In celebration of 40 years since they formed, Dream Theater embarked on a full on celebration tour that had a stop in Portland, Oregon at the Keller Auditorium, and it was an epic evening. First off, there was no opening act, so this was the signal that fans were in for a massive performance from the top prog metal band out there. The arena was sold out, with standing room only, all thrilled to see Dream Theater live.
Probably the most exciting thing for fans was of course the return of Mike Portnoy to the Dream Theater family. It was great to hear the band back together, with the original feel that can somehow only be truly captured by having the original friends that brought it to life. Portnoy was in excellent form, and had a massive double/double bass kit where he’d play one side for a song and then move over to the other half of the kit to face fans on that side.
James LaBrie was in good form, and for 40 years of performing these kind of difficult songs, gave a strong performance. Some of the highest notes from the first couple albums were a bit of a stretch, but that’s being super critical. LaBrie is the voice of Dream Theater, with few folks even remembering that there was a previous singer for an album. All in all, LaBrie was excellent, and gave fans what they wanted as the crowd sang along.
John Petrucci is at the heart of this amazing band that put prog metal on the map like no one before them. His performance was stunning as usual, a tour de force of technical execution, while displaying incredible emotion with every nuance, and note. While many musicians entertain with stage moves and music, Dream Theater captures your imagination with just the power of their musical efforts, 100%.
The amazing John Myung seems timeless, as he never moves from his spot on stage, and is always laser focused on his instrument. Fans can only rarely get a glimpse of his face through his long dark hair, only a glimpse here and there while he holds down the bottom end of the band while playing counter melodies to the guitar.
Last but far from least, Jordan Rudess at 20 years in the band has done more than fill the shoes of Kevin Moore and Derek Sherinian. With his spinning/tilting/light show keyboard, Rudess put on a masterful display of finesse, as well as power. During “Hollow Years”, couples were seen snuggling and exchanging looks of love, proving the power of great music can transfer emotions en masse. After three plus hours of standing (the entire arena stood for both halves of the performance), the crowd still wanted more. One thing is for sure, that 40 years have not slowed down this legendary band, and with the brand new album to prove it, Dream Theater continues to deliver excellent music, and stellar performances.
Dream Theater is:
- James LaBrie – vocals
- Jon Petrucci – guitar
- John Myung – bass
- Mike Portnoy – drums
- Jordan Rudess – keyboards
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