Dream Comes True On Act’s Tour With Satriani

NASHVILLE—Progressive metal band Dream Theater is joining forces with guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani for a 28-date co-headlining trek that organizers believe capitalizes on significant crossover fan appeal from both acts.

The tour, booked by Steve Martin at the Agency Group (Dream Theater) and Wayne Forte at Entourage Talent (Satriani), begins Aug. 8 at the Dodge Theater in Phoenix and wraps Sept. 14 at Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y. Venues include amphitheaters, theaters, and large clubs.

This is a true co-headlining venture: Satriani tops the bill at shows west of the Mississippi; Dream Theater does so east of the river. King’s X opens all dates.

The brainchild of Dream Theater manager Frank Solomon and Satriani manager Mick Brigdon, the genesis of the tour dates back to Satriani’s G3 tour last year, which featured Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci and Steve Vai. Solomon believes the two acts conjure a healthy amount of synergy. “We’re talking about lots of virtuosity, lots of notes, lots of passion,” he says. “People that miss this will miss a hell of a night of music.”

Satriani thinks the tour represents a classic case of creative booking. “I feel this is a pairing that Bill Graham himself would have put together,” says the guitarist, who was nominated for a 2001 best rock instrumental Grammy Award for a live version of “Always With Me, Always With You.” “It’s got a good balance of style and genre, as well as the obvious leaning toward musical performance.”

Forte believes fans of the acts are similar but not identical. “I think there’s synergy, but at the same time, [these acts] are definitely on either end of the spectrum. It’s not like they’re playing to the exact same crowd; Joe’s fans are a tad older, and Dream Theater’s are a tad younger. It’s the best of both worlds, and our ticket sales are showing we’ve got one plus one equals three. Promoters that were apprehensive before are surprised and delighted.”

Touring Is The Way

For Dream Theater, known for intricate, multi-layered studio albums with epic songs, touring provides a direct connection with fans when other avenues aren’t always available.

“It’s an amazing situation,” Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy says. ‘‘We’re the kind of band that’s not on the radio or MTV, and we’ve been able to function and succeed on our own terms, completely oblivious to trends and different styles that come and go. We can do 3,000 people a night in America and up to 10,000 a night in Europe, completely on our own.’’

Formed 17 years ago, Dream Theater released its first album, When Dream & Day Unite, in 1989. “We’ve seen grunge, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains come, go, break up, and die, and we’re still here,” Portnoy says, adding that recording and touring are both important to the band. “We’re not like a Steely Dan, just a studio band. We were born and bred on the road. We’re very anal in the studio, and touring has a very different feel—a real connection with the audience that you can’t portray on CD. We’re not sterile live.”

Turbulent Touring

Dream Theater’s 2002 touring efforts are in support of its new Elektra double-CD Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. According to Solomon, the band typically hits the road on a bi-annual basis, following up a new record with a brace of four- to six-week North American legs, three European legs of similar duration, followed by an Asian leg of about three weeks. Derek Kemp of the Agency Group in London books Dream Theater in Europe and Japan, where it routinely plays to sold-out houses and large festivals. Solomon says North American audiences are catching up.

“Dream Theater has historically done a bit better internationally, but [during] our last tour in America [in February and March], we sold out theaters across the country,” Solomon says. He adds that the band has a devoted and consistently growing following, with minimal support at mainstream radio.

The same can generally be said for Satriani, which makes booking the tour both challenging and rewarding, according to Martin. He estimates about a 30% crossover between fans of the two artists.

“It’s fun, because these are two acts that don’t get a lot of airplay, don’t sell a lot of records, but—at least in the case of Dream Theater—have done an incredible job of developing and paying attention to their fan base,” he says. “Dream Theater [was] playing Irving Plaza a few years ago.”

Even so, the lack of mainstream success made selling large-venue dates tough in some markets. “People like [Clear Channel Entertainment buyer] Randy Henner in New York were very interested in this package, but some [in other markets] were quite skeptical that this [lineup] could play a shed,” Martin says. “Wayne [Forte] and I convinced them to take a shot. and early on-sales have been very good.”

Solomon agrees. “Out of the box it was real strong, and it continues to sell at a steady rate,” he says. “We did 4,000 the first weekend in Quebec City [for a Sept. 1 date at L’agora du Vieux Port], and we’re seeing similar results in several of the big markets.”

Henner and Clear Channel have observed steady growth for Dream Theater in the New York market, from the 1,000-capacity Irving Plaza to a sold-out, two-night stand at the 2,900-seat Beacon Theatre, quick sellouts at the 3,500-capacity Roseland, and now they play at the 14,000-capacity Jones Beach shed. “Dream Theater’s business has always been consistent, and it seems to grow from show to show,” Henner says.

Martin says Internet pre-sales have worked well. “In some cases we’ve sold several hundred to 1,000 or so tickets before advertising even started, just off Dream Theater’s and Joe’s Web sites.”

Portnoy believes a successful run this time out could bode well for similar packages in the future. “I’ve had this idea of getting on a package going out every summer and doing a shed thing—kind of like an Ozzfest or H.O.R.D.E. for bands not getting any mainstream exposure—whether it’s progressive, jam-oriented. instrumental, or whatever,” he says. “I’m hoping this summer’s tour will be the first step toward making this an annual thing. It’s important to play the big rooms to prove to the promoters there is a market out there.”

Creatively, Satriani is stoked on the prospect of touring with Dream Theater. “Playing with John Petrucci on the last G3 tour was so cool. He’s a real player, and he is still very much into discovering new ways to express himself on the guitar,” he says. “That’s so important for a musician, and the audience picks up on that stuff in a second. In a way, I think they demand it. This will be a rocking event with the audience standing and singing and shouting, hearing great music, and seeing a beautifully lit show. I can’t wait to get started.”