Venue: The Star Theatre @ The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore
Date: 9th May 2023
Promoters: Shiraz Projects and Primuse Live
Review by: Maisha G.
Special Thanks: The Shiraz Projects and Primuse Live teams
Photos by Alvin H.
“When I grow up, I want to be just like John Petrucci” were the exact words I overheard someone saying a good six years ago whilst trying out guitars at Swee Lee and will forever remain at the edge of my mind.
I remember identifying musical genres to be very linear when I did not know better and was learning the ropes of the metal music culture. I then discovered this genre – progressive metal which has since paved the way for many of the up-and-coming musical acts, having their material deeply influenced by the wonders of the maestros in the band named Dream Theater.
Formerly known as Majesty, John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy formed this alliance in 1985 before they rose up to the name that brought them evergreen fame amongst metal music goers.
I must admit it took me a little more time to take a liking for their sound and the odd time signature was the very thing that coloured me intrigued. With each of them adept in the musical instrument of their choice, the amalgamation of the fellow good men remained celebrated till this very day, even after more than three decades.
The news about them gracing our shores was almost hushed and travelled through the grapevines of the seasoned gig-goers and though we expected a mammoth turnout, the intimate show that night left us in massive awe.
Assigned the seat at the very front row, I absorbed the magnificent stage setup to which the band lived to its name. Like a tucked-away dream, recreated in a massive Theatre, befitting of the band’s mammoth recognition all throughout the years.
Though Portnoy is no longer with the band and being the first person that got me into drumming, Mangini picked up the slack and put on quite the show as they started the night with “The Alien”, a track of the titled tour this time around melted my face at the very first minute as I affixed my gaze towards Rudess. Clad in his ‘Morpheus’-esque robe and coining his identity from the get-go, he worked his magic fingers on the keyboard with a rotating platform, no less. Showcasing his prowess like an easy feat whilst many struggled to even put together a melody, the sounds that reverberated through the crowd were effortless.
I tried to shun my attention away from Petrucci from the start because I knew then that I would be distracted just staring at him with his guitar playing, as though his fingers were stuck to the strings and he was made to play the guitar and nothing else. That was how much I idolise that man amongst other great contributions he did to the metal scene.
However so, Myung was positioned right in front of me and he was spotting an all-black outfit. I never thought that a bass guitar could be so versatile and played in such a way since Sheehan, but I was grossly wrong.
“6:00” rang across the theatre and the crowd cheered. A number off their Awake album that shaped the many familiar rhythms adopted by many musicians in their own iteration but no less, opened the world to the eclectic odd time signatures. LaBrie belted the notes like it was his speaking voice and again, effortlessly. The talent in this league of gentlemen was extraordinary and they made performing almost easy.
The night transcended into popular numbers like “Caught In a Web” and “Answering The Call” until the song “Solitary Shell” came on and I caught myself in a daze as I watched the clip that was playing in the background, holding close to the lyrics sung. It almost felt that the song was an uncanny description of the person I grew up to be. And I thought to myself that perhaps I’ve subconsciously moulded myself into the words dictated in the song and I hold music too close to my heart that it has become an everyday thing for me. That song felt surreal, and I kept that memory locked in my mind; one to go down in history.
Though the crowd sang in unison when they performed “Pull Me Under”, I found myself and the people surrounding me singing the lyrics to the songs in off-key, myself included but that all didn’t matter as we were in the process of getting our faces melted but the magical night that touched our souls.
They ended off the night with “A View From The Top Of The World” and the clip playing at the back complimented the whole song, binding it as one. The song lasted for a good 20-odd minutes but it was like it was just mere minutes as we were lost in the music and lost all sense of time. You know what they say, time flies by when you’re having fun.
They gave us an encore of “The Count of Tuscany” and everyone in the crowd got up on their feet and roared in tandem to the signatures. The night was almost ethereal and it was a work night but there was no feeling of dread as we leave the venue after the night was over because it was well worth the few hours of an early night to celebrate with the heroes of our early days.
Thank you Shiraz Projects and Primuse Live for this amazing night that was truly a dream.