On Friday night, March 14th, 2025, Dream Theater brought their 40th anniversary tour to the Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, CT. Opening the show with “Metropolis – Part I: The Miracle and the Sleeper,” the crowd was immediately brought back in time to 1992 and the release of Dream Theater’s Images and Words album. What followed was a lively musical tour through the band’s legacy including hits from Awake all the way through to their latest release, Parasomnia, which came out in February of 2025.
One nice surprise was the inclusion of the 1996 demo version of “Hollow Years,” which has slightly different lyrics than the version included on the 1997 studio album Falling into Infinity. In the studio version, James LaBrie sings:
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
And maybe you’ll understand
In the demo version, the lyrics have a few additional lines:
Carry me to the shoreline
Bury me in the sand
Walk me across the water
In the echoes of a tired voice
You’ll hear the message getting clearer
And maybe you’ll have no choice
As my fellow reporters at the event can attest to, I had forgotten this version existed. To their amusement, during intermission I asked them, “Did LaBrie add extra words to ‘Hollow Years’?” No, no he didn’t. Well, oops. So I share my forgetfulness with you now so that you don’t make the same mistake I did, and you can attend any of the upcoming shows on their tour secure in the knowledge that you will be singing the right words.
The first set ended with “As I Am” off their Train of Thought album, a powerful treatise on owning and accepting who you are. It’s one of the two songs off Train of Thought that I find rather cathartic to sing (well, scream) in my car, and seeing it performed live was even more intense. There’s something about shouting at the world to “take me as I am” backed by powerhouse metal riffs that just leaves you feeling as if nothing can stand in your way. The other song off Train of Thought that leaves me with that feeling is “This Dying Soul,” which they did not play, but I suppose they had 40 years of songs to get through so they did have to do quite a bit of editing when it came to the set list. I do hope to see it played live though. Perhaps the next tour.
The second set opened with “Night Terror” and “Midnight Messiah” from their latest album, Parasomnia. If you haven’t heard the new album yet, it’s a definite must. That said, if you do not have a chance to binge the new album before you see them on this tour, seeing these two songs played live will give you a crash course on what to expect from the full album and immediately sell you on picking it up. The set continued with “This is the Life” from A Dramatic Turn of Events and two more songs from Train of Thought, “Vacant” and “Stream of Consciousness.”
The set ended with the 24 minute “Octavarium” off the album of the same name, and honestly, it’s a showstopper. It’s always impressive to watch Dream Theater play, as these men have command of their instruments in a way that will make your jaw drop. But there’s something about watching them build from a calm intro into full throttle and then back down over the course of the song that really showcases their capabilities and leaves you in awe.
Speaking of the talented members of the band, there is one other important point of this tour that needs to be addressed. This is the first tour after Mike Portnoy rejoined the band. Portnoy is a founding member of Dream Theater, but left in 2010. He was replaced by Mike Mangini, who was with the band for eight albums between 2011 and 2021. There’s absolutely no denying Mangini’s skills. He even holds multiple world records for speed drumming. I have asked multiple drummers about Mangini, and they have all said Mangini can do things they only wish they could do. But while I appreciated Mangini’s time in the band, it just feels right to have Portnoy back. His personality shines through while he’s on stage, and his lively performances are always a pleasure to watch.
After the second set, the band came back on stage for an encore starting with “Act II: Scene Six: Home” from Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory. They followed that up with a second song from the same album, “Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On,” a song so guaranteed to bring me to tears that I almost didn’t make it through the encore. My sappiness aside, it was a beautiful moment and one that I am glad I stayed for. And finally, as a fitting ending, they brought us back to where we started the night, with Images and Words and their massive hit “Pull Me Under.”
In all, the night showed off the full range of their skills, and also their journey as a band over the last 40 years. And while I think newcomers to Dream Theater would have a wonderful experience if they attend, it was a little extra special for those of us who have loved the band for 20, 30, or more years to re-experience all of the music that has meant so much to us for so long.
Review & photos by I’m Music Magazine Photographer/Writer Amanda Packey
