Is there life after Mike Portnoy? Following the announcement of his departure from Dream Theater in September of 2010, this seemed to be the million dollar question. Since then, Dream Theater auditioned some of the greatest drummers around, chose Mike Mangini as their prize secret weapon, recorded the stellar “A Dramatic Turn of Events” and took to the road for a highly successful North American Tour. On a bitter cold night here in Atlanta, the massive crowd cued up to get in to see just what would await them inside. I witnessed conversations ranging from “These guys are going to kill it” to “I just want to see if they can pull it off without Portnoy.” Well, I had all these same questions myself and eagerly made my way to the front.
Following a hilarious cartoon intro on the projection screens, Dream Theater took the stage to a roaring, near capacity crowd as they tore into “Bridges In The Sky” from their latest album “A Dramatic Turn of Events.” Right away it was apparent that the band I was seeing was not the same band that I had seen just a year or so before when opening for Iron Maiden. What was so different about these guys? Without saying a word, “These Walls” from “Octavarium” brought yet another roar as keyboardist Jordan Rudess unleashed his wizardry leading into the melodic guitar playing of John Petrucci. James LaBrie’s vocals were spot on, clear and so much more powerful than I had ever heard him. Each member was definitely performing at the top of their game individually and as a unit but something was different about this band. What was it?
The set list pulled mainly from the latest album “A Dramatic Turn of Events” but did feature some choice gems like “Endless Sacrifice”, “Forsaken” and from my personal favorite album “Scenes of a Memory” they delivered a classy and beautiful “Through My Words/Fatal Tragedy.” At the mid set point, LaBrie and Petrucci pulled up bar stools and an acoustic guitar to do absolutely amazing renditions of “The Silent Man” and “Beneath The Surface”. The first single from the new album, “On The Backs of Angels” proved to be a huge hit with the audience and was yet another great showcase for Mangini’s impressive yet classy drumming. I know I will get a lot of flack for this but Mangini has proved to be a better drummer than his predecessor. Mangini knows how to command your attention without jumping to the front with a “hey, look at me” ego. He has the skills but at the same time knows how to dial it back to that it’s not so pretentious and in your face. You know just by listening to him and watching him that he’s an amazing drummer. He’s getting it right and this is why the fans are embracing him.
As the show progressed I finally realized what was so different about this band I was seeing on stage before me. Dream Theater was obviously having fun. James LaBrie at times seemed to show a few tricks he learned from Bruce Dickinson by commanding the crowd and keeping them engaged and focused. Jordan Rudess was his playful self and bassist John Myung even seemed to be having a good time as he at times lost himself in the groove as he swayed and head banged from time to time. John Petrucci who usually seems to be pretty still was very mobile as he played around with LaBrie often mimicking his vocals but it was drummer Mike Mangini that seemed to be the seed that planted this new found fun and excitement into the band. If you can’t watch this guy play drums and have a great time doing so, you need some serious therapy. It’s like watching the bastard child of Neil Peart and Animal from the Muppet Show.
Mike Mangini is a showman and a stellar one at that. Mangini has injected a new found youthful fun and excitement into Dream Theater and it showed. The Dream Theater I saw last summer sounded amazing but seemed to lack that fire and passion. Mangini’s general good nature and lack of ego seem to have fueled Dream Theater giving them a more loose appearance which made for a much more exciting and fun live experience. Following a stellar drum solo, LaBrie took a moment to thank everyone for being there and accepting the new album with open arms. He then went on to thank Mike Mangini for all his hard work and with that he received a roaring standing ovation that obviously moved him in a huge way.
The highlight of the show for me was the pre-encore closer of “Breaking All Illusions” and based on the reaction from the crowd, I believe that it would be safe to say that this just may be the new signature Dream Theater song. This performance had the band firing on all cylinders and locking in with unabashed emotion and passion. I could feel the fire that was burning within the band and this performance was definitely felt by everyone in attendance. LaBrie’s vocals were cutting through the Tabernacle as the band seemed to join hands musically using this particular song to show that they have a strong bond as a band that will not be broken anytime soon. Closing out the night with “Under A Glass Moon” was literally bringing it around full circle as they opened the night with a new song and closed the night with a song from “Images and Words.”
As the audience exited the venue there wasn’t a long face in the crowd. I didn’t hear anyone complaining. I didn’t hear anyone griping that they didn’t play good and I definitely didn’t see anyone who didn’t have the time of their life. What I did get from this performance was that Dream Theater is now a new band. A band who was at one time caught in the web of interpersonal drama managed to cut from from the web and move forward reviving the fire that seemed to be merely smoldering for sometime. The Dream Theater I saw last night is the Dream Theater I want to see for years to come. So how about that million dollar question? Is there life after Mike Portnoy? Don’t be silly. Of course there is and you know what? Life is fucking amazing.
Dream Theater Setlist
Bridges in the Sky, These Walls, Build Me Up/Break Me Down, Endless Sacrifice, Drum Solo, The Ytse Jam
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Acoustic Set
The Silent Man
Beneath the Surface
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Outcry, On the Backs of Angels, Forsaken, Through My Words, Fatal Tragedy Breaking All Illusions
Encore:
Under a Glass Moon
[svgallery name=”Dream Theater – 10-19-2011 – Atlanta, GA”]
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