Originally published in unknown Nashville newspaper · May 1993
Hot Tickets
InterviewJohn Petrucci1 min read
In an age where speed merchants and grunge upstarts dominate hard rock, Dream Theater has revived progressive music.
Dream Theater’s baroque arrangements and complex song structures evoke artists like Yes, Rush and King Crimson. While many of those bands have fallen into critical disfavor, Dream Theater has breathed new life into progressive rock by adding elements of modern metal and emphasizing melodies.
“I try to stress the importance of melody, not only in my playing but in my songwriting,” says guitarist John Petrucci. “When you establish strong melodies and phrases, it gives the solos more of a meaning. It ties solos into the song more.”
In many circles, “progressive” is synonymous for “pretentious”, but Petrucci’s not ashamed of the term.
“I think the problem is there are only a few bands that really did it well,” says Petrucci. “You can cross over the line when you’re playing progressive rock.
“It’s like the Spinal Tap thing. You can get overly pompous.”
Songs on the group’s current album, Images And Words, run as long a 12 minutes, giving the members of the Boston-based band plenty of room to show their chops. (Petrucci and two other members attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music, noted for churning out technically proficient musicians.) But Dream Theater doesn’t just play for musicians – the band has also gotten a healthy amount of radio airplay with songs like ‘Pull Me Under’, ‘Take The Time’ and ‘Another Day’.
Dream Theater plays the KDF $25,000 Cash Bash with Every Mother’s Nightmare at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Starwood Amphitheatre. Tickets are available only through WKDF-FM (103); they can be won over the air during hourly giveaways or picked up at locations announced by the station.