DREAM THEATER - THE DANCE OF ETERNITY | REACTION

[@Moskal91]

just to clarify. There are 108 time signatures changes in this song.

[@scifimonkey3]

You have a lot more to hear, Dance of Eternity is one of the most complex so some of the others are a bit more accessible but there is no argument that each of the musicians is a master of their craft. For a less complex but no less enjoyable journey try ‘The Count of Tuscany’ which adds a great story to the great music.

[@mtaffer]

I saw a video where they are playing "Tuscany" on their current tour!

[@s3k1m]

The Mother of all Pieces. This was one of the audition songs when they were searching for a new drummer.

[@dennismoore3383]

This entire album is amazing. Arguably Dream Theater's best. And there's even a song with only programmed drums - No Portnoy! I previously posted this on your Panic Attack reaction: "There are many technical drummers out there, but Mike Portnoy plays with personality. You can hear it in his playing that he's having fun. He loves his job. He was a founding member of Dream Theater and they've been doing their thing since the late 80's. Portnoy left the band in 2010, but continues to play in some of my favorite acts: Sons of Apollo, The Neal Morse Band, Transatlantic, The Winery Dogs and Flying Colors. Now in his mid-50's, he's often more laid back in his playing (laid back being a relative term), but he still reaches into his bag of tricks and comes up with cool drum parts. I hope you get to check out his catalog."

[@AlexShiroki]

Yes, they're one of the best rock bands in the world. But such poor sales in their own country, which makes their albums more like a promotion of their live tours. Seems to me. Hello from Russia!

[@indianamom6081]

In the 90s we had to sign a release form to go to their shows because of the bass pedals (possible intereference with pacemakers or heart conditions) and (possible seizure problems because of their light show).

[@joeloedeman5160]

Mike Portnoy the drummer can also be found in liquid tension experiment and Transatlantic! Their keyboardist and guitarist will play the most ridiculous parallel duets.

[@gregorykenfield3134]

My favorite Dream Theater comment ever..."What time signature is this in? ALL OF THEM!!"

[@davidreed1096]

You might like Liquid Tension Experiment.

[@MarkLumsley]

It's not a movie, but they did make filmed footage for their live 2000 show in New York if I recall! :D

[@shanicalopez9352]

They are indeed the final boss.... And they are not done yet.... Its unreal

[@codydrummer]

There are over 100 time signature changes in this song.

[@futurewavecs]

There are videos on youtube of people using flash cards to show the time changes in this one. Though truly DT can blow your mind but then you watch them pull it off live and your mind will be obliterated. This is a band musicians go to watch in awe.

[@indianamom6081]

This is exactly how they sound live.

[@philipturner6279]

You ought to see them live...mind blowerF!

[@herbhill7591]

A strong“Yes” influence!

[@nexuslang]

You mentioned Yes, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Rush, and these four bands were HUGE influences on Dream Theater from the get-go. In fact, the story goes that guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung (who are childhood friends) met drummer Mike Portnoy while waiting in line to buy tickets to a Rush concert. They're all alumni of elite schools like Berklee and Julliard. With a few big changes in the lineup, they've been at it for over 35 years and their discography is tremendous (I think it's 15 studio albums so far, not to mention the live concerts and offshoots and side projects like Liquid Tension Experiment). Welcome to the DT rabbit hole!

[@davidcardonamuller9864]

There's a video of the drummer breaking down the time signatures.. it's quite something

[@gregcormier2379]

The three founding members , Mike Portnoy- drums & percussion, John Petrucci lead guitar, and John Myung-bass all studied music at Berkeley college where they formed the band.

[@johnmueller8737]

Great reaction. I think that you would enjoy seeing one of their live videos. Breaking all Illusions on Breaking the4th Wall Video is Great!

[@mtaffer]

Yes and it also showcases how melodic they can be while still throwing the prog in there.

[@raulpreite8346]

I love drummers reacting to this chaos of time signatures

[@mmttomb3]

"Instrumentality" Live at Budakan 2004. A MUST MUST REACTION!!!!

[@nexuslang]

That's "Instrumedley" (a medley composed of instrumentals from several different songs of theirs).

[@juanvictor8196]

its so hard to headbang to dream theater haha nice reaction

[@smittycal]

I’m pretty new to Dream Theater myself and petty much the same reaction hearing this song the first time…. I just held on for dear life hah. Song is 🔥

[@sarcasmoassholio2801]

Hey Smitty, did you see them in concert yet? 👀

[@smittycal]

@@sarcasmoassholio2801 February 15th!! Already got my tickets hah

[@sarcasmoassholio2801]

@@smittycal Enjoy it Brother. They usually put on about a 3 1/2 hr show. Been seeing them live since 1993. I was at the live recording concert for Scenes from a Memory in NYC. Best show ever

[@FryeGuy29]

Hey Smitty Reacts! I saw them in El Cajon, CA on Friday... awesome show as always. Enjoy man!!

[@smittycal]

@@FryeGuy29 when I say I’m counting the days… that’s no lie! I’ve got the whole day planned out and ready hah

[@modefathy1205]

Oki let me hit you by three bands and track on this Dream Theater phenomenal level, 1- Haken - Nil By Mouth 2- Leprous- The Sky is Red 3- Opeth- Black Water Park :D enjo and thank me later

[@bryandouple5595]

As a drummer you can imagine what it takes to keep this machine in perfect time through a whole set live! Well, they do it and have been for years. Pull Me Under & Take The Time both got some radio airplay in the 90's. You may find that you need a 2nd channel just for these guys. Still hoping for some more Doobie Bros!

[@davidwatchesyoutube]

One of the things I absolutely LOVE about DT is their ability to bring resonant dissonance to resolution in the most entertaining way. Everything is done with chaotic purpose so when the resolution comes, the reward is stellar!

[@mtaffer]

This is my first time here and I took a deep dive into your reactions from the beginning and I have to say you have some of the most eclectic stuff on here. I have marked a bunch of your reactions to "watch later" and have many days of content now and I definitely subscribed! This is what reaction channels are all about, exposing new music to people and not just doing "the hits"...it's really refreshing! I hope at some point you delve into other bands in this particular genre (progressive/power metal) like Seventh Wonder, Kamelot, Sabaton, Helloween, Ayreon, Avantasia, Sonata Arctica, Symphony X (since you like Malmsteen you need to be introduced to Michael Romeo), Theocracy, Circus Maximus, Pagan's Mind, Redemption, Fates Warning...just to name a few. Plunge down that rabbit hole!

[@jeffwombold9167]

Welcome to Dream Theater. None of the other bands that I have ever heard or that anyone speaks of (and I don't mean to be condescending) can do what these guys do. Don't get me wrong, but you have just walked into an incredible world of DT. Happy listening!

[@hotbiz123]

I can understand how you feel man! Please look at a bass player, Charles Berthoud! He is a dream theater by himself, he play Classical, Prog, Jazz, watch him play (Polyphia) Nurathica!

[@billwell9266]

Was lucky enough to see this album performed live from the 4th row few years ago.

[@josephiousbrosif]

Yeah you're just getting started man haha. There's so many songs to recommend it's actually overwhelming. I'd probably recommend one of the DT epics next such as Octavarium, Illumination Theory, The Count of Tuscany, A View From the Top of the World, etc.....

[@shawnk7832]

Mine and your first time hearing this .. like Yes .. but More!!!! 😁

[@shawnk7832]

That's how they know...

[@phillyflyer12]

Controlled chaos. Love it.

[@sumonjamal1653]

This entire Dream Theater album from 1999 is a concept album based on their 1992 song "Metropolis Pt. 1: the Miracle & the Sleeper"... They just got a new keyboardist Jordan Rudess into the band, and Mike Portnoy (drums) demanded 2 things before Dream Theater could move forward... 1) complete creative control w/ no label interference, and 2) to self-produce the record... They had a demo track called 'Metropolis Pt.2' recorded, but Portnoy thought, "Why don't we just do the whole record as 'Metropolis Pt. 2'?" So the track was incorporated into the album titled, "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a memory". The concept of the album deals w/ reincarnation. A man named 'Nicholas' is having turbulent dreams, so he visits a hypnotherapist... through therapy, he uncovers a past life where he was a woman named 'Victoria' in the early 1900's who was torn between her love for two brothers - 'Julian' and 'Edward Baynes'... Nicholas discovers that Victoria was murdered in what was described as a 'murder suicide' in the metropolitan newspapers of the past. But through her memories, Nicholas discovers the truth about what happened to Victoria... The album 'Metropolis Pt. 2' was a creative success for the band... Dream Theater performed the entire record on tour & filmed a live video in 2000 as "Live scenes from a memory"... They performed it in its entirety again on their 2019 tour, after Mike Portnoy had left the band (in 2010).

[@bassplayer2011ify]

Funny thing is the song was originally called Crumbling Metropolis but they dropped Crumbling and Petrucci added "Part 1" as a joke. There was no grand concept for it when they first wrote it. But the song took on a live of its own and fans kept asking about it so they wrote a "Part 2" and the rest is history.

[@realbser1956]

Portnoy taking no prisoners on those drums. Damn, this band is great. Lots of Rush in this song, at least to my ears.

[@marksimpson1991]

One of my favorite albums to just rock out to. Good stuff Chod!

[@jetklaatu9831]

101 time signature changes will make you go insane when trying to learn this song but once you start mastering it, it's VERY rewarding. However, it's a perishable skill to play this through for me on guitar. Some parts stick with me but unless you're practicing this regularly then it's tough going (at least for me!).

[@flomalheur7467]

Hard to believe, but there is a (somewhat idiosyncratic) cover version of this song by Unlucky Morpheus. (Instrumentation: guitar, bass, drums, violin). It's worth checking out. If you like it, maybe listen to the song "Angreifer" (live) afterwards?

[@VegasAlien1]

Take time on your own to watch the entire Dream Theater drummer audition videos on KZbin. They had big shoes to fill when Portnoy left, so they set up some very specific and challenging auditions for some badass players. Pretty cool to watch.

[@BassCommunion]

It was staged by the management also too much drama, what a let down for one of my favorite bands.. :/ they already had mangini in mind

[@bangmon1000]

I liked the Ragtime piano.

[@buddystewart2020]

I think you have to be in the mood for this. Nobody can say these guys can't play, but this song feels like too much work sometimes to try to enjoy it. It sort of feels like, we're going to change the time signature, because we can. Lines in the Sand still my fav Dream Theater song.

[@danigar]

Great reaction, it's so cool to see you getting so much into DT. You should now definitely do one of their long epics, specially Octavarium where they celebrate their career and the bands that you mentioned in one epic package.

[@almarhulsegge1842]

Great reaction! One song that will completely blow you away (again ;)) in terms of musicianship and songwriting, and has aLOT of old school prog rock elements in it (think Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant) is Octavarium. I (and with me a lot of people I guess :)) would love to see your reaction on that one! Keep up the good work!

[@WolfgangWagnerTYPO3]

You should definitely check out these songs in a live version :)

[@marcinzych645]

Hi, brilliant reaction and perfect music taste to start explore Dream Theater. For live performance I would like You suggest "Change of Season" and "Learning to live". Both from Live Scenes from New York. Greatest concert ever made by them. Cheers! :)

[@evankeal]

I say the same thing about all of them. Parts galore. The only song by them I can even attempt to drum to is Pull Me Under.

[@mikethemotormouth]

Playing along with Glass Prison even halfway is a workout

[@tiacloke8428]

Couple more great songs for your reaction/ The 1st is called "Cheer" by Potliquor. Lots of drums, piano, horns, and great message. I don't think anyone has ever reacted to this group and this song from 1972. It is great. the 2nd is by Brenda Lee from her 1969 album "Johnny One Time". The song is called "If You Go Away" and it is sung with all the emotion one can give. Thanks

[@lancekidwell5729]

108 signatures changes. But what separates them from Tool. The signatures changed are to support the music. In Tool, the music is formed around the Time signature. My thoughts. 🍻. Also, find the footage of that bass solo. Sick!

[@andrearodriguez9005]

This is the album I told you the other day is the greatest piece of music I have ever heard. It is a roller coaster of emotions. Here is a link to a video of this drummer showing you his sheet music for this song. It's hilarious. He even starts cracking up. Lol kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKTadahpftGImMk

[@BigIsk52]

I also think it's the greatest album ever made. Peace.

[@pittdave]

Chod. I dont know if you could do a reaction to an entire album but you should try that here. The whole album is a story and to completely appreciate it, you need to listen to it all

[@nexuslang]

There are other reactions to the entire Scenes on KZbin, the most recent one from Doug Helvering, so there shouldn't be a problem...

[@jakevalentine6651]

Welcome to the worm hole. Dream theater is arguably the best or at least most musically proficient band on the planet. If you wish to take a journey I would suggest Octavarium

[@hampyonce]

These guys are like the Emerson Lake & Palmer of modern prog.

[@NaanProphet]

The reason you thought it was a movie is because the guy who made this album cover also did the poster art for 13 Ghosts.

[@scottlaughlin9897]

They are indeed Rush fanatics, especially Mike Portnoy the drummer. The new drummer is Mike Mangini. Please do In the name of God by them next?! It is a long song but greatness! If you’d like they had a cpl. Of radio hits only because their songs are long. Their first radio hit was Pull me Under, and another is As I Am.

[@andyramos4130]

The Dance of Eternity - Mike Portnoy (DRUMS ONLY) LINK: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpfclYVneLZqbM0

[@rtwbikerider]

If you would like to see Mike Portoy count out one section of this song, check out this clip : kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKTadahpftGImMk

[@nedrini1387]

Oh brother you should’ve listen to the live version. You could really see each guy playing their instruments

[@andyramos4130]

Mike Portnoy breaking down the time signature on drums. Counting Dance of Eternity - LINK: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rKTadahpftGImMk

[@BackLooking]

It is complex for the sake of complexity. It´s not musical. But it´s fun.

[@LostTh3Game]

If you are looking for another band that is similar in musicianship as a whole band (not the same genere), check our this band called Dirty Loops, I'd recommend starting with their song "Work Shit Out".

[@Seize_Up]

Try Octavarium from the album with the same title. You'll be blown away...

[@batweed]

I think you're ready for Liquid Tension Expirement - Acid rain, or Paradigm shift..

[@michel8str]

There is a video of Mike Portnoy counting this song, Dance of Eternity, you should check it out

[@yanicklefebvre827]

Try out live versions of Illumination Theory and Breaking All Illusions from the Boston Opera House show. Both mindblowing and gives another side of what DT can do.

[@castordrax1]

You should react to the count of tuscany.. and listen to JPs interview with Loudwire (fact or fiction) where he tells the story behind the song !

[@DizJakeOG]

Another great Reaction from an awesome band! Do you think you can do a reaction to David and David- Welcome To The Boomtown? Thank you.

[@futurewavecs]

Now watch them do it live...

[@Jihavoh777]

Surprised he didn’t do that first anyway 🤔

[@mike4769]

You need to do a dirty loops song reaction.

[@alitputranto7678]

DT fans here.... Subs...

[@seanbarrett3224]

Flip a coin, the next song is either The Glass Prison or In The Presence of Enemies Pt1

[@mikethemotormouth]

I don't think he is even kind of ready for Glass Prison. But I'll be waiting nevertheless

[@bassplayer2011ify]

@@mikethemotormouth Nothing can really prepare you for Six Degrees in general. I still remember going through their discography the first time and starting up Six Degrees and from tolling bell, to Myung's somber bass playing, and the thunderous that start The Glass Prison I knew instantly this was a completely different beast to what I was listening to a few mins ago let alone a few albums previous.

[@davidwatchesyoutube]

For a Live reaction, check out Octavarium from their Score Tour: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJjJaZKhi7hkhac

[@joebalusikiii5811]

What every commenter has said or will say.

[@chrisbayer6467]

Watch the live versions

[@kengregory6026]

" I don't like Dream Theater...their music is a bit too simple for me "........said absolutely no-one ever

[@ace2guitar]

glass prison or wits end

[@viking_nor]

Should have picked the live version.

[@pittdave]

You have only done two songs and you haven't even scratched that itch of what they can do. Try Octovarium..The Great Debate..The Ytse Jam..there are so many..you could do a sub channel just on this band

[@SpringCircleFun]

Watch the live version of the same song

[@gazza8127]

Nice reaction Chod. Recommend "As I am" the concert opener from "Live at Budokan" 2005 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqLdg39nbNNkZrs awesome!!! Cheers

[@christianwilliamson9752]

Watch the Mike portnoy breakdown how to count the breakdown. On KZbin. You'll thank me

[@dougthePogingguitarist]

can you do a reaction to Lucifer's Friend by Lucifer's Friend

[@NatJulianBelza]

Bruh. I know you liked this song for the kind of music that appeals to you, but please don't get thrown off just yet and feel like you have to take an off-day from Dream Theater. I say this because the song is just way shocking for an early taste and it's a lot to take. But the good thing about this is that, this song is DT's most complex - the peak, the top. So you'll be assured that rest of their catalog, complexity-wise will be down from here. But way above still compared to the usual metal / rock. They have ballads too. DT as described by Mike Portnoy is like Rush + YES and elements of Metallica.

[@stephs.8134]

Whats that on your chin?