Apart from the well established here in Greece Rockwave Festival, Astra Production has started from this year to organise G-Fest at the Beach Volley Olympic Stadium featuring famous bands form the whole spectrum of modern music (including the broader Metal and Rock area of course).

One of the main advantages of the organisation is that it takes place within the Athens and near by the sea, which is very beneficial especially these hot summer nights because the sea breeze cools a bit the audience, the majority of which was standing around the stage. Of course the ground was sandy and some spectators had the opportunity to seat at the tiers of the amphitheatrical Stadium. As the most of the Festivals at the surrounding area there were kiosks selling CDs, T-shirts etc and a very interesting exhibition of the International Amnesty.

Dream Theater have already played 3 more times in Athens. According to me the best was in 2000 when they became the headliners of the Rockwave Festival after the last minute cancellation of Iron Maiden and so the audience had the opportunity to attend them play the whole "Scenes From A Memory" and some other remarkable songs. However the next concert within the frames of "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" tour wasn't so satisfactory. So we were curious to see how they would sound that night. The audience had started to be gathered at the Beach Volley Stadium area long time before the beginning of the concert since the doors had opened at 19:30. It was at about 22:00 and the agony of the audience had been escalated. From the loudspeakers it was heard the main theme of the "Clockwork Orange" soundtrack. At last after a long anticipation DT appeared on stage. LaBrie wishes good evening to the audience singing the "As I Am". Needless to say how much welcome they were by the "thirsty" crowd especially playing such a beloved song.

Rudess looks hairy tonight; no it's a wig, which throws away to the audience after a while. Next song the nice one and almost forgotten from the first album: "A Fortune In Lies". DT and especially Portnoy and Petrucci are at high spirits tonight playing older and recent "Octavarium" stuff. Portnoy's drumset comprises many items but the most impressive is the "3 bass drums" which is something I have never seen. While Petrucci during the show God knows how many guitars has changed. The audience was well informed about all the tracks and kept on singing all the time especially the older well-known songs. It was literally the second singer. For some moments Labrie pointed the microphone to the audience and let them sing. After having performed amazingly 3 diamonds in row: "Endless Sacrifice", "Home" and "In The Name Of God" LaBrie told us to wait for a while.

They made a 20-minute break and returned playing the Octavarium's "The Root Of All Evil". It followed a keyboard solo playing classical melodies and then the unique "Through My Words / Fatal Tragedy". It followed 2 songs ("Just Let Me Breathe” and the new one "Sacrificed Sons") and again a dive to "Scenes From A Memory" album with the magnificent "The Spirit Carries On". It was already past midnight and I decided to attend a bit the concert being relaxed from the tiers. The view was superb and the lighted stage in front me was looking perfect but I missed soon the immediacy of the front seats so I soon stepped down. After playing "Disappear" they literally disappeared from stage and returned after a while under the strong demands and approvals of the audience playing an extended version of "Metropolis Pt.1".

Two guys next to me who had travelled the previous day to Thessaloniki (500 Km away from Athens!) to attend them (I admire their courage), told me that DT will play "Pull Me Under" as the final song. LaBrie thanked deeply the audience and told us that they will return on October, where the new tour begins. Portnoy was wearing a National football team T-shirt remind us the last year Euro triumph and covered by a boxer's robe.

I thought they lay and they would make a second encore playing "Pull Me Under" but unfortunately this didn't happen. And this left me a minor bitter taste. "Why Thessaloniki and not us? Maybe they had played this one and not another one. Were they bored or tired or kept powers for the next station at Istanbul?". Anyway they played for 3 hours (2h 40 min net) and this satisfied some of their fans, while some others that expected something more were not absolutely satisfied. I acknowledge that DT play a very demanding and sophisticated music and it is very hard to play it for very long. Some claimed that they would prefer listen to "Pull Me Under" instead of some other songs. But if we enter in this logic what to play and what to play not from their huge repertoire there is no way-out. One could also claim other "hits" as well like: "Erotomania", "Change Of Seasons", "Peruvian Skies" etc. I am not a dedicated fan of progressive Metal but I acknowledge that DT are the No 1 progressive band nowadays (and since long time ago) and absolutely justified because they combine their excellent musical skills with sentiment (sometimes not so successfully though).

However since they are very prolific (9 albums and 4 official lives!!! within 15 years) and have managed to be a first class name (commercially speaking), they should have played a bit more respecting the 40 Euro ticket that their fans had paid. The fact that this is their 4th live appearance in Athens and the previous day had also played in Thessaloniki is indicative of their preference to the Greek audience. On the other hand their fans are not so demonstrative as other sorts of Metal, (for instance there were no crowd surfing during their show) but this doesn't mean that they are not dedicated and experience music with the same zest as other sort of fans.

The setlist I quote below is approximate and their fans should forgive me if I have written down something wrong. Finally I would like to thank Thomas from Astra Production.

Setlist

As I Am
A Fortune In Lies
Under Glass Moon
Panic Attack
Never Enough
Endless Sacrifice
Home
In The Name Of God

-----Intermission-----

The Root Of All Evil
Solo Keyboards
Through My Words / Fatal Tragedy
Just Let Me Breathe
Sacrificed Sons
The Spirit Carries On
The Mirror
Disappear
Encore: Metropolis Pt. 1