Well, antics were played on all bands - really made it fun and interesting - tho I'm sure not to the Ruth Eckerd crew!
My post of the night from another forum:
My post of the night from another forum:
Dream Theater in Clearwater, FL (Progressive Nation).
Maybe they were insane, I couldn't tell - Opeth had already blown my mind by the time they hit the stage!!!
Seriously tho - I was really impressed by their set [DTs] and quite enjoyed myself. That could be due to them only playing an hour and a half - which was just enough for me. They also did some earlier tracks which helped.
As I said - my first time seeing Opeth - they totally blew me away. Everything seemed a blur after that. I think they did a nice mix with their set - some growlies for the metalheads, some softer stuff for the progheads and some inbetween. They closed with Drapery Falls. m/ F'in hell - I was probably the only one in the audience really upset by this but during In My Time of Need, James Labrie comes out and taps Michael on the shoulder and sings the last chorus. His voice totally ruined the song for me - not that he was off or anything - it just didn't fit the song. blech blech blech!
The first two bands had signing tables set out after their set. So we went out me with my Watershed vinyl I'd been walking around with to get it signed and Doug with my poster so I could frame it, but they never came out. I think they actually went home after their set - cos they were the only band that didn't come out for bows at the end. Happy news, Michael did say they'd be back in Sept!!
As Labrie said, with Opeth you not only get great music, but you also get standup comedy. He [MA] took about every available opportunity to roast Portnoy. It was hilarious!
3 continue to impress! OK, they still have SOME same banter going on, but we're pretty damn amazing. BTBAM were a lot more impressive than I thought they'd be. I'd heard little from them - so wasn't too sure what to expect except for very growly vox. When that wasn't going on - it was great! They did use some clean vocals and the music was very intricate and proggy - in a progressive metal way. I was duly impressed.
Overall a fantabulous night and we got out fo there before 12:00. Roll on Progressive Nation 2009 (according to MP). I have to mention - not sure if this happened at every gig, but Three, BTBAM and Opeth were getting pegged with food and MP came out with a robe and mask harrassing all the bands - but that bit was lots of fun. Oh and they kept lowering the main curtain on Opeth during The Drapery Falls. Get it?? LOL
Good times, good times!!