PROGESSIVE NATION 2008 IN NYC: WHEN MUSIC AND DORKS UNITE
The 5-man “drum off” in the middle of Dream Theater’s headlining set — at the first night of the Progressive Nation tour in NYC — was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen all year. Axl, Kip and I watched, stunned (and stoned), as the 5 drummers for each of the bands traded places, often two at a time at Mike Portnoy’s behemoth drum kit, in a maelstrom of drummers each amazing in their own right, trying to outdo one another. At a show where musicianship was the focus it stood out as the climax amidst amazing sets by Three, Between the Buried and Me, Opeth and Dream Theater, at a tour that lived up to its billing as one of the best touring lineups of 2008.
Woodstock, NY’s Three, the relative unknowns on the bill, took the stage promptly at 7pm to a mostly filled room, a rarity for an opener on a tour of this magnitude. That the room was so full just goes to illustrate the comraderie and cohesiveness of this tour. The band’s performance was tight, dynamic, and engaging; Joey Eppard’s acoustic guitar frills and vocals led the way for the band, which seemed for the most part to be following his lead. Eppard’s guitar playing was the highlight, as a good portion of the crowd nodded in appreciation and even sang along to the band’s better known songs. My only complaint was the band’s fifth member, whose keyboards added to the music’s texture but whose auxiliary percussion — used to fill the other moments — seemed like a lost fart in a windstorm.
Between the Buried and Me played a whopping two songs. Fifteen minutes each, but nonetheless two songs. And they were two fucking incredible songs, played with striking precision. Despite the new / old dichotomy that might exist between fans of this band and fans of the older, more established Opeth and Dream Theater, all in attendance seemed to agree that Between the Buried and Me are a phenomenal band. Watching BTBAM play drove the point home how much these guys look up to Dream Theater (as bassist Dan Briggs told me in an interview last year) — opening for them must have been a dream come true.
The crowd seemed to get most riled up for Opeth, who played a smattering of songs from across their albums. Mikael Akerfeldt was his usual coy, dry-humored self, addressing the audience in hushed tones before erupting into venomous, death metal growls. Naturally, old material elicited the loudest crowd response, as did the new track “Heir Apparent” from their forthcoming release Watershed, which Akerfeldt ackowledged leaking in his typical wit. The new band members adequate, though I couldn’t help but notice that it felt like an Akerfeldt solo band. The new musicians were certainly great; but that certain intangible element was missing. Nevertheless it was a great set that left everyone wanting more, a common problem when your songs are 10 minutes long.
Headliners are headliners for a reason, and Dream Theater showed why they were atop the bill the minute they hit the stage. Axl had told me before they went on that he would only stay for a song or two — he was tired and being a pussy. But he quickly ate his words as the band reached such levels of awesomeness that he ended up staying for the entire show. Dream Theater are just so good you can’t NOT be transfixed. They’ve reached that level of true professionalism where they just go up on stage and do their thing; they know how to entertain and do their jobs so, so well. Their setlist covered mostly newer material Systematic Chaos and Octavarium, touching on Train of Thought and Scenes From A Memory before taking a trip back to “Metropolis Pt. 1” for the encore, medleying into “Change of Seasons.” Watching Dream Theater play, particularly in the alternating solos between John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess, is a reminder of why I should never pick up my guitar ever again.
Dream Theater, for all their endless musical talent, don’t take themselves too seriously, and you have to love them for that. Whether it’s Mike Portnoy throwing his drum sticks up in the air or John Petrucci harmonizing “You Can Eat My Ass and Balls” during the vocal harmonies of “Fatal Tragedy,” the event was a fun time above and beyond just the awesome aural and visual spectacle. Full animation adorned the projection screen behind the band to add an extra “oh no they didn’t!” factor, the storylines synching up perfectly to the band’s music. Flawlessly executed, naturally.
My only regret; I couldn’t go to the second night, as the MetalSucks co-sponsored Paganfest hit BB King’s. This show was that good. I would’ve seen it twice.
-VN
[Photo credit: Christopher A. Petro]
