söndag 17 Jun 2007, 17:46

16 June: Dream Theater (support: Riverside) - Museumsmeile

Finally I have recuperated from my trip to Bonn, which is almost a 4 hour drive from the place where I live. Yesterday a friend of mine and myself had the privilege to see a very special Dream Theater live show. When we took of on Saturday morning to Bonn we did not have the slightest idea what would happen during that show. I can tell you I was flabbergasted and extremely happy that I was there to experience it!

But what am I talking about here? I think the people that were there and the biggest Dream Theater fans know what I am talking about. To celebrate the fact that "Images & Words" was released 15 years ago, the band played the whole album from start to finish! This was so extremely cool!!!

Overall the concert was great. The band played great and James was able to sing almost every high note from "Images & Words". Every time I get to see Dream Theater play I am very excited and totally amazed by the way they can make playing all this technical stuff seem like a walk in the park. Absolutely incredible!

I can only think of two (very small) minor points of the show. First the sound: the quality of the mix depended very strongly on the position you were standing in the crowd. It took us quite a while to find the best spot, but when we reached that spot the mix the band sounded fantastic! Of course the band or sound guys can't do a thing about this. They did a great job!

Second: we did not get to hear "In the Presence of Enemies" or "The Dark Eternal Night". The last song is my absolute favorite track from the "Systematic Chaos". But hey: I won't complain! This show was very, very special to me and we can't have it all, can we? :)

You can find the complete setlist of the show here.

Of course this review would not be complete without mentioning the support act: Riverside. The band really surprised me in a very positive way. I heard a couple of their songs from their first and second album and thought the songs were decent. But seeing them perform the material live gave it a new dimension. These guys are really great musicians and they gave I nice show. After the concert I bought Riverside's second album "Second Life Syndrome". Great stuff, guys!