Originally published in Dream Theater · 2005
2005-2006 tour program messages
Article4 min read
Hi Everyone,
If you’re reading this before the show enjoy it and have a great time. If you’re reading this after we performed I hope you loved it and see you again sometime.
It’s hard to believe it has been 20 years, it feels like we’re just getting into a real cool place and groove. Here’s to many more years of new music and shows. See you there.
Cheers,
James
Eight studio albums is a long time. 20 years is a long time, especially as a band, a sign of our commitment to each other and our love for what we do.
A couple of months after the Train of Thought world tour and we’re at the Hit Factory in NYC working on an album to be later known as Octavarium, followed by a tour in 2005 to 2006, playing to one of the best audiences that a band could ever ask for.
See you out there.
John Myung
Has it been 20 years already?? What an amazing ride! To go from a brand new band back in 1985 with only hopes and aspirations for success, to where we are today is incredible to me. I mean it when I say that creating music and performing with the rest of DT is just as exciting and fulfilling now (or even more so) as when we first started. Touring in support of our latest release, “Octavarium” couldn’t be a better way in my mind to celebrate the event. This album realizes the many diverse creative corners that each member draws inspiration from. It is a culmination of years spent writing, learning, practicing, performing, producing and growing as song writers together. It is a collective representation of our current musical consciousness and to me, by far says it best.
As always, we look forward to expanding our presence throughout the world while on tour, and genuinely embrace and appreciate our forever passionate and loyal fans everywhere. Join us in celebrating 20 years of music together, and enjoy the 2005/06 Octavarium tour wherever you may be!
Thank you,
John Petrucci
September 1985
Two teenagers from Kings Park, Long Island (John Petrucci & John Myung) and one from Long Beach, Long Island (yours truly) leave New York and head to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music...
Within weeks of starting school, I met the two Johns. After discussing our mutual love for Progressive Rock (Rush, Yes, Pink Floyd, ELP), Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden, Metallica, Deep Purple, Queensryche) and virtuosic instrumentalists (The Dixie Dregs, Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan) we knew immediately that we needed to get together and jam. We started by playing covers of the aforementioned bands and jamming some ideas of our own. After a few rehearsals, we knew we were destined for each other....
September 2005
Here we are 20 years later...and still jamming! (and still occasionally playing covers of the aforementioned bands!) The long and winding road we have travelled over the past 20 years has been filled with so many amazing experiences and adventures. (including touring with most of the aforementioned bands as well!)
A big part of our story and credit for our sustained and continued progress, growth and longevity is YOU...the devoted DT fan! You have stuck by us through the ups and downs, the left turns and right turns, the trends that have come and gone, etc. We’ve experimented with short songs, long songs, complex songs, simple songs, dark and heavy songs, light and moody songs, and you’ve embraced us and stood by us for the whole wild trip...(well most of you, that is!)
So, as a thank you for all these years of support - tonight we celebrate 20 years of this music together....with a tribute to the past, the present and the future of Dream Theater.
Carpe Diem,
MP
This past year has been a musically exciting one in the keyboard department of Dream Theater!
It’s actually expanded quite a bit. It now includes an instrument called the “Continuum” as well as the Lap Steel Guitar. The Continuum is a dream come true for me. For years I had imagined a kind of fretless keyboard instrument. Now thanks to Lippold Haken, the inventor, it is reality. You will get to hear it tonight! Also inspired by Steve Howe of Yes is the appearance of the Lap Steel. I have been creating Lap Steel type sounds on the keyboard but finally came to the conclusion that I wanted to play the real thing. When I got home from our previous summer tour with Yes, I went in to a guitar shop in NYC, and immediately bought one, and learned to play it. I also made a major change in keyboard land. Some of you may notice that my keyboard looks different. That is because I am now using the Korg Oasys as my main keyboard instrument. ALL the sound you hear when my fingers hit those keys is coming from this one incredible instrument. Basically I went from six instruments (4 racks and 2 keyboards) on our last tour to one! Yes... I have been very busy programming. There is one other “not so small” addition to my rig, and that is the huge modular synthesizer behind me that has been designed for me by Roger Arrick of www.synthesizers.com. Roger and I spoke a while back and we concluded together that my role as keyboardist in Dream Theater would not be complete unless I had one of his modular beasts!
Life with Dream Theater is in a great place. Octavarium was all about inspiration, starting from the album concept and continuing into every note we played. Out of the madness of studio life, with notes flying left right and center, we created not only one of my all-time favorite DT “epic” tracks “Octavarium,” but we also accomplished our self-imposed goal of writing some shorter more concise songs.
I’m really looking forward to rocking once again for all of you!
Musically,
Jordan