DREAM THEATER w/ Pain of Salvation

Finally disembarking on our shores for the first time in over two decades only last year, Dream Theater have indeed returned and the 5th of December saw the quintet arrive in tow with fellow prog metallers, Sweden’s Pain of Salvation. From tickets that were at first far too expensive, and then having fallen to less than half price, Dream Theater managed to pull a large crowd with a demographic that seemed to be predominantly of the late twenties and older. Never having witnessed Dream Theater in the flesh before, I must admit that I was excited to see this quintet on the live stage presenting their musical proficiency.

As I arrived at the Hordern Pavilion I was greeted by a long line of fans eagerly waiting for the doors to be finally opened. We were let in quicker than expected, and proceeded to kill time with the correct beverage. Upon entering the venue I was surprised to see such a big turn out for the support act of the night, Pain of Salvation.

We have all experienced a support band being received with hatred from punters; having variable objects thrown at them whilst on stage, being booed, or just completely ignored - lets face it, at times you may have been the one behind the actions; yelling drunken obscenities or aiming for the head of a particular member with the ‘heavy’ plastic cups that barely make it a few meters.  Well, this night definitely highlighted a complete opposite and a deserved one at that. Hailing from Eskilstuna, Sweden, this five-piece pulled such a good show; one has a feeling that they will soon return to headline their own tour.

As the Hordern diffused its light, the venue was filled with an instrumental intro as well as a multitude of fans excited for the Swedes to finally hit the stage. With excitement palpable, Pain of Salvation came before their audience to a fantastic welcome, opening their set with “Used”, before bursting into the groove laden “Linoleum” off their latest EP under the same moniker. Front man Daniel Gildenlöw showed his impressive range throughout the set, engaging his audience - many of whom were overtly fans as it was not hard to catch a few singing along to all of their tunes. Pushing through “Ashes” and “Diffidentia”, Pain of Salvation showed their live quality, and underlined this completely with the brilliant “Fandango” from their 2002 effort “Remedy Lane”, which was indeed the highlight of their set for this writer. The technicalities were flawless, their overall performance was, from start to finish, professional and energetic, with the five-piece not only enjoying them selves onstage, but also seemingly caught in wonder from the welcoming reaction they received from Sydney.

As Pain of Salvation finished their set, they linked upon the stage in European fashion to take a bow before an audience that was impressively warmed up before headliners Dream Theater were to come up on the Hordern stage. Touring in support of their tenth studio album "Black Clouds and Silver Linings", it was clear that one could expect a fantastic show - considering that many paid for a ticket that was well above $100 - and over two hours of progressive metal indeed came our way.

With anticipation rising for the lights to dim once more, the crowd dramatically increased in its size as finally Dream Theater’s introduction burst open and hand-in-hand with cheers from an audience, and their enthused atmosphere. Hearing the hard hitting opening of “A Nightmare to Remember” the crowd erupted in merriment to a piece that possesses intricate motifs juxtaposed with pounding rhythms, and progressions that highlight the dexterity of Dream Theater. Sticking with their latest release, Dream Theater continued the night with “A Rite Of Passage” during which it was hard to miss the big screen behind the band, which switched from digital video, to close ups of the band members in their moment of solo. The aesthetic presented by the close ups reminded me of watching Anathema’s “Were You There” DVD [which I must add is amazing!].

Next came an indulgent and melodious solo from guitarist John Petrucci, which blended greatly into the sorrowful “Hollow Years”, followed by Jordan Rudess keyboard solo which as always highlighted the absolute talent possessed by this musician. An interesting piece showing involved musicianship, it was greatly appreciated, however turned into a lengthy self generous interlude that I for one was ready to move on from. The atmosphere up on the stage seemed somewhat forced, with James LaBrie leaving the stage for each musical interlude, before the quintet reunited once more for the powerful “Prophets of War” off their nine studio album “Systematic Chaos”. As the lyrics of “Time for change, fight the fear, find the truth...” made their way upon the screen, the crowd grew louder than before, singing in a military chorus.

Continuing their set with “The Mirror”, “Lie” and “Wither”, I found there to be a lack of crowd interaction, apart from the obligatory runs across the stage to reach a climax in the response from punters, at which point in time, the crowd seemed to have become quieter also. A few songs later, Dream Theater were “finished” with their performance, of course the obligatory encore was to come, however the screams of more from the crowd did not seem to warrant another piece; or perhaps the mass were still waiting for “The Count of Tuscany”, and by their reaction, that indeed seemed to be the reality.

After most concerts, I would find myself wanting more, and yet walking away from Dream Theater I was left content, and indeed impressed with their musicianship, albeit their continual solos did strain the fluidity of the show - as their medley seemed far too self indulgent. I am sure many hardcore fans of Dream Theater were left in awe, and after paying over $100 for a ticket, that is indeed what they would expect, but the highlight of my night were the aforementioned Swedes, Pain of Salvation, who I would surely pay to see again.