Originally published in Record Collector magazine 545 · June 2023
gig review
By London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo
Review1 min read
Dream Theater
21/2/23
The New Yorkers launched into their impressive, complex, 10-minute ‘The Alien’, from their 15th outing, A View From The Top Of The World, the seated crowd engrossed by massive screen projections and the musicianship of guitarist John Petrucci et al. Mike Mangini’s drum thunderbolts, John Myung’s powerful bass and animated keysman Jordan Rudess backed vocalist James LaBrie on new highlight, ‘Sleeping Giant’, before the viscerally potent ‘Answering The Call’. ‘Caught In A Web’ stunned, while favourite, ‘Pull Me Under’, raised everyone to their feet. Ending with the 20-minute title track from the new opus, the encore was ‘The Count Of Tuscany’, equal in length and audacity, and including snippets of ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ and The Police’s ‘Message In A Bottle’. Breathtakingly brilliant.
—Mark Taylor