At the beginning
Well, I went to the long-awaited Budokan concert of “Dream Theater”.
This was the second show of the four-stop tour in Japan.
The sales area was surprisingly empty, and I was able to purchase a T-shirt without waiting long.
I bought a T-shirt with the new “A View from the Top of the World” jacket.
This time, it was worth it to buy the premium seats with the fastest advance purchase, and we were in the second row from the front.
Just in front of John Myung.
This may be the first and last time I will be able to see “Dream Theater” this close to.
Soon the lights went down, and the gorgeous opening image, which looked like the beginning of a movie, was greeted with a big round of applause.
The Alien
The four members of the instrumental band appeared on stage, and the first song was The Alien.
I had expected to be different, but I was wrong.
The venue was instantly colored with the “Dream Theater” by the super cool intro of the odd time beat.
After the long prelude, James LaBrie came running out from the the sides of the stage.
His high notes were coming out well and he seemed to be in good shape.
Running from left to right, he encouraged the audience.
It goes without saying that their performance was flawless.
I had a chance to see Myung fingerpicking up close, but even up close, I couldn’t see what was going on.
Awesome!
6:00
Well, the second song is the same as Download Japan 2022.
The intro with their typical weird riffs is cool.
LaBrie sings and drinks a lot of water as usual.
Also, Myung’s immobility was more than I expected.
I wonder if he has a stage marking.
I could tell because Myung, Mike Mangini, and I were just in a straight line and Mangini was always in the blind spot.
He is an immobile bassist (and his hands move incredibly well for that matter).
Sleeping Giant
This one was predictable!
There are so many great songs on the new album that didn’t make the set last time that I knew they would include one of them.
It’s a long, heavy, and progressive song, just like them.
I was glad to hear this one.
When LaBrie goes into the side of the stage, the progressive part starts, so in a way, it’s an easy-to-understand routine.
Bridge in the Sky
Oh, this one stayed in the set, too.
But this song is also very complete and the progressive part is the coolest, so we’re welcome.
John Petrucci and Myung playing in unison side by side is their specialty now, isn’t it?
At this point, I thought I made eye contact with Petrucci and he smiled at me, but it could have been my imagination.
Because my memory is as dim as a dream.
Caught in a Web
Wow, this was unexpected.
I wish I had guessed.
I didn’t expect them to play another song from their third album “Awake”.
The chorus was catchy, so the audience seemed to be singing along with them.
90% of the time, Petrucci plays with concentration without moving, but when he has time, he moves from side to side to get us excited.
It’s nice to see him doing this.
Answering the Call
I wish I could have guessed this one.
One of the songs from the new album, with a catchy and cool riff on the theme.
I thought I had heard it at Download Japan 2022, but I was wrong.
I was happy with the song selection.
Solitary Shell
Here is a song from the album “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence”.
Petrucci’s chord playing is very fresh.
This kind of song prevents the show from becoming monotonous, and it keeps the audience from getting stuck in the middle of the show.
The band members seemed to be enjoying themselves, making eye contact from time to time.
The fun mood of the band members was conveyed to the audience as well.
About to Crash(Reprise)
The band played this song as it is on the album in the same order.
I was busy watching Petrucci’s ultra-fast guitar and Jordan Rudess playing the keyboard while tilting and turning.
Losing Time/Grand Finale
And on and on and on until the finale.
As a result, the closing section of “Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence” was played in its entirety.
I felt time passing quickly, as if something had been released from my brain and my senses had been transformed.
The three songs were the high point of today’s show.
Pull Me Under
Oh, they changed the position of the song.
I thought it was the last song.
This song has few irregular beats for them.
We can’t miss this song that we can sway our body and sing along with.
It’s fun!
A View from the Top of the World
I knew they would play this song.
It’s the title of the tour, after all.
The moment the intro started, my partner next to me screamed!
I saw this performance at Download Japan 2022, but they are still monsters.
Their ability to play a 20+ minute song in an unhurried manner is nothing short of stunning.
(At least it appears so on the outside.)
Still, they are human, and in the last part of the song, Petrucci and Mangini had a little bit of a mix-up.
They quickly corrected it after making eye contact, though.
The main part of the concert ended with a magnificent number.
The Count of Tuscany
The position was changed from Download Japan 2022, and this was the last song of the encore.
The audience sang the chorus part of this song, which made the show more exciting.
This song may be a fitting end to the concert.
During the quieter parts, when it was just Petrucci and Jordan Rudess, Petrucci got playful and played the melody to “When You Wish Upon a Star” from the Disney movie “Pinocchio”.
Petrucci seemed to be very comfortable playing this part, which reminded me of Edward Van Halen, who also seemed to enjoy playing the guitar.
At the end
After the show, each member took pictures of the audience with their phones, and when Mangini came to the front with his phone, there was a huge cheer.
Yes, the drummer could only come to the front of the stage at the end.
As usual, the five of them greeted each other shoulder to shoulder.
The performance was great, of course, and it was also a great feeling to see the five of them performing with a smile on their faces.
I don’t know when their next visit to Japan will be, but if I have the chance, I would like to see them again.
It was a great show that had the power to make me think so.
Thank you, Dream Theater!
June 2,2023 Freakz
コメント