Dream Theater Announce New Live Album, Release “Pale Blue Dot” Video

Dream Theater have announced Distant Memories – Live in London, which will be their NINTH live album. Their NINTH!!! I mean, the press release notes that it’s their first live album since 2014 (when they released Breaking the Fourth Wall), as though that were a long time between non-studio releases. The band has only made two new studio albums since then.

I know this isn’t unusual in the prog-dork world of Dream Theater, but for those of us who have known the warm embrace of another human being and therefore don’t follow DT that closely, this seems strange indeed. Like, Slayer only have three live albums. I know, I know, Jeff Hanneman never improvised a 38-hour keytar solo in-between two sets, one of which was spent Rush’s Moving Pictures in its entirety, only backwards. Still. This strikes me as bonkers.

If it does not strike you as bonkers, you’ll be delighted to learn that Distant Memories – Live in London will be released November 27. It was recorded this past February at the Apollo in — you guessed it — London.

You can watch a video from the show of the band performing “Pale Blue Dot,” from last year’s Distance Over Time, below. Pre-order Distant Memories – Live in London here.

Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci recently released his second solo album, Terminal Velocity, which reunited him with former DT drummer Mike Portnoy. The ‘Trooch says the band is working on a new album, which may include 8-string guitar, but will not include Portnoy.