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With the onset of February we are getting a little busier. 2nd, Protest The Hero, 6th Del Amitri, 9th Molly Hatchet, 14th Monster Magnet, 15th Dream Theater, 19th, Sons Of Icarus, 20th Skyclad, 25th Soulfly, 26th Cadillac Three

And maybe a couple more to be added.

Saturday 15 February 2014

DREAM THEATER @Wolverhampton Civic Hall 15/2/14

There's an episode of The Simpsons from back when it was funny (about 20 years ago) when Homer decides to take an interest in Marge's love of the (ironically given who this blog is about) theatre. Surveying the programme, he is trying to seem like he is keen to watch. "Oh this looks good," he says. "An evening with Phillip Glass....just an evening?"

That sort of sneering may well have been the reaction of many to the news that this tour is being billed as "An Evening With Dream Theater" and a three hour Prog Metal extravaganza is in the offing. The very term is enough to send some people running for the door and DT are a band that divides opinion. 20 minute long songs about a French aristocrat, songs about Freemasonry and 45 minute long songs about mental illness aren't for a lot of the general public. But plenty do get it and there are 3000 people packed into the Wolverhampton Civic Hall tonight, for the bands first appearance here in nearly three years.

At this point it might be wise for RTM to declare an interest. You see, your humble writer is one of those people that gets it. In 2009 the band released the "Black Clouds And Silver Linings" album. We didn't know much of them prior to it, but the record had a profound effect. Within weeks everything they had released was procured, from the tentative debut album, to the numerous live albums and EPs. Within months I was buying Steven Wison records and listening to Pink Floyd. "...Linings" is the album that has most shaped RTM's current taste, and I still consider it be the best of the last five years, so you better believe that this is a big deal.

What makes Dream Theater engender this emotion is hard to quantify. Yes, they are arguably the most technically gifted collection of musicians in any metal band but that doesn't explain why people that can't play a note (RTM has it's hand up here) get so excited, yes they have fabulous songs, but so do thousands of other bands.

For what it's worth, the best theory I have is this: that like Iron Maiden, everything about everything Dream Theater do is planned to the nth degree. You know exactly what you are going to get from Messrs Petrucci, Myung, Labrie, Rudess and Mangini and it has got quality writ large all the way through it.

That goes for the setlist tonight too. The same as it has been on every date of the world tour so far,(some people may say, "where's the spontaneity?" But you don't go and watch Hamlet and complain the plot is the same two nights in a row do you?) it not only acts as a showcase for the brilliant self-titled record that emerged last year, but also a homage to the 20th anniversary of the "Awake" album, as well as the 15th birthday of the concept opus "Scenes From A Memory."

Even the intro tape is a change from the norm. There is no "Thunderstruck" or "For Those About To Rock" here, instead the big screen shows a superb film involving all the groups album covers. Then the curtain falls to reveal the band, and "False Awakening Suite" is played before "The Enemy Inside" follows. Both of these are from the new album, which sees drummer Mike Mangini, - forever destined you suspect to be "the new guy" no matter how long he has the sticks- really find his feet, and his confidence shows tonight.

What follows is an assault on the senses, both musically and visually, with a big screen behind the band playing some films vaguely connected with the songs, interspersed with live concert footage, and it is quite, quite majestic. 

Act one lasts for 75 minutes and sees "Trail Of Tears" really come into its own, together with the instrumental "Enigma Machine," which allows the whole band to cut lose, with Mangini having a solo spot, while Keyboard maestro Jordan Rudess had earlier appeared stage front with that thing that makes a keyboard like a guitar (no I don't know what they are called ....) and rocked out like Jimmy Page.

Act two is made up largely of half of "Awake" but it is preceded by perhaps the first funny rock video since Ozzy dressed as Alanis Morisette. Theater - who wrongly get labeled po-faced - send themselves up brilliantly, Rush, take note, this is how you do it.

The second part, happily, is just as good, "Lie" is just an incredible catchy metal song, while "Space Dye Vest" is brilliant and weird all at once, best of all though is the section's closing song. The new album's centrepiece epic "Illumination Theory" in all it's glory, is so good it provides the evenings highlight. 

They are back for an encore of four songs from "Scenes From A Memory," beginning with overture 1928 and ending with a glorious "Finally Free," before they say their goodbyes to rapturous applause.

An evening with Dream Theater? "About flippin time! " said James Labrie in his best Dick Van Dyke accent early in the show, and you know what? He was right. Three years ago, the show they played in this room was the first gig of the year on RTM. It's a little too early to say "gig of the year" in 2014 but anything that beats this will be a bit special.

Mind you. Dream Theater did promise to come back so you never know......

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