On December 9th, the distant Pepsi OnStage in Porto Alegre hosted a packed house for Dream Theater , on their final date of the highly anticipated The Distance Over Time Tour in the country. Even though they had already toured Brazil more than 10 times, the tour was more than eagerly awaited, as for decades ardent fans of the progressive metal legends had been salivating for a complete performance of Metropolis pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory , considered by many to be the Americans' masterpiece.
The band took the stage at 9:30 PM with a projection in the background that hinted at a narrative about the search for the human element in an era where technology governs our lives. In the background, the first notes of "Untethered Angel," an excellent track that opens the quintet's latest album, began. As expected, the band entered confidently and relentlessly, delivering a great performance of their new material. Flirting with the infamous djent , the track warmed up the night satisfactorily, with its catchy and very pleasant chorus.
The first thing you notice is the volume of John Petrucci : at extremely high volume, the distorted sound of the guitar echoes grandly and heavily to all corners of the Pepsi venue, making him the main contributor to the metal essence on stage. Of all the shows I've seen at the venue, this one certainly had the best acoustics. From the new album, they also played "Paralyzed," "Bastool Warrior," and "Fall Into Light," dedicating almost the entire first part of the concert to the new work. If on the album the songs sound accessible and very easy to like, live the songs become ambitious and exciting.
James LaBrie , strutting across the expansive stage on a tour-themed pedestal, demonstrates his enviable vocal control, delivering a clean and soulful timbre, as if time hadn't affected him. The vocalist speaks little, and I dare say that his performance as frontman sometimes fades into the very democratic position of "just another one" among the great musicians who accompany him on stage.
Housed within the imposing drum kit in the center of the stage, with cymbals and toms almost 2 meters off the ground, Mike Mangini plays all the songs with hi-hats and high-pitched riffs, holding on for almost 3 hours with one arm or the other in the air. Just watching it seems very tiring. Unfortunately, this peculiar display of stamina doesn't compensate for his playing, which is impeccably technical, but still far from matching the sonic pressure exerted by his bandmates.
In this first part, there was room for only one classic, and it was a recent one. “A Nightmare to Remember,” warmly received by fans, is the first great showcase of Dream Theater, renowned for 16-minute songs, atmospheric variations, and instrumental passages as difficult to memorize as they are to perform. The band closes the first part with the hyper-digressive “Pale Blue Dot,” one of the most intricate and challenging tracks from their latest album, and a true delight for lovers of the genre.
With a background sound that clashes with the metal universe, a ragtime-cabaret-instrumental piece animates the intermission, while the audience comments on the band's performance and awaits the second act. The lights go out, and a loud ticking begins the countdown that opens Metropolis pt. 2 , introducing the great moment of the night. The audience counts along with the voiceover , and the band returns with John Petrucci on guitar and LaBrie seated on one of the side stairs of the stage.
The audience sings the words of “Regression” with effusive passion, entering body and soul into the conceptual journey of the work, but it is with the combo “Overture: 1928” followed by “Strange Deja Vu” that we see the audience at its maximum power. This ecstasy would return to govern the night in moments where virtuosity and emotion prevail in themes such as “Dance of Eternity” and, at the end, “The Spirit Carries On”. It is also impressive to see Jordan Rudess , often awkward in his interaction with the audience, performing true miracles on the keys of his mobile station.
It was as if all the excesses had been saved for the second act: virtuosity to the point of exhaustion, the affectation of a captivated and frankly emotional audience, the delight of a dream lived on a warm southern night. In every section of the spacious concert hall, the women stole the show: they were the ones who sang, song by song, every word, with beautiful highlights for "Through Words," "Home," and "One Last Time.".
John Myung's impeccable performance is a show in itself, as the bassist executes the setlist as if walking among the notes of his double bass, completely absorbed by the group's music and distant from our reality. With the audience in the palm of their hand, the band performs the album in its entirety, but the feeling is that of being inside a movie soundtrack. With the grateful applause of a somewhat tired but fully satisfied audience, the band leaves the stage at the end of the last "scene" of the album – "Finally Free".
For the encore, the band played the last song of the night, “At Wit's End,” another track from their latest album. The overall impression was positive: Dream Theater didn't owe much to their audience, as thanks to their frequent visits, the band gave many opportunities to see their classics on other occasions. The masters of prog rock was marked by the exclusivity of this tour and the importance of this performance in the lives of their fans. The audience left the venue completely satisfied, happy with the perfect stage performance, the new songs that broadened the reach of their latest album, and a great concert finally checked off their wish list.
See below the exclusive photos by Daniela Cony for Wikimetal .
