Dream Theater Instagram Photo Contest Entry (OC)

This is a composite image I submitted to Dream Theater's #DramaticEvents photo contest.. My ticket superimposed over my view from my seat. They were very strict on camera usage & picture taking at this venue. I only took about 7 pictures with my phone, so I didn't have a lot to work with.

Click on the image not only to enlarge it   (because it's tough to see in the small version), but to go give me a "LIKE"! ...I appreciated more than you know!!

Here's an Old Motley Crue Set

Live Wire - Too Fast for Love, 1981

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Louder Than Hell - Theater of Pain, 1985

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Red Hot - Shout at the Devil, 1983

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Too Young to Fall in Love - Shout at the Devil, 1983

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Fight For Your Rights - Theater of Pain, 1985

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Same Ol' Situation - Dr. Feelgood, 1989

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And the best for last, of course:

In The Beginning / Shout At The Devil - Shout at the Devil, 1983

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Looks That Kill - Shout at the Devil, 1983

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Probably the Image that will Stick With Me

Via / Image Source

This is the picture from the Aurora, CO movie theater massacre that is SO incredible to me. The similarity of blood spatter in NINE separate, but consecutive, footprints. Twenty-two separate pieces of evidence. The glock on the car roof. The imagery/symbolism of the reddish stuff exiting through the A/C run-off drain. And of course the AR15 pointed directly into the site.

If anyone finds an image that includes what is RIGHT of this image, please send it to me!

Dream Theater - San Antonio - 2012

Image Source

My wife had a private birthday party to go to on July 6th. I had already flirted with the possibility of going to see Dream Theater on their current tour - either in San Antonio, or the next night in Austin. I checked out the setlists that were being uploaded, and also made it known that I'd love to go.

Amazingly she surprised me with a ticket for my upcoming birthday. Since her party was two blocks away from the Majestic Theater in downtown San Antonio, it was a perfect opportunity.

So we met the birthday girl and her friend at Texas Land & Cattle for an awesome steak dinner before the festivities. My wife had a $25 gift certificate from about 2 years ago. So we had an amazing steak dinner for about $15.

They went on without me, and I walked over to the venue. The Majestic Theater is a super place to see a concert. They provide a full bar. They allow smokers to exit, and re-enter. There is really no bad seat when it comes to your view. It has pretty good acoustics, and it's a nice & tight intimate setting. I had a great seat in the lower mezzanine. This was my view:

The best one of only 7 pics I took..   Do click to enlarge!!


The set list was as follows:

Intro: Dream Is Collapsing (Hans Zimmer song)
1 - Bridges in the Sky
2 - 6:00
3 - The Dark Eternal Night
4 - This is the Life
5 - The Root of All Evil
6 - Lost Not Forgotten
7 - A Fortune in Lies
8 - Surrounded (preceded by Jordan Rudess Keyboard Solo)
9 - On the Backs of Angels
10 - War Inside My Head
11 - The Test that Stumped Them All
12 - The Spirit Carries On (Preceded by John Petrucci Guitar Solo)
13 - Breaking All Illusions
Encore:
14 - Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper

I thoroughly enjoyed myself (small $5 beers not included). This was my 7th time seeing Dream Theater. I so-o-o looked forward to "The Test That Stumped Them All," and it was absolutely incredible live, as I expected it would be.. even though it wasn't my drumming idol, Mike Portnoy behind the set. "The Spirit Carries On" blew my mind as well. It's been many years since I've heard them do this one live. John Petrucci has officially cemented himself in my mind as one of the top-3 guitarists AND musicians ever.

It was my first DT show post-Mike Portnoy. I must say that Mike Mangini is a super-talented drummer, but things just didn't seem the same without MP. I reflected on how sad I was when he decided to leave the band back in the summer of 2010.

• This guy was way in the back left, but he captured most of Petrucci's solo, and the sound quality is VERY good.

But here is a great video of the encore song, "Metropolis Part 1", captured by Gabriel Macias:



Then I was off to join my wife's party. It was a fun night!

Staind - It's Been A While (LIVE)

San Antonio's Alamodome Illusions Theater, May 2, 2012. Thanks to nbkyounggun!


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We were there, but not as close as he was. Not sure how he got this without all the bass reverb, but kudos to him!

Godsmack & Staind - Mass Chaos

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 my wife and I had the pleasure of attending the Mass Chaos Tour, featuring Godsmack, Staind, Halestorm, and Man Made Machine! We had bought these tickets several months prior, and yeah - we wouldn't miss an event like this. Both Godsmack & Staind are two of our favorite bands. In concert together? You better believe we're there. This would be our 5th time seeing Staind and 4th time for Godsmack.

The San Antonio Spurs playoffs were also going on at the same time, and let me tell you how mad I was when I found out that game-2 against Utah in the first round was scheduled for THIS NIGHT, instead of Tuesday, after game-1 was Sunday. So we got to the Alamodome Illusions Theater, and I was hoping to watch most of game-2 on one of the many screens the Alamodome would have going. But that was not the case. Screwed, I called my Mom a few times, and had to check the game on my dumb smart-phone.

So I was able to see a couple of Man Made Machine's songs. And they're a pretty good band. I also saw most of Halestorm's set. And let me tell you, Lzzy Hale is an incredible front-woman. She can really sing! Her brother is their drummer, and he's a monster at the set. I watched him flip a stick around his neck, and that was something I had never seen. Halestorm deserves a lot of credit - they really have a great sound, and write some great tunes. And yeah, she is hot! I envied the guys who were standing in the general admission area, because although I couldn't see great detail, she wasn't wearing much.

I respect event planners more than most people might. They have a lot to do! After a disaster last week at Siesta Fest for Korn, I was expecting so much better on this night. Our seats were great! Stage-proximity-wise, anyway. We were about the 8th row of seats from the ground-level, and just outside right from the middle. The bad thing is we had seats 16 & 17, and the nearest aisle was 17 seats to our right. So yeah all night we had to crawl through 17 people to get to/from our seats. And by the time Staind took the stage, it was a full house! We had already waited in line for a t-shirt (which we eventually aborted), and I had waited in a beer line for 10 minutes when I heard Staind take the stage 10-minutes early. And I missed almost half of their set waiting, and waiting, and waiting.

Staind

I love Staind and all, but I justified it that I'm here to see Godsmack. This time I bought two beers - I wasn't waiting in line again. Finally making back to Steph, Staind was kicking butt, as usual. So thirty minutes pass.. we're blown away by Staind.. I have to use the restroom, so I leave during Mudshovel - which is always their closer. I got lucky, because they played another one. By this time, there was no one in line for beer, so I took a leak, and bought another one.

Here was Staind's set-list:
1 - Raw
2 - Right Here
3 - Eyes Wide Open
4 - Spleen
5 - Failing
6 - So Far Away
7 - Now
8 - Country Boy (Aaron Lewis song)
9 - For You
10 - Paper Wings
11 - Outside
12 - Not Again
13 - It's Been Awhile
14 - Mudshovel
15 - Something To Remind You

Godsmack

The Godsmack set was perfect! They opened with Awake, and Straight out of Line. Followed that with several from The Oracle, and the highlight of the night was getting to see live "The Oracle", which is an instrumental. I never left my seat again until it was over, but that hour and 15 minutes was absolutely incredible! This was one of the best shows I've seen, and without a doubt, one of the loudest I've ever experienced. The ringing in my ears is just now (more than 48 hours later) back to normal.

Here is the Godsmack set-list (updated):
1 - Awake
2 - Straight Out of Line
3 - The Enemy
4 - Good Day to Die
5 - The Oracle
6 - Cryin' Like a Bitch
7 - Keep Away - (with an incredible medley)
8 - Speak
9 - Love Hate Sex Pain
10 - Voodoo
11 - Batalla de los Tambores & more
12 - Whatever

Encore:
13 - I Stand Alone

We obviously didn't get many good pictures this time. No cameras were allowed. But we had our phones. I have two videos that are terrible, but I may post them. Who knows. It was an incredible concert, and that's all that matters.

Theater Review

Via

Dream Theater Minus Portnoy

I am sickened.

The greatest drummer who has ever lived has just made the stupid decision to leave my favorite of all-time band. No, Neil Peart didn't leave Rush. But that's the only analogy I can think of, other than Michael Jordan Leaving the Bulls in 1993 to go play for the Lakers. Or maybe Jerry Seinfeld leaving his own show around season #5 or #6 and choosing to go start his own cooking show.

I am thoroughly sickened that someone would let go of their dream. I don't honestly know if it is Mike Portnoy's dream to be a major factor in Dream Theater for 25 years.. or much longer. It would be mine!

As I posted a few hours ago, Mike Portnoy has decided to leave Dream Theater. I have no idea what he's thinking. Perhaps he's drunk? Or smoking crack. A heroin binge? What a stupid thing to do. Avenged Sevenfold is who he's recently been touring with - filling in for them due to the death of their drummer. Avenged Sevenfold is 1/100th of what Dream Theater is! And the other side projects Portnoy is involved in are probably even less than that in the eyes of most of his fans. DT is MP (and John Petrucci), but more importantly MP is DT!

I honestly don't think I would be as upset and pissed at the same time had the guy been killed in a horrible accident or something! At least that would leave lasting memories of his legacy, legend, and future. As it is now, Dream Theater will certainly struggle to maintain what popularity they did have. In my opinion it was never as high as it should have been. A ton of the millions of DT fans would say that a lot of what DT did have - was in fact mostly because of Mike Portnoy.

I know the other guys are extremely talented, and I sincerely wish John Petrucci the best.. because it's gonna be even harder now. Holy cow..

C'mon Mike - please change your mind. Tons of us will never go to another DT concert without you there. Yeah you got that right.

Breaking News: Mike Portnoy's Leaving Dream Theater

Drummer Mike Portnoy, who has been working with Avenged Sevenfold since the death of drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan, has now issued the following announcement about parting ways with Dream Theater:

"I am about to write something I never imagined I'd ever write: After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater....the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century. To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision...it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so....

"After having had such amazing experiences playing with Hail, Transatlantic and Avenged Sevenfold this past year, I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater... Please don't misinterpret me, I love the DT guys dearly and have a long history, friendship and bond that runs incredibly deep with them...it's just that I think we are in serious need of a little break...

"Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilites (even when the band was 'off' between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever would do for a band...

"But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT spirit hungry and inspired.

"We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a 'hiatus' to recharge our batteries and 'save me from ourselves.'

"Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011 against my initial wishes, but it was not to be...

"While it truly hurts for me to even think of a Dream Theater without Mike Portnoy (hell, my father named the band!!), I do not want to stand in their way...so I have decided to sacrifice myself and simply leave the band so as to not hold them back against their wishes....

"Strangely enough, I just read an interview that I recently did that asked me about the future of DT and I talked about 'always following your heart and being true to yourself'...sadly I must say that at this particular moment, my heart is not with Dream Theater...and I would simply be 'going through the motions,' and would honestly NOT be true to myself if I stayed for the sake of obligation without taking the break I felt I needed.

"I wish the guys the best and hope the music and legacy we created together is enjoyed by fans for decades to come...I am proud of every album we made, every song we wrote and every show we played....

"I'm sorry to all the disappointed DT fans around the world...I really tried to salvage the situation and make it work...I honestly just wanted a break (not a split)...but happiness cannot be forced, it needs to come from within....

"You DT fans are the greatest fans in the world and as you all know, I have always busted my ass for you guys and I hope that you will stay with me on my future musical journey, wherever it may lead me....(and as you all know my work ethic, there will surely be no shortage of future MP projects!)

"Sadly... Your fearless ex-leader and drummer, MP"

Source - Via Vernon, thanks bud!

Here is Dream Theater's statement.

This truly breaks my heart.. More on this once I collect my thoughts and grieve a little lot.

Drumming Legends - A Megapost

Iron Maiden's Nicko McBrain - Live At Guitar Center's Drum-Off


This man-legend is now 56 years old! Still one of the very best ever to pound the skins..

Neil Peart - And the Masters - At Work


There might not ever be anyone better.

3:03-3:09 OMG!

Neil Peart is now 57, and still rockin'.. My one idol growing up. Certainly one of the dozen men I would give anything to meet in my lifetime. His influence will linger for decades... Simply amazing!



Now there is.. Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater


Currently the best drummer in the world. No doubt about it. Just go listen to some Dream Theater.

Old, and long 80's hair, but an incredible demonstration:



Iron Maiden

Rush

Dream Theater

Peace

Here It Is

This is a SIX song revelation.

Track 4 needs to be track 1:

The rest of the order is perfect.

1. The Shattered Fortress
2. A Nightmare to Remember
3. A Rite of Passage
4. Wither
5. The Best of Times
6. The Count of Tuscany

You'll hear it right here soon...

A bunch of you are getting it in the mail tomorrow - or the next day.

Dream Theater & Iron Maiden - San Antonio, 6/12/2010

Here are some of the best pictures I got from the incredible concert last Saturday night. I went in with expectations too high for DT's (my favorite band) performance. Not that it wasn't good, but it was only 40 minutes long. And if you know anything about Dream Theater, you realize how short that seems for them - it was only 6 songs. They started playing "Pull Me Under" at about 8:10, and I was like, "why are they playing this?" and that became, "why are they playing it NOW?" The answers were obvious in about 8 minutes.

So I stewed for the entire time in between bands - wondering if it was warranted to have paid this much for my $28 ticket (Ticketmaster piles on the charges to a sum of $49, then there was $15 for parking, and the $6.25 16-oz. beer I bought after finding my seat -- That's over $70 for a 40-minute DT show.. you get where I'm going with this.) As always, they were amazing! I've seen them 6 times now. See, I keep track of all this stuff, and my notes said I've seen Iron Maiden twice before. The first one is crystal clear, since that was my 2nd-ever concert back in 1989. (Yeah - that's 21 years ago!) The second one had to be within a few years afterward. Nevertheless, it's been a long, long time. And you know what? These guys can still nail it after all this time!

It only took me about 30 seconds into the Maiden show to realize to make this "worth it" I've gotta get the most out of the rest of it. And that I did!! I was thoroughly impressed that I enjoyed Maiden's 2-hour set, especially since they stuck to their guns and played mostly newer stuff with which I wasn't very familiar. Yet it was still as if I were, you know?

Anyway, here is a selection of the very best of the 119 (doh!) pictures I took: Click images to enlarge!









































The Steve Harris pic is meaningful because my friends and I shook his hand back in 1989. Short little guy with thick, stubby fingers. Bad-ass bassist! Nicko was obviously an idol growing up as I played more Maiden than probably anything besides Rush. Hence the love of Dream Theater and Mike Portnoy.

Here were the set lists:

Dream Theater
1. As I Am
2. A Rite Of Passage
3. Home
4. Constant Motion
5. Panic Attack
6. Pull Me Under

Iron Maiden
1. The Wicker Man
2. Ghost Of The Navigator
3. Wrathchild
4. El Dorado
5. Paschendale
6. The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg
7. These Colours Don't Run
8. Blood Brothers
9. Wildest Dreams
10. No More Lies
11. Brave New World
12. Fear Of The Dark
13. Iron Maiden

~Encore~
14. The Number of the Beast
15. Hallowed Be Thy Name
16. Running Free



Here's what I missed. YES, I left at the end of "13. IronMaiden" - I knew I'd miss "Number of the Beast", but not sure what else. And when I found out that they did "Hallowed..", I was upset I left. Because yeah along with the recent live performance of Running Free as I'm now preparing a solid live threesome, I don't know what the hell else I'm doing. Oddly, it was this clip of their version of "Phantom of The Opera" that even led me to finalize this post with this set of video clips. Remember, this is what I missed.


~Encore~
The Number of the Beast


Hallowed Be Thy Name


Running Free


Well then obviously, I had to go find the live version of "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" which leads to the climax of this post.





Peace!

Together This Summer!

Image Credits

New York, NY:
Prog rock/metal institution DREAM THEATER will spend their summer supporting Iron Maiden on the band's month-long tour of major US and Canadian markets. The tour launches on June 9 and runs through July 20, and includes a stop at the storied Madison Square Garden in NYC, marking the first time in a lengthy and respected career that Dream Theater have played the world's most famous arena.

This tour will mark another milestone in Dream Theater's history, which continues to expand and evolve twenty-five years deep.

Of touring with Iron Maiden in North America, drummer Mike Portnoy said, "It is a bit of a dream come true for us. After 25 years together, at this stage in our career, there's honestly only three bands Dream Theater would consider opening for and Maiden is one of them. It is an absolute honor. Through the years, we've done many one-off shows with Maiden and they've almost all been overseas. It is very exciting to finally be doing a full tour with them and on our side of the pond no less. These are gonna be amazing shows that the fans won't want to miss. Up the f***ing irons!"

Playing MSG for the first time is also a huge accomplishment for the band and they are thrilled about the prospect. "Dream Theater has achieved so many dreams through the years, from playing the Budokan in Tokyo to Wembley Arena in London to Radio City Music Hall in NYC," Portnoy recalled. "But the one remaining dream that has eluded us through all of these years was to play at Madison Square Garden. Well, on July 12, along with Iron Maiden, that dream will finally be fulfilled."

Guitarist John Petrucci was equally stoked about the MSG play, saying, "I am unbelievably excited to be finally playing Madison Square Garden, and with the almighty Maiden to boot! They have been heroes to the band since the beginning and are iconic in our eyes. There is nothing like achieving success and recognition in your own country, in your own city. It's going to be an incredible night for sure."

Portnoy has proof of this career-long dream, saying, "About a month ago my family and I were watching a video of my first band Intruder from back in 1983, and in the video before the show, I was interviewed and asked what my dream goal was. I responded 'to play the Garden.' It took almost 30 years, but it's surreal that I will now be able to check it off the list."

Dream Theater's Black Clouds & Silver Linings was released in 2009 and debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 Sales chart.

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Click here for dates.. I know what I'll be doing Saturday, June 12th!!

Mike Portnoy - The Count of Tuscany

From Dream Theater's Black Clouds and Silver Linings



My Christmas gift to you!