Queensryche, Dream Theater & Fates Warning
Rating: 4.67 Skulls
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Queensryche, Dream Theater & Fates Warning
Rating: 4.67 Skulls |
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Death's Review (7/24/03, Universal Ampitheater, Universal City, CA):
The ultimate "prog-metal" tour was finally upon us. This tour feels like it should have happened years ago - really, it makes too much sense. A unification of three of the most commercially successful, critically acclaimed and influential bands the genre has ever known, featuring the three "founding fathers" of a style that persists in spawning countless imitators to this day. What more could a prog-metal geek really ask for from a big summer tour? Anyway, this was must-see summer concert material, in my book. Never mind the fact that I had just returned from a major international trip the night before. I was going out this night, drinking beer and watching a classic collection of bands, and nothing could stop me. I couldn't wait.
Dream Theater
Photos by HelWe had all sorts of trouble getting to the gig, first with the Hollywood rush hour traffic and then with the parking at Universal City. Eventually we got there, collected out passes, walked through security and into the venue just in time to catch the end of the brilliant Fates Warning set. Fates Warning are seeming perpetual underdogs, the least commercially successful of the three bands here. Fates Warning was thus the tour's true "opening act" in support of co-headliners Queensryche and Dream Theater, and, accordingly, Fates Warning had both nothing and everything to prove. Handicapped by the unavailability of the services of drummer Mark Zonder for this tour (Zonder could not participate but is still in the band), guitarist-founder Jim Matheos, vocalist Ray Alder, bassist Joey Vera and co. carried the torch and showcased the band's top-notch musical chops and adventuresome songwriting, introducing these metal legends to scores of Dream Theater fans who should love the band but previously had no idea who they were (well some of them surely knew something about the old keyboard player Kevin Moore playing with the band; perhaps others had heard Mike Portnoy playing drums with Matheos on guitar on former-vocalist Jon Arch's solo EP). All across the country this summer, Fates Warning is leaving mouths open, jaws hanging, and is probably winning over lots of new fans. I only wish Arch would have come out on tour and done a short set of material - perhaps "Relentless" from the new EP (Matheos, Portnoy and Vera were already on site!), followed by "The Gaurdian" and "Prelude to Ruin". Is that too much to ask?
QueensrycheFor Dream Theater, I was hanging out with Hel, who had a photo pass. She walked right down to the front row and I followed, squeezing in at the end of the row even though my ticket was in the upper deck. I sat there dumbfounded watching Petrucci playing guitar and Portnoy playing drums so close to where I was sitting. These two musicians are absolutely amazing, probably both the best current rock/metal drummer and best current rock/metal guitar player in the same band, totally on fire musically, all for my entertainment. I was quite literally amazed at what I saw and sat there almost in a trance. Until after five or six songs I was "found out" to be the front-row imposter I was and summarily ejected to the back of the venue where I apparently belonged. Guess what? Both sound-wise and showmanship-wise, Dream Theater kicked ass from back here too.
As technical as they are, Dream Theater is a band who live totally relies on crowd energy and feel. What makes them such a great live band is that you can tell that some nights are better than others. Sometimes their shows are transcendental - when the whole thing is firing on all cylinders and the crowd is giving the energy back. Other times the show bogs down and gets boring (relatively speaking of course - a lesser DT show is still better than most). This was one of those nights where the band made a run that keeps you a fan forever. Everything hit with dramatic impact. The instruments sounded perfect; the execution exceeded expectations. Well before the screens flashed the Dream Theater-ized version of the Diary of a Madman album cover and the band started playing my all-time favorite Ozzy tune (with Petrucci nailing every Randy Rhoades lick and LaBrie suitablity invoking the madness of the Prince of Darkness in this haunting classic), I had decided that this was one of the best individual sets of music I had seen in 2003. The Ozzy cover was just the icing on the cake.
DT and QueensrycheToo bad Queensryche had to try to follow that. The band is generally still serviceable, but come across as quite pedestrian when compared to the high flying affair Dream Theater had just exhibited mere moments before. Opening with a new song, from Tribe, appropriately titled "Open" was a bold move but surely did not help matters. I do like the conviction with which Tate returned to the lyrical refrain later in the show when addressing the crowd reminding them to keep their eyes wide open or something like that, but this new song did not seem nearly strong enough to capture my attention on the level Queensryche needed to, in order to wipe the memory of the amazing Dream Theater set that had just occurred from my mind long enough to allow me to truly appreciate them. The set improved from there, however, and the streak of "NM156" into "Screaming in Digital" into "I am I" was about as good as I could ask for from Queensryche circa 2003. I decided I was really starting to get into it. Still, even as these killer tunes flew by, something seemed missing. A certain intangible element, an energy, an intensity that should have been a part of it but wasn't. Perhaps it was Chris DeGarmo's absence after they got my hopes up for a full reunion; perhaps it was the fact that Geoff Tate seemingly consciously avoided all the best high notes in every song. Either way, while I am traditionally a big Queensryche fan, I must say, this set was fun, but the overall performance was really just OK.
QueensrycheSo I was getting pretty bored. But things perked up when the band broke into "Best I Can" as an encore - I don't think I'd heard that one live in a while. And then it happened. Both the full Dream Theater and Queensryche bands came together on stage for a four-song, multi-band set. It was awesome. But it proved Dream Theater's superiority, as the two bands went toe-toe, trading guitar lick for guitar lick and alternating vocal lines while two rhythm sections jammed away, first on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," then onto Dream Theater's "Peruvian Skies," then Queensryche's "Take Hold of the Flame," and finally, The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again". What can I say? It was incredible, a truly awesome experience. Too bad James LaBrie had to handle all the high notes on "Take Hold of the Flame". Also too bad that Fates Warning was not included. Otherwise? One of the coolest "big concert" moments I've watched in years.
Hel's Review (7/24/03, Universal Ampitheater, Universal City, CA):
Now this, my metal friends, is a legendary bill. Fates Warning, Dream Theater, and Queensryche together - whoever came up with this was a genius. Despite the fact that Death and I were just returning from a huge trip to South Africa the day before this show, it was clear that no matter what the circumstances, we needed to be there.
QueensrycheWe set out early with intentions to be there before the Fates Warning took the stage. After a bit of traffic, circling the Universal parking lot repeatedly looking for the "preferred" parking area that was supposed to be faster and more convenient to park in (in what parallel universe might that be true?), and dealing with the multi-window rigmarole in order to obtain my photo pass (the second one, at the second window, was the one I needed - why do they even bother with the other?), we finally made it inside the venue at the tail end of Fates Warning's set.
Sadly, after all that, I didn't end up with any Fates Warning pictures. Universal Amphitheater is actually a pretty good venue for one of its size from a fan perspective, but from a photo standpoint, it is a giant pain in the ass. Regardless, Fates Warning was actually playing here, which is something part of me really never expected to see. It did my heart good, and they were tearing it up onstage, Fates Warning-style. They sounded great and were giving it their all. I deeply regret not catching more of their brief "special guest" appearance and particularly that I didn't get any pictures, but I sincerely hope that they are able to do a big tour like this again so that I can have another opportunity to document what I consider to be a momentous event.
DT and QueensrycheDream Theater would be next onstage, and I was very excited to see them again. They have always been an incredible live band, and I believe I have seen them enough times to say that definitively. As I watched, I recalled one of the first times I ever witnessed this band, at a very packed little club called The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York roughly circa-1993. I also pondered the last time I caught them, opening for Satriani at the Greek Theatre here in L.A. about a year ago, and the time before that, I saw both nights of their two-night "evening with" stint at the Beacon Theatre in New York. In fact, going even farther back, I can list several more memorable Dream Theater performances. But this co-headlining tour may be their biggest yet, because without a doubt, this is the biggest venue I have ever seen them play at.
Big venues or small, Dream Theater have always been consummate showmen, and this time proved no different. The crowd was intent and clearly many were fellow longtime fans. One of the most interesting aspects of this tour to me is that while, logically, many of the fans in attendance were big fans of both bands, there were also a fair number who were familiar with one but not the other. I found this almost as fascinating as the marginal contingent of metalheads who, like me, were sporting real metal shirts. Not really that many of them, to be frank.
DT of a MadmanAnyway, back to Dream Theater. They played a full headline set and I even managed to take a photo of the set list, which will hopefully appear here for your enjoyment. They sounded perfect and gave exactly the kind of performance I expect from them. Yet, they still managed to surprise me, this time with a Dream Theater-style cover of Ozzy's "Diary of a Madman" complete with customized art. Space permitting, there may be a photo of that also for your enjoyment. Yet another memorable Dream Theater show to store in the memory vault with my many others. Thanks yet again, Dream Theater!
It was Queensryche's turn to close out the festivities on this night. While I have loved Queensryche for many years, my passion for their new music has cooled as time has gone on and they release albums that kick my ass less and less each time. Queensryche has become comfortable with their predominately 40-ish fans, and has paid less and less attention to their metalhead fans as time goes on. Sure, they know that people love the old stuff, but that is reflected far more in the set list than in their new material. I haven't listened to Tribe much yet, but judging from my initial listens and the song they opened with, which was clearly one of the new ones, it is more in the direction they have been going in, than in the direction I wish they were going in.
Dream TheaterBut the thing that bothers me most, even beyond the less heavy direction their songwriting has been heading in, is that each time I see Queensryche live, Geoff Tate hits fewer and fewer of those classic high notes. That's not to say he tries and misses, oh no - when he tries he hits them, he just tries less often. He modifies the key in which some of the old stuff was originally delivered in, and hits them in a lower octave now. Subtle, but there, and quite noticeable when you know them all by heart and were happily singing along when it suddenly became crystal clear he wasn't singing the same notes. Chris Degarmo's absence was the other downside of their set; I miss both his guitar ability and the backing vocals he used to contribute. The new guy is adequate, but mostly just a body filling in the biggest of the blanks.
Despite these complaints, I do have to admit that, all in all, Queensryche still puts on a great show. Over the years I have also seen this band many times, and I was amused to realize that during the "Eastside meets Westside downtown" part of Empire he's still doing the same audience participation gag that he's been doing since at least 1991! But having to follow in Dream Theater's substantial wake is a very difficult thing, and they do not profit from the direct comparison.
DT's Set ListBut wait, there was yet another surprise in store for us. When I looked at the photo I had just taken, I was confused by the "jam" listing I saw at the bottom of the Dream Theater set list, and after conferring with Death, he had me convinced we'd see a combo effort at the end of the night. It turns out he was correct, as the video screens showed both Queensryche and Dream Theater's logos both line ups came out on stage, complete with two drums sets and two of everything else. Dreamryche, as I have decided to call it (sounds better than Queen Theater, doesn't it?), proceeded to combine their talents, playing one song from each band's catalog, and two classic cover songs. I was hoping against hope that the Fates Warning guys would join them, but it didn't happen. However, getting to see Dream Theater and Queensryche perform together was a real treat. One that underscored my earlier conclusion that the guys in Dream Theater are just way better musicians, but then, that was hardly a newsflash to begin with.
I left the Universal Amphitheatre that night feeling as though I had gotten to see something special. All three bands gave incredible performances and it gives me a really good feeling to see how many people came out to support these great bands. This is undoubtedly one of the best tour packages to come around in recent memory and anyone who has the opportunity should be sure to catch every note.
A Trauma's Review (7/10/03, PNC Bank Art Center, Holmdel, NJ):
Dream TheaterStill stewing over the Dream Theater / Queensryche / Fates Warning show that happened on July 10, 2003. Dream Theater and Queensryche rock. With the exception of like one or two notes, Tate can still belt those vocals. Wow! Also, the setlist was pretty wild. "Take Hold of the Flame," "Lady Wore Black" (although slow... a classic from the day), "Empire," "Revolution Calling," "Eyes of a Stranger," and "Walk in the Shadows," among others. And, of course, I am so fucking happy they didn't play "Silent Lucidity." Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And another thank you! I love this band but I HATE THAT SONG! I'll stop right there about that. Queensryche rocked and I felt like a kid spazzing out at a heavy metal show with my fist in the air: TAKE... HOLD!!!
QueensrycheDream Theater... sometimes I hate these guys and sometimes I love them. When they wasted 45 minutes of their set covering Metallica's Master of Puppets album in New York City last year... I hated them. Two weeks ago, I loved them. Kick ass, powerful crunch power prog. The song "Glass Prison" is like Megadeth meets Yes / Emerson Lake & Palmer. I felt like my head was going to blow up in the middle of it. And John Petrucci has got to be one of the more complex scale rippers going out there right now. At times his fingers were moving so fast it looked like someone was pressing the fast forward button on a VCR guitar tech video. Kudos, John! My only little criticism is that one of the pieces they played that night (I believe "Goodnight Kiss" / "Solitary Shell") has a HUGE resemblance to the strum part of Yes' "And You And I"... I mean from the simulated 12-string sound to the exact sounds on the keyboard riff during that strum part (was Rick Wakeman back there playing that or what??? Come on, guys). HOWEVER, aside from that little bitch, a REALLY AWESOME PERFORMANCE!
Queensryche's Set ListAnd at the end of the night, the Dreams and the Queens came out for the encore, each doing a song of each others' ("Real World" and "Peruvian Skies") and then finishing with The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again," which coincidentally I happened to have in my CD player at work that same very day... is... is that you, God?... Uh Oh... Oh boy...
Unfortunately, I missed most of Fates Warning's set (I caught "Monument" and another tune I didn't know). Sounded good from what I could tell, except it sounded to me like the singer was half-belting notes with a tired expression of breath once in a while. What do I know? Wait a minute... I'm a musician... I know a little bit. Oh well.
But enough of my crap. I loved it and I can't wait for the Maiden, Motorhead, Dio show at the Garden on July 30. Bang your head until you pass out, or something.
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