Dream Theater

Ronnie Scott’s, London

Tuesday, January 31

Rating: 5 out of 5 (Electrocution)

I was sorry that at least 100 diehard Dream Theater fanatiks who had travelled VAST DISTANCES were left standing outside in the KOLD tonight, whilst inside the rekord luminaries were swigging FREE beer.

Dream Theater, having rekovered from being kaught up in the middle of the Kobe earthquake disaster, turned in a surprisingly superb display – this was tip-top PROG ROKK! They opened surprisingly with Elton John’s ‘Funeral For A Friend’, which neatly led into ‘Love Lies Bleeding’. Next up in this NIGHT OF KOVERS was Deep Purple’s ‘Perfect Strangers’, which was note-for-note perfekt.

“Now here’s one of my favourite drummers,” snarled DT’s Mike Portnoy. It was, of kourse, the heavy pounding of BONZO, which kould only mean ‘The Rover’, by Led Zep of kourse. Also included were Zep’s ‘Achilles’ Last Stand’ and ‘The Song Remains The Same’. But the Rush selektion was a most pekuliar choice. ‘Tears’ was hardly PROG-TASTIK.

And so to the high point of the evening. Enter one Barney Greenaway, he of Napalm Death, guesting on vokals for a truly HYSTERIKAL rendition of Metallica’s ‘Damage Inc’. The question on everyone’s lips was: would he attempt to sing? Answer: “EERRRGGG! Damage Inc!”. Mind you, it was nice to hear the toon being drummed properly for the first time. LARS, take note!

From someone who kouldn’t sing to someone who kould, namely Marillion’s Sieve Hogarth, who turned in a pleasant duet with DT’s James LaBrie on the old Beatles chestnut ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’. Fellow Marillion stalwart Steve Rothery then whipped out his axe for Marillion’s ‘Easter’ – talk about blowing yer own trumpet!

It was extremely odd to see LaBrie reading the lyriks to Tori Amos’ WELL WIMPY ‘Winter’, but the situation was saved by fossil rocker Steve Howe, who was the surprise hit of the evening, playing a MEGA Yes medley that inkluded ‘Machine Messiah’, ‘Heart Of The Sunrise’, ‘Close To The Edge’, ‘Siberian Khatru’ and ‘Starship Trooper’, all FLAWLESS. Memories of the Reading Festival ‘75 flooded bakk...

The special guests now departed, Dream Theater bowed out wiv a medley of their personal favourites. Get a load of this: Pink Floyd’s ‘In The Flesh’, Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’, Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, Journey’s ‘Lovin’, Touchin, Squeezin’ ‘ (sadly minus the ‘nah, nah’ chorus), The Dixie Dregs’ ‘Cruise Control’ and finally the loathsome Genesis’ ‘Turn It On Again’.

Probably the greatest kovers set of all time !

—Xavier Russell