Dream Theater - 40 years.

Next year will mark forty years since the formation of one of the most remarkable metal bands of all time. Boston's Berklee College of Music had three talented musicians in its ranks - among others, of course - in the 1980s, and they decided to form a band. John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy and John Myung joined forces and skills and, with minor personnel changes along the way, formed a five-piece formation that still performs today as Dream Theater (formerly Majesty). And its most recent completed work is called Night Terror. It's only been three weeks since that single appeared on YouTube in the form of a music video, and it immediately activated the band's fans who were unsure what drummer Mike Portnoy's return to the band after a several-year hiatus would bring. Night Terror (2024) was track number ten at the Prague Dream Theater show, and thus opened, after a fifteen-minute intermission, the second half of an unusually-conceived show lasting three hours and containing eighteen tracks in total. The Fortuna Hall in Prague's Holešovice was not completely full, but those who came did not regret it. The American progressive metal band is celebrating forty years of its existence and embarked on a worldwide tour. The current line-up includes, besides the mentioned musicians, Jordan Rudess (keyboards) and singer James Kevin LaBrie. After the intro and curtain drop, the first half of the concert begins. Rear projections visually accompany some of the songs, evident in the fourth Mirror (Awake, 1994), where colored mirrors illustrate the entire scene, dominated by an impressive battery of percussion instruments with three kicks. Portnoy, in a purple tank top with a big 40 on his chest, twirls his left drumstick between his fingers, visibly feeling good. From the very beginning of the concert, the Rasputin-coiffed John Petrucci convinces with his virtuosity not only in the solos, which are both inventive and technically brilliant, but also in the riffs and backing tracks that he is a true megastar of metal guitar. LaBrie sings well, but there are moments where, despite the strong hall, you can hear the undertones and his voice sounds a little uncomfortable in the higher pitches. The whole band plays excellently. The next track, Panic Attack (Octavarium, 2005), starts with a bass-led build-up, and track six, Barstool Warrior (Distance over Time, 2019), captivates with a basic guitar motif. The musicians switch instruments, with Myung taking a six-string bass on Stream of Consciousness (Train of Thought, 2003), for example, Petrucci a seven-string guitar and Rudess a portable keyboard, which he parades around the stage. Petrucci's Hollow Years (Once in a Lifetime, 1998) features a nice slowdown and an elaborate guitar solo. The ballad This is the Life (A Dramatic Turn of Events, 2011) by Rudess and Petrucci, one of the concert's most impressive pieces, impresses with a great piano overture. Among Dream Theater's special and at the same time typical musical productions in terms of innovation and unconventionality is the opening of the encore Act II: Scene Six: Home (Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, 1999) with its oriental atmosphere. The very end is provided by Pull me Under (Images and Words, 1992), one of Dream Theater's few "hits", textually referencing Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Dream Theater are a very interesting ensemble who deserve a close listen to their rhythmically, harmonically and melodically eccentric opuses, as well as lyrics with myriad references, allusions and symbolism.

photo: Prague concert, 2.11.2024, Fortuna aréna