Dream Theater

Manhattan Centre, New York City

Thursday, July 22

Rating: 4 out of 5 (High Voltage)

Two nights into the New Music Seminar gigs, and already the exhaustion was setting in. I was sure I’d fall asleep standing up while watching Dream Theatre. since, well, I just don’t get it .

Their combination of mid-’70s Prog Rock dinos like Styx. ‘Hemispheres’-era Rush and Yes doesn’t quite spark my plugs – but there’s no doubt that Dream Theater work as tightly and powerfully as any band playing eight-minute songs with 15 time changes. The group literally stop on a dime, turning from a gentle keyboard interlude to a dizzying barrage of riffs without warning or hesitation, their confidence brimming on ‘Under A Glass Moon’ and ‘Take The Time’.

But there’s something else too. Singer James LaBrie generates a genuine warmth in his vocals and his relationship with the crowd, and they respond by singing along to every song. The reaction is fanatical, and tunes like ‘Surrounded’ and even the unreleased ‘To Live Forever’ are greeted like long-time favourites.

Only utterly unnecessary guitar and drum solos dampen the pace. but not for long. Dream Theater’s build-and-release songwriting – best exemplified in their hit ‘Pull Me Down’ – does strike a chord with a rapidly growing audience. That, and superb musicianship, won them points from even a non-Prog diehard like me.

—Don Kaye