pmarafio
03-30-2006, 09:50 AM
I saw Dream Theater last night at Oakdale in CT - they were great...as usual!
Jordan's work on Octavarium was particulary impressive. The use of the Continuum was super expressive and innovative. Leave it to Jordan to truly break new ground in musical expression! His use of the analog Modular on the Octavarium solo was nice - a retro sound that was refreshing in its warmth. The Oasys pad patch that JR had backing the Octavarium intro was killer - fat and incredibly warm. I'm not sure what James was doing during that segment but I would guess that he was triggering some chord changes that JR had programmed on the Oasys.
Speaking of the Oasys, it sounded great and JR's programming was superb. Although I still think the Korg stuff sounds a little digital for my tastes (and I use a Triton Studio myself). I still prefer the classic JR Kurzweil lead sound - IMO it's fatter and warmer. The piano sample in the Oasys was extremely good - unquestionably the best I've ever heard from a workstation.
The pace of the show was very well done. DT did a review of 20 years of superb music and they nailed each piece. Petrucci continues to amaze me with his musicianship and virtuosity! What I found particularly revealing during the show was how DT's composition skills have matured and grown over the years. You can see a distinct change in the years since JR joined the band. It becomes clear that Petrucci finally found a keyboard partner with the virtuosity to keep up with him in his melodic ideas. The DT compositions take on a new level of sophistication in the late 1990s as a result. The precision with which JR and MP play those lines together is magical! Dream Theater's music becomes more unique and incredible as the years go by.
One other observation in hearing the catalog played over time is how JR really builds on what Kevin Moore and Derek contributed. His style takes the best of what they did in counterpoint and sonic coloring and extends it with tremendous virtuosity and his synth programming skills.
Great show - I can't wait to catch the Radio City show on Sat!
Jordan's work on Octavarium was particulary impressive. The use of the Continuum was super expressive and innovative. Leave it to Jordan to truly break new ground in musical expression! His use of the analog Modular on the Octavarium solo was nice - a retro sound that was refreshing in its warmth. The Oasys pad patch that JR had backing the Octavarium intro was killer - fat and incredibly warm. I'm not sure what James was doing during that segment but I would guess that he was triggering some chord changes that JR had programmed on the Oasys.
Speaking of the Oasys, it sounded great and JR's programming was superb. Although I still think the Korg stuff sounds a little digital for my tastes (and I use a Triton Studio myself). I still prefer the classic JR Kurzweil lead sound - IMO it's fatter and warmer. The piano sample in the Oasys was extremely good - unquestionably the best I've ever heard from a workstation.
The pace of the show was very well done. DT did a review of 20 years of superb music and they nailed each piece. Petrucci continues to amaze me with his musicianship and virtuosity! What I found particularly revealing during the show was how DT's composition skills have matured and grown over the years. You can see a distinct change in the years since JR joined the band. It becomes clear that Petrucci finally found a keyboard partner with the virtuosity to keep up with him in his melodic ideas. The DT compositions take on a new level of sophistication in the late 1990s as a result. The precision with which JR and MP play those lines together is magical! Dream Theater's music becomes more unique and incredible as the years go by.
One other observation in hearing the catalog played over time is how JR really builds on what Kevin Moore and Derek contributed. His style takes the best of what they did in counterpoint and sonic coloring and extends it with tremendous virtuosity and his synth programming skills.
Great show - I can't wait to catch the Radio City show on Sat!