Dream Theater: Distance Over Time Tour Celebrating 10 Years of Scenes From A Memory will be at the Tivoli Theatre on Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $89.50, $74.50, $49.50 and $34.50 and available here Friday.
Review for Dream Theater:
Chemistry triggers action. The bonds of disparate elements yield friction, energy, and ultimately incite creation. It happens throughout all of existence—especially in music. The music of Dream Theater relies on the interplay and brotherhood of the musicians as much as it does on the harmony of the instruments. In fact, the chemistry the band unlocked upon forming in 1985 remains central to the music they create today. The progressive metal pioneers—James LaBrie (Vocals), John Petrucci (Guitars), Jordan Rudess (Keyboards), John Myung (Bass), and Mike Mangini (Drums)— share a unique bond with one of the most passionate fan bases around the globe as evidenced by their two GRAMMY Award nominations and 15 million records sold worldwide.
Among numerous accolades, 1992’s Images & Words received a gold certification and landed on Rolling Stone’s coveted “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All-Time.” Meanwhile, Guitar World placed Awake at #1 on “Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994.” Excerpts of 1996’s A Change of Seasons notably soundtracked NBC’s coverage of Downhill Skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Fans voted the 1999 Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory the “Number One All-Time Progressive Rock Album” in a 2012 Rolling Stone poll. Not to mention, it ranked as the “15th Greatest Concept Album” by Classic Rock.
2009 saw Black Clouds & Silver Linings crash the Billboard Top 200 at #6 as A Dramatic Turn of Events [2011] and Dream Theater [2013] maintained a three-peat in the chart’s Top 10. Most recently, 2016’s The Astonishing attracted widespread praise with Consequence of Sound dubbing it, “An absolutely unique experience.”
The union between Dream Theater stands at its strongest on Distance Over Time—as does the music.
“This record is all about the experience for us,” Petrucci leaves off. “The process and environment were a big part of the meaning and significance. I hope people walk away with the feeling of unity, camaraderie, joy, and inclusion we felt. There’s a spirit, which is really magical. When I listen back to the album, I can distinctly recall every moment of the writing process; where I was standing in the room, what inspired us in that instant and the meaning behind each song. As a producer, my goal was to try and create the best-sounding Dream Theater record we’ve ever made so that listeners can just be enveloped in the music. I really wanted this recording to truly reflect the spirit, joy and passion that went into making the album and for people to walk away feeling some of the organic nature, personality and raw energy that the band captured while together in the studio. For me, I think it accomplishes that and I hope that other people will feel the same way.” – Rick Florino, November 2018