward to it ever since I found out about it sometime October.

Doors opened at 7 PM and got myself a Dream Theatre TShirt and a wristband \m/. I got in quite early and I the pit was filled up with about 10 rows of people. On the stage were instruments, amplifiers that lacked the hugeness associated with DT (Portnoy’s huge drum set, Myung and Petrucci’s massive amplifier cabs). Behind them was a black curtain suspended from above which obscured the rest of the stage. Having watched videos of them in BC&SL tour in Youtube I knew the DT gear were behind it.

Pain of Salvation came on to stage and started making jokes about the fact that they were from Sweden and the fact they drove a long time to get to Sydney (he then proceeded to add the fact that they drove from Brisbane not Sweden, because it isn’t possible to drive from Sweden to Australia). A soon as they started to play their first riff and vocalist Daniel Gildenlöw started to give out a shrill, energy started flowing and heads started banging. Most people not being familiar with Pain of Salvation (me included) people couldn’t sing along but the energy was there. But there were a group of people who had come to specifically see Pain of Salvation. I didn’t actually see them but I found out later was a group of Pain of Salvation fans with self-made Pain of Salvation t-shirts.

After Pain of Salvation finished their set, they proceeded backstage and their equipment is swiftly frisked away by the crew. Petrucci’s guitar tech brings Petrucci’s massive pedal board and places on stage right (his usual position). He brings a shiny Musicman John Petrucci BFR Signature Model guitar and does a final check before the show. Petrucci’s two footrests (for him to rest his foot while he plays billion notes per second, ) come in and the rig is complete. While the rig is being fixed an amazing acoustic cover of As I Am with a female vocalist is played through the PA system to the delight of many fans who sing along. Later, back from the concert I learn that they were Pipo and Elo and the fact that they play it on every show in the BC&SL tour. I’m a fan. Check it out:

As I Am – Pipo and Elo

The crew finish setting up and leave the stage. After a few minutes of nothing, suddenly a sound of thunder fills the entire place. To the fans ofcourse this is the opening of Nightmare To Remember and people start cheering. Soon Rudess’ twangy chorus-laden piano starts off, with the curtain still in its place and no sign of any band members. The suspense is chilling. Another couple of cracks of thunder and the curtain falls off with the crunch of Petrucci’s guitar revealing the band. Portnoy’s huge shiny drum kit is definitely the first thing anyone notices. Couple of bars later Myung’s throbbing bass combined with Portnoy’s relentless double-bass fill the sonic spectrum. That is when it hits you, “I am watching Dream Theater LIVE!” Having been used to watching Dream Theater on DVD in my tiny Macbook, the fact that they are actually right in front of you (I was at about 7th row from the front, almost directly in front of Petrucci) needs getting used to. I mean Petrucci was less than 100 metres away from me!!!

The show was rocking awesome. I am a big fan of Dream Theatre and for the past 6 months, that’s all I’ve been listening to. They songs are great, turns out they are even better live; didn’t know that was even possible! Their intricate drumwork, odd time signatures (I have to say it isn’t as easy to headband to odd time signatures, you’ll feel you’re constantly out of time), guitar and keyboard solos that seem to border vulgar display of power and powerful basslines driving the rhythm sections when Petrucci and Rudess are busy delivering a barrage of notes.

Here’s the setlist from the show

• Nightmare to Remember
• A Right of Passage
• Hollow Years
• Keyboard Solo
• Prophets of War
• The Mirror
• Lie
• Wither
• The Dance of Eternity
• One Last Time
• Solitary Shell
• In the Name of God
• Encore: The Count of Tuscany

Here are some Excerpts from the show, thanks to rufusdisturbed.

This one is solo excerpt from In The Name of God (from Train of Thought). Just witness the Majesty (pun intended, LOL) of Dream Theatre with that guitar/keyboard unison solo and when they come to the main riff after it and Portnoy is playing the drums standing up. Amazing!

Here another part of the same song when Portnoy gets off this throne (another Majesty pun LOL! For people not familiar with DT, they were known as Majesty before they were big, but had to change their name because of copyright issues) improvises on this cymbals from the stage.

And here’s Dance of Eternity, just an amazing song.

And here’s Nightmare To Remember opening the whole concert with the curtains fall down with the guitar thing: