Dream Theater // Live @ The Andrew J Brady Music Center // 3.19.25 CONCERT REVIEWS FEATURED MUSIC by Linda Carlson - March 25, 2025March 25, 2025 Article & Photos by: Linda Carlson Cincinnati, OH – It was a sold-out crowd at The Andrew J Brady Music Center. The venue had set up chairs with assigned seating in the normally open area in front of the vast stage, but throughout the evening, no one was seated. This was a crowd revved up to experience an evening with Dream Theater on the band’s 40th Anniversary Tour. The tour is billed as “An Evening with Dream Theater,” and features no opening bands. The night is all about Dream Theater. Dream Theater is an east coast progressive rock band formed in 1985, and is today comprised of James Labrie (vocals), John Petrucci (guitar, founding member), John Myung (bass, founding member), Jordan Rudess (keyboards) and Mike Portnoy (drums, founding member). Portnoy, who left the band in 2010, rejoined the band in 2023 as they prepared for their 40th anniversary tour. The band put on a show that had fans cheering. Quite notably, cell phones were rarely out and filming, which is not the norm at concerts these days. On this night, few phones were raised, and when they were, it was for a fleeting moment. The fans were enjoying the live show in the best way. The stage production was well-designed. The three large vertical screens at the back of the stage streamed a continually changing series of imagery throughout the show – deserted hallways, closeups of a blinking eye, brain scans, rooms of what appeared to be deserted and abandoned hospitals or mental institutions, someone in a straightjacket, oceans, jumbles of typewriter letters melding together … each series of images complementing individual songs. Labrie worked the stage relentlessly, moving about at will. He at times left the stage during solos, allowing the focus to be on the soloists. Petrucci and Myung stayed mainly at their individual spots on stage, at times with spectacular “cone” spotlighting – for Myung, a cone of individual thin clear light beads surrounded him, and for Petrucci, the cone was of purple and green lights and were a continuous spectrum, blending into each other. During one solo with the cone surrounding Petrucci, streams of smoke were blown into the cone and became an intense, graphic, moving cloud – really quite spectacular. Rudess was entertaining at the keyboards at the back of the stage, but also came forward for a keyboard guitar solo that was a hit with the fans. Portnoy performed on an elevated platform at the center rear of the stage, and stood frequently with raised drumsticks and a smile. The crowd loved it. With 16 studio albums under their belt, there was no dearth of material for the night’s performance. On this night, the setlist was: Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928 Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu The Mirror (with “Lie” solo outro) Panic Attack Barstool Warrior Hollow Years Under a Glass Moon The Dark Eternal Night Night Terror Midnight Messiah This Is the Life Vacant Stream of Consciousness Octavarium Encore: There’s No Place Like Home (Movie clip from ‘The Wizard of Oz’) Act II: Scene Six: Home Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On Pull Me Under The band is promoting their latest album, Parasomnia, released on February 7, 2025. The video for “Midnight Messiah” from the album, released to YouTube on January 22, 2025, has amassed nearly 1.5 million views to date. The US leg of the tour concluded in New York on March 22, and the band now heads to Europe to entertain their overseas fans. Keep an eye on the band’s website for upcoming shows as they are announced. Check out the carousel of images below for more photos of the night’s performance.
