It took a little under two hours to get from my house to our hotel near the venue. What a dump this hotel was! I guess that’s what you get when the room is cheaper than the concert ticket.
Anyway, we made it to the meetup at a nearby restaurant/bar shortly after 3 p.m. The place was quite nice and accommodating, with a cool area for all of us to hang out. There were lots of Dream Theater banners in the room, including one right outside the main entrance to the venue. It was a very solid turnout. The meetup is just as much fun as the concert, and it’s always great hanging with all the DTFers. My girlfriend was with me for her first Dream Theater concert and meetup, and she even had a great time. We got the Big Chungus Tacos! Thank you, Awaken, for the ride from the venue to the Coliseum!
A few of us hung outside the venue for a bit before going in. The place itself is quite nice. It’s a small arena, but definitely much bigger than a typical Dream Theater concert venue. The staff, however, did not seem prepared at all. I had bought tickets from a friend for section 110, which is behind the floor. This area was completely curtained off. I knew this from watching ticket sales, so I had no idea where we would sit until we arrived.
We waited in the security line, only for them to tell us we needed to go to a different line first to get a new seat assignment. At a separate table, people were handing out new tickets after scanning the originals. The woman was just handing out tickets with no regard for the seating sections. I specifically told them I had a seat in the back and didn’t want to be on the floor. After a few minutes, they handed me seats in a back corner section. My thinking was, if I’m not up front on the floor, I’d rather be in an elevated spot where my girlfriend could sit and still see. I’m glad they didn’t force us onto the floor. However, it took another 15 minutes to find our seats because ushers gave us incorrect information at a couple of spots. So annoying. We finally got to our seats with about five minutes to spare before the show started.
Here’s what it looked like shortly before the show began. It filled up more once they started playing, as I’m sure people were still stuck in line to get in.
The full performance of Parasomnia was AWESOME. I’ve stated before that it’s closer to the bottom of my album rankings, but I don’t think it’s bad at all, and it was performed very well. The visuals and lighting were also really well done. It felt immersive and big with the huge screen behind them. I really enjoyed “Are We Dreaming.” “Dead Asleep,” my least favorite on the album, was a blast to see live. The highlight for me was “Bend the Clock.”
I knew going in that it was my favorite song and likely would be the highlight, and it really delivered. “The Shadow Man” was also epic. The inflatable prop was a really cool visual for a Dream Theater show. There was so much smoke! During this song, the combination of the inflatable, smoke, and lights led to some really cool visuals for the band. It was a great first set. I did notice some people leave during the album playthrough, but the crowd seemed mostly engaged.
About halfway through the Parasomnia set, we changed seats. No one in our section was being a jerk, but it was a mixture of sitting and standing, with people holding their phones out. My girlfriend didn’t want to stand, but the person in front of her was, making it difficult for her to see. I also couldn’t get great video from that spot because of the people standing, and I didn’t want to stand and block the view of the older people sitting behind me. I didn’t see any complaints, but we just got up and moved one section further away where there were empty seats. It was perfect for me. No one was in my way, so I could stand and get some good video, my girlfriend could sit and see, and we had space to stretch.
I met up with some of the DTFers briefly between sets. For the second set, I ended up in a different seat but in the same empty section on the side.
After “As I Am,” we got a really funny moment with Mike Portnoy wondering where James LaBrie went. It was at this moment that I knew something was going to be different tonight. James LaBrie mentioned he usually speaks after the second song of the set, not the first, and had “fucked up.” They then did a ripping performance of “The Enemy Inside.”
Next, they went into “Peruvian Skies,” which further solidified my belief that the setlist was different. This was the only song in the second set I had not seen live before, and boy, did I enjoy it. The bits of cover songs thrown in felt really tasteful and well done. The ending, when they went into Metallica, had the crowd at one of its loudest points of the night.
The surprise came with the Wizard of Oz intro before they went into “Home.” I had joked some time ago that “Home” would be the surprise for the “home” show, so it wasn’t totally unexpected, especially since they didn’t play it at Radio City Music Hall. I enjoy that song more than the ones it replaced. Musically, it wasn’t my favorite choice for a special moment, but it certainly made sense. Sadly, YouTube would not let me upload any clips from “Home.” It makes me wonder if there’s going to be an official live version from this show. That said, I don’t recall seeing any cameras besides maybe one at the front-of-house desk. It definitely didn’t look like they were professionally recording it for video.
I really enjoyed the intro to “A Change of Seasons.” I didn’t realize they were going to play along with the video, but I thought it was very well done. The performance was great and felt as epic as expected. Having seen the Images, Words & Beyond tour three times has made the moment not quite as special for me, but I’m sure for Mike Portnoy and others in attendance who didn’t get a chance to see A Change of Seasons, it was likely very special.
I also wanted to add, James LaBrie was a BEAST. He sounded as good as people have said. He wasn’t perfect, but he was very good, and there wasn’t any cringey screeching. I thought he was good on the 40th-anniversary tour, but he was probably even better here. It’s kind of crazy for him to come in so hot on the last night of the tour. It wasn’t just his voice; he was incredibly active on stage, constantly moving around and even hopping like he was having a great time. I thoroughly enjoyed watching him have the time of his life. This is probably where the last night of a tour becomes the most fun show because the band members play more loosely. James LaBrie felt like THE GUY on Saturday night, even if he disappeared when he was supposed to talk to the crowd.
My full video is below. I think I got some good footage, and the sound is good. I know there’s a lot of talk about them being too loud. This show was loud, but since I was about as far back as possible, it wasn’t at the point of being “too loud” for me. My girlfriend enjoyed the show, but I caught her scrolling on her phone a few times and got a few eye-rolls during the long John Petrucci solos. I think that was to be expected, but she had a blast overall.
That’s three Dream Theater shows in 2025 for me (30 different songs?!), I don’t expect them to come around in 2026, but I do look forward to next time!
——
On a final note, even though the US tour has wrapped up, Dream Theater has kept the news coming.
First, they announced a new live release, Quarantième: Live à Paris, which is set to come out on November 28th. The album captures their sold-out 40th-anniversary show in Paris, France, and will be available in various formats, including a deluxe artbook with CD and Blu-ray. It features a career-spanning setlist with classics like “Metropolis Pt. 1,” “Panic Attack,” and “Pull Me Under.”
The tracklisting for Quarantième: Live à Paris:
CD1:
- Metropolis Pt. 1
- Overture 1928
- Strange Déjà Vu
- The Mirror
- Panic Attack
- Barstool Warrior
- Hollow Years
- Constant Motion
- As I Am
CD2:
- Orchestral Overture
- Night Terror
- Under A Glass Moon
- This Is The Life
- Vacant
- Stream of Consciousness
- Octavarium
CD3:
- Home
- The Spirit Carries On
- Pull Me Under
Blu-ray 1:
- Metropolis Pt. 1
- Overture 1928
- Strange Déjà Vu
- The Mirror
- Panic Attack
- Barstool Warrior
- Hollow Years
- Constant Motion
- As I Am
Blu-ray 2:
- Orchestral Overture
- Night Terror
- Under A Glass Moon
- This Is The Life
- Vacant
- Stream of Consciousness
- Octavarium
- Home
- The Spirit Carries On
- Pull Me Under
The band also announced that the 40th Anniversary Tour will continue in 2026 with a run of dates in Asia and Australia.
An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour 2026 (Asia and Australia Dates)
- Jan 30 – Bengaluru, India – Phoenix Marketcity Back Arena
- Feb 1 – Kolkata, India – Aquatic Ground
- Feb 7 – Jakarta, Indonesia – Stadion Madya
- Feb 10 – Adelaide, Australia – Hindley Street Music Hall
- Feb 12 – Melbourne, Australia – Margaret Court Arena
- Feb 14 – Sydney, Australia – ICC Sydney Theatre
- Feb 15 – Brisbane, Australia – Fortitude Music Hall
- Feb 20 – Seoul, Korea – Sol Travel Hall
- Feb 21 – Seoul, Korea – Sol Travel Hall
- Feb 22 – Seoul, Korea – Sol Travel Hall
- Feb 25 – Tokyo, Japan – Nippon Budokan
- Feb 28 – Aichi, Japan – Aiplaza Toyohashi
- Mar 2 – Osaka, Japan – Festival Hall
- Mar 3 – Okayama, Japan – Okayama Performing Arts Theatre, Harenowa
