Progressive Nation Concert Review

On August 7th, New Jersey was infected with the progressive metal bug, as the Progressive Nation tour hit the Convention Hall in Asbury Park. Headlined by prog gods Dream Theater, the tour package also featured Scale The Summit, Bigelf, and Zappa Plays Zappa. Each of these bands put on an exciting show, overcoming the many technical and sound issues that popped up throughout the night.

The second edition of the Progressive Nation tour has had its share of mishaps and unexpected lineup changes. The original incarnation of the tour was to include Beardfish and Pain Of Salvation, but both bands had to drop off the tour. Scale The Summit and Bigelf came on at the last minute to replace both bands.

Scale The Summit

Scale The Summit, an instrumental band out of Houston, Texas, opened up the show with a quick, 20-minute set played to a half-filled venue. People were still filing in as the foursome showed some technical chops on their respective instruments, especially guitarist Chris Letchford, but it seemed to be nothing more than background music to most concert-goers. A few die-hard fans cheered on the band who recently released Carving Desert Canyons, but they didn’t receive the reaction that they rightfully deserved.

Bigelf

Bigelf was next, and while their latest album Cheat The Gallows was one of the most underrated albums of 2008, their live show left a lot to be desired. While opening with the epic “The Evils Of Rock And Roll,” the sound issues brought down the rest of the set. The bass was way too loud and the lead guitar could barely be heard. The band did what they could, but the crowd wasn’t into them, and as a result, they left a disappointing aura behind.

The show was immediately redeemed, with the biggest surprise of the night coming from the hour-plus performance from Zappa Plays Zappa. Led by Frank Zappa’s son Dweezil, the band played a bunch of classic Zappa songs, channeling the musician’s wacky and creative side. A silence swept through the hall as eager fans patiently sat in their seats and digested every note played. At the end of every song, the concert hall would erupt in applause, as concertgoers showed their appreciation by giving a minute-long standing ovation. The crowd showed a lot of respect, and Dweezil and company soaked it all in. The sound troubles weren’t as prevalent, but they still lingered to the surface on occasion.

Dream Theater put on a tight show that had a heavy focus on their new album Black Clouds & Silver Linings. While only playing for a little under two hours, the band had a newfound energy to them that emitted onto the sea of progressive fans. Vocalist James LaBrie sounded fantastic, seemingly fully recovered from his throat issues that plagued him throughout the late ‘90s. The rest of the band was as consistent as always, the crowd responding favorably to every John Petrucci guitar solo and Mike Portnoy drum trick. When keyboardist Jordan Rudess brought out the keytar for an extended solo, the crowd went crazy, as if the Pope had just flown from the sky on a rocket jetpack.

The band pulled a few surprises out of their hat, including the brilliant “Beyond This Life,” from Scenes From A Memory and “In The Name Of God,” a favorite off of Train Of Thought. Every song was note-for-note perfection, but it was the 20-minute closer “The Count Of Tuscany” that was the highlight of the set. A magnificent opus from their new album, the track had the crowd on their feet the whole time, building to a phenomenal acoustic section that led to an explosive conclusion. It would have been nice if Dream Theater added a song or two to the set list, but the band packed a lot of content into 100 minutes.

Dream Theater and Zappa Plays Zappa saved what could have been an average concert. The sound issues were notable, the crowd was dead for the first half of the show, and the venue was far from sold-out, but that gave the fans in attendance a personal and more intimate look at one of the top bands in the progressive metal genre today. Everybody left the Convention Hall satisfied to some degree, though there were hints that it could have been much better if a few nagging technical issues had been ironed out.

Dream Theater Setlist

A Nightmare To Remember
A Rite Of Passage
Beyond This Life
Erotomania
Voices
Solitary Shell
In The Name Of God
The Count Of Tuscany (Encore)