“We gotta lotta fuckin’ music to play you tonight,” declares James LaBrie from the stage of The O2, the news good for the sea of thousands of faces in front of him. He is not kidding. The four-decade career of Dream Theater has produced fifteen long and complex albums, full of the sort of head-spinning Prog Metal that demands listeners’ attention fully.
Dream Theater
The O2, London – 20 October 2024
Words: Paul Monkhouse
Photography: Manuela Langotsch

It could be said that Dream Theater have attracted the same levels of devotion that Rush had at their peak, the mix of crunching riffs, dazzling arrangements and cerebral subject matter a heady blend that intoxicates as much as it thrills. Added to this usual level of technical wizardry is the added frisson of excitement and sense of occasion brought by the return of drummer Mike Portnoy into the fold. This show was his first with the band since August 2010.
For the film buffs, the intro music of Bernard Herrmann’s main theme from Psycho is a thrilling and ominous start. But nothing could prepare the senses for the massive punch of opener Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper.

John Petrucci’s riff is a raging monster that tore through the cavernous space. The sound was pristine from where MetalTalk sat, each note of the epic ringing clearly. With the breathtaking precision the outfit displays as they weave their way through the number, the visceral power is highlighted perfectly.
At the rear of the stage, ever-evolving steampunk cityscapes are projected onto giant screens, which are an intoxicating blend of sound and light. The return of the drummer has seemingly given them an edge again, the juxtaposition of the technical flair with an intangible element of the feral adding an extra zing to the performances.

“It’s surreal having Mike Portnoy back”, LaBrie marvelled, his grin matched by many thousands there.
It is not just the man at the rear of the stage putting his all into the show. Petrucci’s fretwork bristles with danger, Jordan Rudess brings a kaleidoscope of colours with his multi-layered touch and tilting keys, and the dancing bass of John Myung does things that should not be possible but in his hands seem so (super)natural.

Often taking breaks off stage whilst the band heads into longer instrumental passages, LaBrie is a ringleader of this circus. His control is complete as he constantly shifts around, his voice taking a while to warm up but very soon hitting his stride.
Whilst the technical feasts such as Under A Glass Moon and Stream of Consciousness shimmer and the Heavy Metal of Panic Attack blisters, there is a beating human heart at the centre of all this.

Away from the huge numbers, the touching Barstool Warrior slows things down. It is Fish-era Marillion prog aching with a wistful passion. LaBrie’s intro of “there’s always hope to turn things around” is a light of positivity in these dark times.
More prog than Metal, Stream Of Consciousness and Octavarium introduce a more Yes meets early Genesis feel, a nod to earlier influences before a three-song encore closing with a triumphant Pull Me Under that ends the night in suitably celebratory style.

Whilst it may be somewhat churlish to highlight that pre-DT combo Majesty formed in 1985 and that band did not become Dream Theater until around 1988, this celebration of forty glorious years is a very welcome return to the stage of one of the biggest and classiest bands in Metal.
With eighteen career-spanning songs played over three hours, there cannot have been a single person in The O2 who went away disappointed, the set the most spectacular of their already stellar career. John Petrucci told MetalTalk in July 2024 that tonight was “gonna be a magical evening.” His prediction was spot on.

The promise of new album Parasomnia coming next year means that these celebrations are far from over. This next chapter of their story is the most thrilling yet, the band cutting their own distinct swathe and reaching for the stars with ever greater verve and commitment.
The world seems a better place with Dream Theater in it. Here’s to the next forty years, as with this combo, anything is possible.



