I guess MetalMann 1983 is right cause when I saw them twice in 2007, there was no orchestra but he still had that rear view mirror thing. But I've always thought it really was to look at himself. Portnoy had big big ego at that time ...
That's my reaction when I try to learn anything Petrucci: "don't try, don't embarrass yourself". Then I cry a little and shelve my guitar for a few weeks.
I recently watched one of Tomo Fujita's videos where he says: "Don't compare." Probably the best advice for guitar and life in general. I wish someone told me when I was 16, learning to play the guitar, and got frustrated trying to play Petrucci's licks from the DT Live at Budokan dvd :-p
James Labrie is the singers name, John Myung on bass guitar, John Petrucci on guitar, Jordan Rudess on keys, and Mike Portnoy on drums. I saw them live in Toronto years ago at Molson Amphitheater. They were kicking a soccer ball around on stage while playing one of their most difficult songs. It was bonkers!!
If you saw them last year, you saw Mike Mangini on drums, he's a wrench as well! I saw them doing the soccer ball thing with Ytse Jam or Erotomania....I forget which one, but it was over 15 years ago. Good to know they are still doing it!
@@christhomas5004 Hey Chris. Yeah when I saw them it was probably 20 years + ago. Mike Mangini is indeed a monster on the kit! I saw Mangini do a drum clinic when I was 14 years old or so. I’m 37 now. Both the drum clinic and the live show with Dream Theater, Joe Satriani and Kings X were killer!! Cheers mate. 🍻
I love watching these reaction videos with DT. It brings a smile to my face to see other musicians’ jaws just drop and get blown away by how good this band really is. They are miles ahead of any other band in terms of skill, music writing, and creativity
Guys like that have broken through the technical barrier. They've become good enough that they play with their mind, not their hands. It's a different level. Frank Gambale is another good example. It's not "can he play it?" Sure he can. "Can he think and imagine it?" is the better question. Very few are willing to practice enough to reach that level even if they have the talent.
Very true. The entire band is at that level. The problem (for me) is that their judgement is a little suspect sometimes (Under A Glass Moon not included, I think it's one of their stronger songs). In the words of Jeff Goldblum: "you were so obsessed with whether you *could* do it that you didn't stop to ask whether you *should*!"
@@DarrenX9 I think that they try to push boundaries. - both for their own creative sakes and because their fans expect it. This will result in a some misses. Quite a few, in fact. I can imagine it's a lot of pressure to be considered among the greatest living instrumentalists.
@@therenegadebard3971 as a huge fan of music I can appreciate the technicality of Dream Theatre but not enough that I can listen to them. To me it’s more important to put feeling into music that being so technical that most people can’t connect with the music.
@Matej Juhás Why does someone have to bring that up in every single thread of every conversation? The conversation has been had millions of times (probably literally) all over the internet. The bottom line is that MP went on to make the best music of his career (and some of the best music of all time, quite frankly, with Similitude of a Dream and others). It was the best thing that could have happened to the prog community.
he has his good nights and not so good nights. when he's on, he's on. his voice has gotten progressively better since the incident. Lots of people hate 2016's Astonishing, but it's a pretty damn good representation of what James can do with his voice.
@@weefek by "good night and not so good nights" you probably mean "good nights and atrocious nights". Sometimes his voice got some notes that send your entire skin crawling, and not in a good way.
@@demon_3x I’ve always felt Mr. Morse was one of the more under appreciated guitarists out there … his versatility is practically unmatched - He even (more than) capably fills the shoes of one Ritchie Blackmore (who’s said some positive things about Steve as his replacement) at his “day job,” but he seems like a fairly humble person - I could be wrong, but I don’t think it matters much to him if he’s not a household name … I mean, he even took a job as a commercial airline pilot for a while!
@@ZackMorse you’ve gotta appreciate how real of a person he is. To me it seems he’s very humbled, kind and a genuine personality. And as you said, definitely feel like is more under appreciated. I seen them about 10 years ago front row and was amazed really.
@@demon_3x I saw him with the Dregs in the early 90’s, and with Kansas & he was flawless. His work with Flying Colors is quite good too - again, not as popular as it should’ve been, considering the quality of the material & the people involved (Neal Morse, Portnoy, LaRue & Casey McPherson). Well worth a listen, IMHO.
And maybe the best song on Images and Words. I mean, all the album is absurd, but this song comes out as one of their best ever. Crazy mesmerizing riff, a great groove and fills, some incredible bass moments and John's finest moment...
11:07 "He has such great balance..." I been trying to figure out how to describe JP solo writing since 1992, and never have I been able to come up with a simple description. You nailed it: Balance = the perfect blend of everything, without overstaying his welcome in any particular style or technique. And the performance is excellent as well.
I spent the first three months of the pandemic learning this solo....I'm still only hitting like 80% of the notes. Incredible solo, great breakdown. Nice to see a pro's reaction to a song somewhat out of their genre.
I was there for this show. Probably the best concert I've ever been to. Radio City Music hall - such good acoustics - and second half of the show they played with an orchestra. Simply amazing.
This is still my favorite Dream-Theater guitar-solo, and one of my favorite songs - I spent months learning it and years getting the phrasing closer and closer and some of the runs cleaner. It just has everything - almost every technical challange you can put into a solo - and it's still got a coherent narrative and tension arc, so beautiful. But aside from all that, "... and a mirror... why? Are we pulling out into traffic?" had me genuinely laughing imagining Mike Portnoy on a motorized monster drumkit pulling into a busy road :D
That solo is basically all the 6-hour a day practicing, all the Steve’s and ALs influences, and Berkeley school of music knowledge all rolled into one. But what he did with the whammy bar is truly the most epic moment of the solo
Michael, thank you. This was like watching you open Christmas gifts today. Love that band and Love your show. you need to check out the new, and the old, Liquid Tension Experiment... Portnoy, Petrucci, Rudess and Tony Levin... masterful
Ohhhh man!!! Thanks to the fact that I have known this band from ages now sometimes I take them from granted!!! Thank you for reminding us all how big and out of this world Dream Theater is!
This is probably the most fun I've had watching you absolutely dig any band to date. I can't blame your looks and amazement because, come on...it's Dream Theater, Bro!
Great video. Love that you comment on the whole band, not just the guitar. I was at this show, it was an amazing night. Portnoy had the rear view mirror because later in the show there was an orchestra behind them, so it helped him watch the conductor.
*Hits pause for the first time To self: “Quick Michael! Think of something to say! Something about what’s happening musically. But what?! I mean, there’s so much happening already! Tempo change? Bass doubled? High hat? Guitar riff? 🤔” To RU-vid: “Neighborhood of F#” 😂😂😂😂
Petrucci is a robot or something. Solo is played exactly how it's played on album accept the very end. It's interesting to watch him when he did G3. You can observe his improv skills.
Petrucci is one of the best guitar players alive today. Has all the technique, but doesn't get lost in it. Him, Jimmy Page & Josh Homme are the reason I started playing (weird combo, I know, but it's true).
Awesome man thank you for reacting!! I definitely wasn't expecting a total breakdown, but thank you so much for what you did (and have done). I really just wanted to see the look on your face and you didn't disappoint. Keep stacking wins my friends.
As a few others already pointed out, the mirrors helped see the conductor for this show, yes. But he has had mirrors on his kit since the beginning of the Octavarium tour; mainly so that he can see the video show on the screens behind him for cues.
There are a billion guitar teachers in the world. The reaction of vocal teachers to metal singers is far more interesting. This guy is obviously a fan of theirs.
Bro, just getting to know you're channel and your content and I must say: YOU'RE AWESOME! Amazing reactions, lots of knowledge about music theory but you're personality is also outstanding. You definitely have a fan in me now! Cheers, man! Keep rocking!
This has always been my favorite guitar solo from dream theater. Watching them play it live makes it so much more epic too! Thanks for the reaction video.
An issue of Guitar Player Magazine had that solo tabbed, and it came with a lesson DVD also. That solo was ranked "Most innovative Solo" of the year, but not until a few years after the album release.
Best thing about Petrucci is that he has the chops of a virtuoso and the feel of a bluesman. Composition, chops, feel, individuality- one of the best to ever do it for me.
Thank you for uploading and analysing. Portnoy have that mirror to see when the Roadie pushes the the Microphone from behind in front of his mouth , when he needs to sing. He sees it coming, you know what i mean
Had the pleasure of seeing dt live this formation as well which was my favourite set up and they were incredible. They make the crazy technical things they play look so easy truly on a different level aka tool, rush, for me one of the greatest prog rock metal bands ever
@@rmr5044 Yeah no disrespect to Tool, I love them too (My first comment was just a joke about stereotypical Tool fans) but I don't think DT is shredding for shredding's sake. I think the modern prog groups who are clearly influenced by DT (and Tool) are way more guilty of that. They can emulate DT's technical prowess sure, but not their ability to write complex sections that still ultimately serve the song. I think DT's songwriting is as much of a reason as the amazing musicianship of why their albums (especially the older ones) are still so popular.
I learned a lot from this video!Especially that vocal technique around 18:58 and, the fact thank JP is playing fifth intervals up the scale in the solo. Amazing. You honestly helped me understand something I’ve been passionately obsessed with for years. Probably over some heavy chords. But I never thought to use fifths like that. Very cool. Thanks so much! This solo is truly iconic and just a taste of all of the depth and variety that IS Dream Theater. It’s honestly beyond this life and our understanding of life. Powerful codes in this virtuosity... Steve vai too right, satrani, etc
He has the Mirror so that he can communicate with His drum techie... (If im not mistaken).. for like the parts when he backup vocals and he needs the Mic and such
I saw this solo live in 2006 and ... I don't know... somehow seeing it performed in front of my eyes for the first time was burned into my brain... definitely one of my favorite John Petrucci solos, it has so much personality
well as a matter of fact I saw them live around March of 2006 and if I'm not mistaken this concert was recorded live in April of the same year at Radio City Music Hall... so when I got the dvd it was like remembering that night I saw them live, as if what I saw live was recorded a month later and I can watch it anytime I want
Amen my brother. EXACTLY the same for me. A rare time I heard a band first one local radio rather than MTV. A fateful night in 1992 marked the beginning to my love for the greatest band ever. Dream Theater.
When this song came out all those years ago I had just built my dream home that was set up with cathedral ceilings it was built for sound with speakers in every corner and I would come home and crank this song... the beginning was so huge on the album a must song to listen to cranked!!!!!!