Dream Theater • March 4, 2025 • Maverik Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Sam Howard
For 40 years, Dream Theater has been making music and playing shows all over the world. On March 4th, 2025, they made their way to the Maverick Center in West Valley City, Utah. This massive venue, home to many legendary performances and even the Winter Olympics in 2002, seemed to be the perfect spot for this reunion tour. With the big sound of the band, mixed with the arena setting, it seemed that there could be no other place for Dream Theater to make their return to Utah.
Dream Theater is a progressive metal band that is based out of Long Island, New York. Formed in 1985 in Boston, Massachusetts, this band was a pillar in the metal scene and remains so with a diehard fan base and the hunger to create and release new music 40 years later. The last time they were in Utah was in 2022, where they played the Maverik Center as well. With the return of legendary drummer and original band member, Mike Portnoy, this Dream Theater reunion show has been much anticipated by fans of the band. The stage was set, the fans were seated, and all that was left was for the band to take the stage.
Right when the clock hit 7:30 that night, the show began. Lights were hitting this giant canvas blocking the stage with the Dream Theater logo on it, and fans went wild. As soon as the curtain dropped, it was time for 3 straight hours of pure Dream Theater. The band had begun playing, opening with their song “Metropolis – Part I: ‘The Miracle and the Sleeper,’” and as they were playing, the singer had not taken the stage yet.
Nearly 2 minutes into the first song, the singer finally took the stage. This would be a recurring thing that would happen, as the instrumental breaks, melodies, and solos were so long that the singer would simply walk off stage just to let the band shine and jam out. It was a decision that worked really well because whenever he took the stage again, it was as if the lyrical parts of the songs were also some form of solo.
The set went on, and it was filled with insane, hard-hitting sounds, crazy time signatures, and face-melting solos. At times, the keyboardist was playing his piano sideways, not to mention the other strange instruments that he played as well, including a keytar and some variation of a weird, synth-sounding keyboard called an Expressive E Osmose keyboard. There would also be times when the crowd would be clapping to the music, and the drummer would direct them as if he were a composer leading his orchestra. Every single person on the stage had a solo during every single song, and at times, it seemed like the crowd was part of a hive mind whose main instruction was to headbang as hard as they could to the tempo of the music.
Every now and then, the singer would address the crowd with stories reminiscing their many years in the business as well as memories they have from visiting Utah in the past. They talked about a tour they went on in 1993 where they got snowed in on the night before in Utah. The singer said, “On the day of the show, we celebrated Thanksgiving. It was a great show; we hit a snow storm and spent over 8 hours on top of a mountain.” It was a funny little story to not only make the crowd relate to the band, but it also put into perspective just how long these guys have been a band and have been touring to Utah. He would also bring up their new album they released earlier this year in February and how they were so excited to be bringing new music into 2025.
Nine songs had been played, and it felt like an entire concert had been played, even though there was still a whole second half of the show. The fans showed no sign of slowing down. It got to the halfway point of the show, and the band had announced there would be a 15-minute intermission. This was very odd to me, as I had never been to a show where there was any sort of intermission, but I was sure glad that there was. What followed after the intermission was six more songs straight of just Dream Theater songs.
Coming back to the stage, they started their second act with their song “Night Terror” off of their new album “Parasomnia.” No matter what song they played, whether it was old deep cuts or brand new tracks, the crowd head banged and punched the air to every beat. Everyone knew every single song. The second half of their show had even more lasers and solos than the first half, and the crowd didn’t waver. For a band that has been around for 40 years, they still know how to rock and keep a crowd invested in their show.
Nearing the end of their set, they began to play their song “Octavarium” from their 2005 album of the same name. This song is normally a 24-minute long song, but they played a shortened version of it to close their set, as they haven’t played the full version of this song since 2006. With the roar of the crowd, it was easy to tell that this was a fan favorite. With the final melodies being played, the band gave a wave to the crowd with the words of a promise from the singer, “We’ll see you again.” They left the stage, but the crowd still wanted more and refused to leave.
After about 3 minutes of chanting, the crowd was met with a clip from The Wizard of Oz, the scene where Dorothy says the famous line, “There’s no place like home.” With this clip ending, the guitarist came back out on stage to start the 3 song encore. Their encore consisted of their songs “Act II: Scene Six: Home,” “Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On,” and finally, ending their show with “Pull Me Under.” It was a fitting end to their monstrous show, and by the end of it, there was not a single face that wasn’t either awestruck or smiling from the show they had just witnessed. Dream Theater lived up to their name and continues to be a legendary band that will always be welcome back here in Utah.
