American prog-metal veterans Dream Theater just released their 14th studio album last month, Distance over Time. On the heels of the release, the New Yorkers embarked on a tour not only in support of the new release, but also in celebration of 20 years since 1999's concept album Metropolis Pt. 2 Scenes From A Memory.
The tour kicked off in San Diego, California on March 20th, and will stretch out through July, ending in Romania. The band has split their setlist between two acts, the first which featured a handful of new songs that were live debuted at the kick off show, and several rare deep cuts.
Act 2 is Metropolis in its entirety, and at the kickoff show, it was the first time the band had performed any of those songs in years, some in over a decade!
Guitarist Joe Petrucci shared sentiments about the 1999 album in an interview with Consequence of Sound:
“As a progressive band, you’d think it’s a very natural thing to fall into, but some of our favorite bands made some of the most incredible concept albums of all time. … So, we were like, ‘Are we ready to do this? We don’t want it to be some hack concept. We want to do it right.’ So, it ended up being something our fans really loved, and felt really close to – and 20 years later, it turned out to be one of our band’s favorites. So we’re happy to celebrate the [anniversary of] its release.”
As far as new songs go, they've live debuted:
- "Untethered Angel"
- "Paralyzed"
- "Barstool Warrior"
- "Pale Blue Dot"
- "Fall Into Light"
Rare cuts they've been performing during Act 1 includes "A Nightmare to Remember" and "In the Presence of Enemies Pt 1." They've encored each night with "Pull Me Under." Check out their setlist from the kickoff show below!
With the first act lasting 55 minutes, and the second lasting 90 minutes, the night is a long and winding adventure.
The stage production is everything you would hope a prog-metal band would offer - visual companions and lighting that boosts of some beautiful nightmare. Watch them performing in a fan-caught video below to get the full picture:
Catch Dream Theater perform their all-inclusive setlist at one of the remaining North American dates below!
Dream Theater 2019 North American Tour Dates:
03/26 – Denver, CO @ Paramount Theatre
03/28 – St. Paul, MN @ The Ordway
03/29 – Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre
03/31 – Milwaukee, WI @ Miller Theater
04/02 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
04/04 – Toronto, ON @ Sony Centre
04/05 – Montreal, QC @ Place Des Arts – Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier
04/06 – Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Capitole-Cabaret Du
04/08 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
04/09 – Oakdale, CT @ Toyota Presents Oakdale
04/10 – Red Bank, NJ @ Count Basie Center for the Arts
04/12 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
04/13 – Upper Darby, PA @ Tower Theater
04/15 – Washington, D.C. @ Warner Theatre
04/17 – Nashville, TN @ TPAC
04/22 – Charlotte, NC @Ovens Auditorium
04/23 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
04/26 – St. Petersburg, FL @ Mahaffey Theater
04/27 – Jacksonville, FL @ Moran Theater
04/29 – Dallas, TX @ The Bomb Factory
04/30 – Houston, TX @ Revention Music Center
05/01 – Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
