As usual, I'm late to the party. I saw the Joliet show as well, and if the Louisville show was anything like the one I attended, that one-and-done poster is insane. I didn't want to admit it at the show, but I thought Michael Abdow played Frank Aresti's parts better than Frank Aresti did, at least from a technical standpoint. I have to compare it to how I feel about Mike Mangini playing Mike Portnoy's parts. The original guy had an unmatched tonal quality and a more unique approach to playing, but the replacement guy nailed all of the parts note-for-note. Jim Matheos and Joey Vera are always spot-on, and I love the contrast in on-stage demeanor between the two. Jim is always cool and confident, while Joey loves moving with the music. Bobby Jarzombek may not be the jazz monster that Mark Zonder was, but he is the metal equivalent and could play the songs with laser-like precision. As for Ray Alder, let's just say there's a reason why I yelled out to him that I want him to sing me lullabies every night. He gave me a "maybe," so there's hope!
The set list was pretty much what I expected, as they stuck to a lot of the tried-and-true material while sprinkling the occasional new song in. I personally would have loved to hear even more songs off of the new album, but I was definitely pleased to hear the three that they played. The biggest surprise for me was that they played "Still Remains" in its entirety. In the past, I think I've only seen them play the first half of the song. I know they played it at ProgPower X, but I can't remember if they played the entire song or not. Perhaps someone on the forum can confirm it. Nonetheless, I love that song. Also, looking back through the setlists from the previous shows I've attended throughout the years, I now realize that this show was the first time I've ever seen them play "Down To The Wire," which is another great tune. My only complaint is that they didn't play "Wish" at this show. It's my favorite song from "FWX." Hell, I'd be happy to hear any of the songs from that album that aren't "Another Perfect Day." That's not to say that I don't enjoy that song. In fact, that's my second favorite song from the album. Rather, it just kills me that it tends to be the only song they play off of that album.
Anyway, that's enough from this fanboy. Let's hope that this isn't the last that we hear from this band!
Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert
