Progressive metal pioneers Dream Theater recently packed Portland Oregon’s Keller Auditorium for an incredible evening of magic. Celebrating their 40th anniversary, as well as their recently released album Parasomnia, band members John Petrucci, John Myung, James LaBrie, Jordan Rudess and recently returned stick man, Mike Portnoy showed Portland an elevated level of musical consciousness.
The set list was 18 songs, which in the grand scheme of things would seem relatively normal for a rock concert. But when you take into consideration that there were no opening acts and that several Dream Theater compositions are 10 minutes or more in length, you really begin to appreciate the beauty of the music that much more. Several times throughout the show, audience members would clap along with the beat of a song here and there, but as time signatures changed, those clap-alongs quickly morphed into silent admiration. Of the 18 songs on the set list, only two were from the new album with the rest of the set list comprised of more time-tested tour staples.
Although most of the shows here in the states are sold out, there are a half-dozen shows which you can still get a ticket to before the band goes overseas for the European leg of the tour.
