Dream Theater - Count Basie Theatre, Red Bank, NJ -- March 9, 2022 *Full Show*

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I have tickets for March 21st! But I just don't think it's a risk that needs to be taken now. The $78 can be a tip to the band for all they've done FOR ME for THIRTY-ONE years. See that's nothing. The band gets about half. But for my generosity (all Ticketmaster fees being 100% irrelevant) JP gets 5, JM gets 5, Labrie gets 4, JR gets 5, Mangini gets 5... About 100 other people get a few dollars, and so on and on.. and then the venue gets the rest. Sound guy might get the most! Lights guy is in the conversation as well. No one makes less money because I won't actually be there, except for maybe where my $17 beverage cost goes.

Many tickets are also still available, so there's that, too..

I also buy all their albums.


"The moment that you recognize
Just where your limits lie.
Hanging on the brink of death
You're never more alive.
When you reach the pinnacle
The world is at your feet.
Welcome to the mind unleashed."

Imagine If You Will

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Just for a moment - I'd like everyone to imagine what would have happened at the Route 91 Festival in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, had 4 or 5 THOUSAND of those 20,000 concert attendees pulled out their handguns and began firing.

(Towards the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Towards the Luxor. Towards helicopters... towards each other...)

Just an Awesome Concert Image

~from Five Finger Death Punch

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Here you go.

Here's some FFDP for ya: "Far From Home"


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Concert Announcement: River City Rock Fest

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It's was made public several weeks ago, but I didn't post anything about it yet. Should be a great show, with exception of GnR. No idea why Alice in Chains isn't the headliner. Go check it out! Click the image above to go to the website for more info.

Rare LIVE Pantera Footage - "Walk" & "This Love"

~from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio in 1996.


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To this day, Pantera is still #1 on my "list of bands I've never seen live." Obviously in their case it's "...I regret not seeing live while I could." -OR- "..I'll never be able to see live." You get the picture. Tragic.

Rush - La Villa Strangiato (LIVE)

in Vancouver, 2011


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Wanna Go See Rush? Rolling Stones, Perhaps?

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I was considering going to see one of my favorite bands, RUSH (for the 7th time), and so I went to the online ticket place, which is almost always Ticketmaster. The Nov. 30th show is not only nearly sold-out, but the only tickets remaining are the ones that are always last-remaining: opposite side of the arena. Those tickets are over $90.00 !!! There were even a few over on the side (they're gone now).. way on the side, like literally side-stage, for $114! Stub-hub has some floor seats for $249-$800. What??

Here's the point. And this point is why I'm writing right now. It's no secret that the older bands, who have been around a while, can pull in some high ticket prices. But I'm frankly disappointed in Rush for entering into this category now. The last time I saw them was only about 3 years ago, and we paid about $30 for lawn seats at the Verizon Wireless Theater in Selma - for their 30th Anniversary tour.

Now, check THIS out:

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a Yahoo Music article by Chris Willman

The last time the Rolling Stones toured, there wasn't quite as much of a panic over tickets. But then, that previous trek involved 147 shows.

This year's tour? Four gigs.

No wonder there's an international mania to get into the group's arena shows in London Nov. 25 and 29 and New Jersey on Dec. 13 and 15. Tickets for the two Newark gigs haven't yet gone on sale. But it's already "As Tears Go By" time for the millions of fans who tried and failed to get the 30,000 or so tickets that went up for grabs Friday for the two O2 Arena shows in Britannia.

Just remember, though, hope is never lost… if you're Donald Trump. Because there's always the secondary market, where scalpers are already asking record sums. It's been reported that the Getmein.com website has tickets listed for up to $21,120, although it's hard to imagine any seat that is not actually on Mick Jagger's lap going for a penny over 20K.

These exaggerated fees won't go to the Stones themselves. Face values for the London tickets ranged from about $152 to $601 in American dollars. Fox News suggested in a headline that these were "the most overpriced gig(s) ever." But given that a huge percentage of the tickets will be scalped for several times their initial value, it's clear that overpricing is in the eye of the reseller, and as far as scalpers are concerned, 600 bucks is bargain pricing.

Mysteriously, tickets for the Newark shows are already being auctioned on eBay, even though a limited presale doesn't begin till Saturday and the general on-sale date isn't until Oct. 26. Six seats (or non-seats, actually) in the pit for the Dec. 15 show are being offered for a "buy it now" total of $49,999. Someone else is offering pairs of floor seats for $33,999 and $29,999 ("or best offer").

Do these scalpers already have those tickets somehow in hand to sell, or are they just optimistic about their many employees being able to break through the Ticketmaster firewall when ducats do go up for grabs? Possibly only the New Jersey attorney general knows for sure. (Source)

Click here to read the rest of the article..

I personally wouldn't go to a Stones show if you paid me, but that's just me, and my musical tastes. But something is seriously wrong when these guys have to charge SO much for a freaking ticket to see them! I remember when you could go to a concert AND buy a t-shirt for under $40! Those were the days.

/rant

So, with that in mind... here is RUSH, live in Columbus, OH, Sep. 20, 2012:

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Rush's POV

from the Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia.. Click it!

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Godsmack & Staind - Pantera's "This Love" (live)

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Dream Theater - San Antonio - 2012

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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!

Metallica - Intro & Blackened (LIVE)

from 1989


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Post Updated

The Godsmack & Staind - Mass Chaos post from Saturday, May 5, 2012 has been updated with a few corrections, but most importantly with the addition of the Staind set list.

Some LIVE Videos from the Mass Chaos Tour

Long post - This is an update to my prior post, Godsmack & Staind - Mass Chaos on Saturday, May 5, 2012.

Here is a collection of videos I chose for this post - These were recorded at the Alamodome's Illusion's Theater on May 2, 2012. My wife & I were there, and enjoyed it immensely. You'll see why.

Except for the Halestorm video, all credit goes to Jasonjayeah for these great vids, and what a super job he did!

Halestorm - A Familiar Taste Of Poison

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Staind - Spleen


Staind - For You


Staind - Not Again


Godsmack - Intro & Awake


Godsmack - The Enemy


Godsmack - The Oracle


These two were the highlight of the concert for me. The Oracle is an incredible instrumental on the newest album of the same name, and I loved the opportunity to see them perform it live! Then the little medley they played inside Keep Away made for a very unique experience. I know they've put Mistakes at the beginning of other songs before, but although I can't really place what it is they're playing, I know it's definitely theirs. And it's amazing.

Godsmack - Keep Away (with embedded medley jam)


Godsmack - Batalla del los Tambores


I will have the Staind setlist updated at the Godsmack & Staind - Mass Chaos post very shortly!!

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.

How About a Quadruple Shot of Godsmack

...as a preview of tomorrow night's Mass Chaos Tour

What If? (LIVE) - from The Oracle (2010)

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Re-Align (LIVE) - from Faceless (2003)

Source     Like that little "Mistakes" intro? I thought you would!

Mistakes(LIVE) - from Awake (2000)

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Bad Religion (LIVE) - from Godsmack (1998)

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Coachella Hologram Lineup Poster

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Music Festivals & Concerts

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They forgot to mention the $50 T-shirts! Otherwise this is right-on. I've been to several Ozzfests that were exactly like this, and the worst thing about it is they always happened in the dead of July or August. We all know how Texas weather is in the summer.

A Concert Opening

The date was August 4, 2007. The location was "The Backyard" in Austin, TX. The event was Dream Theater's Chaos in Motion Tour. After Redemption, and Into Eternity wrapped up their sets.. this is how Dream Theater opened up the show:


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...And it   t o t a l l y   b l e w   m e   a w a y.   I spent 4+ years trying now & then to find a great video of it, but for some reason, "2001 Space Odyssey", "Dream Theater Intro Chaos concert", and the like, weren't good search terms. It wasn't until yesterday that I stumbled upon the term "Also Sprach Zarathustra" attached to one of the vids I found.

Long story short, who would've thought that the little 2-minute amazing fanfare we've all heard, and thought of as the theme from Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film "2001 - A Space Oddyssey," is actually called "Sunrise". It is from a tone poem written by Richard Strauss in 1896, titled "Also Sprach Zarathustra," and was inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical treatise of the same name. (Source)

Anyway, it was one of the greatest concert openings I've ever witnessed, and the entire show was one of the best I've been to as well. Here was the entire set-list. (Note the little arrows next to each song.. Those weren't there the last time I visited this page, a few years ago.)

This was the Encore ("Schmedley Wilcox"):

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I distinctly remember the little "Rush - Xanadu" tribute in there. DT can cover anyone, almost better then they can play their own stuff. And, I had always thought that "Finally Free" would be a super 2-minute piece to close a show.

That was my 5th DT show. #6 was opening for Iron Maiden in June of 2010, so yeah - I can't wait for #7. Sadly, I've already missed this year's tour.

Sound Reality Check

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That's about right..