Dream Theater mesmerizes fans in Detroit on Distance Over Time tour + 20 Years of Metropolis Pt. 2.

Fans tonight are in for a marathon session of progressive metal from genre standouts Dream Theater. This tour is in support of their latest release Distance Over Time, as well as to celebrate 20 years since the release of the epic concept album Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes from a Memory. Trained at the likes of Berklee College of Music and The Juilliard School, they are masters of their craft and continue to wow fans old and new with their live shows.

The lights dim and an animated video runs that shows a progression of the history of their albums until the band takes the stage and launches into “Untethered Angel” from Distance Over Time. This song is the first single and has the fans fired up right out the gate with a more melodic rhythm that quickly transitions into an aggressive pace with driving drums, solid base line, combined with some light speed runs on the keys and guitar. John Petrucci’s musicianship is nothing short of amazing as his fingers race up and down the fretboard. James LaBrie’s voice is in top form tonight, and he seems rather loose jumping down from the upper tier of their stage setup.

Next up is the lengthy “A Nightmare to Remember” that finds Jordan Rudess showing off his wizardry on the keys. At one point, he straps on a portable keytar and works his way to the front of the stage to jam with John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. They follow this up with two more new songs, “Fall Into the Light” and “Barstool Warrior”.

“In the Presence of Enemies, Part 1” cranks up the energy level again with all the musicians doing extensive jamming. “Pale Blue Dot” opens with a space video playing and the title itself refers to earth. This is another aggressive song with pulsing drums, chugging guitar riffs, and fast key runs, combined with heavier vocals. That marks the end of the first set that lasts just about an hour. Time for the band and fans to catch a breather before the longer second set.

After a fifteen minute intermission, a video kicks off the start of the live playing of the whole Metropolis Pt. 2 album. This album centers around a man going through regression therapy to learn about past lives. Videos accompany songs throughout the set. “Overture 1928” finds John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, and Mike Mangini jamming and “Strange Déjà Vu” has both John Petrucci and John Myung jamming while James wails on the vocals. Mangini is a beast on his massive drum set, swinging his arms wildly left and right, and up and down in order to play all of the toms and cymbals that surround him.

One of the high points of the evening comes during the two songs, “Fatal Tragedy” and “Beyond This Life.” With the stage illuminated in a sea of red, Jordan goes on a tear, tilting his keyboard down toward the audience, and strapping on the keytar again. Slowing things down, “Through Her Eyes” has the audience cheering loudly at the end. James takes a moment to comment to the audience how that songs brings out emotions but has a healing effect on many.

“Home” has a cool vibe to it with a sitar like sounding guitar that is really a keyboard effect or sample, and some major guitar whah-whah. It’s one of those trademark Dream Theater songs with several tempo changes and plenty of opportunities for all of the musicians to showcase their skills. “Dance of Eternity” has Myung tearing it up as fingers on both hands go like crazy on the bass. “Spirit Carries On” has the fans singing along and throwing their horns in the air. After “Finally Free,” the lights stay off and the band leaves the stage.

Returning to the stage, they close out the evening on yet another high note with the classic “Pull Me Under” from Images and Words. It was a breakout hit that got them plenty of airplay and exposure and continues to be a fan favorite and garners huge cheers from the packed crowd. It is a fitting ending to an awesome evening of progressive metal. The fans on this tour are surely getting their moneys worth.

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Dream Theater
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Fillmore Detroit
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Event Date: 02-APR-2019