We had tickets to see Dream Theater at the Town Ballroom (http://www.townballroom.com/) in downtown Buffalo on July 5th. I knew this was a small venue, and it would sell out quickly, so I wasted no time securing two tickets as soon as they were available. The week before the concert I found a hotel right down the street, complete with a TGIFridays right inside of it. Perfect.
We made our way out to Buffalo early Sunday and arrived around 11:30am. I convinced Heather that she was hungry and the plan was to go to the Original Pancake House on Main Street. This place used to be a staple for me when I was on the road and its a place that is a tradition for the group that attends the yearly Bill's game in the fall. The blueberry pancakes were unreal and Heather's waffle was fantastic. With our belly's full we continued on to downtown with the hopes of checking in early to the hotel.
Arriving in downtown the place appeared deserted. This was after a holiday weekend so just about everyone had that Monday off. We had no problem getting an early check-in and after parking the car about a block away ( which seemed a bit odd ) it was time to relax. Before that however I wanted to check out exactly where the venue was. It was around 12:30 and we made our way down the street to the venue. There were four hardcore fans already in line. These guys were prepared for the long haul with a case of water sitting right next to them. Dream Theater fans are indeed smart?
After a decent meal at the attached TGIFridays we got in line around 5pm. There were about 20 fans waiting in line at this time and our timing once again was impeccable. A steady stream of people showed up after us and the line continued to grow until it was well down the street. This was after all a one-off and sold out show for Dream Theater and above all was general admission. If you want a decent spot you need to be there early. It was very hot waiting in line and we shifted to whatever shade we could find. Door's were opening at 7pm and around 6:30 the security guards put out the barricades to keep all the cattle in line. At around 6:50 the head security guard announces "IF YOU HAVE A CAMERA BRING IT BACK TO YOUR CAR DON'T EVEN BOTHER WASTING OUR TIME!". Now we have 10 minutes till the doors open and have been waiting for a long time. My camera was securely in my pocket. I debated for a couple of seconds to shove it down my pants, but since it was so hot, well you do the math. I ran... well no I sprinted ... down the line of people to the hotel... into the hotel.... elevator... 6th floor.. hall.. room ... and all the way back. I made it back in 5 minutes. I have no idea how. The sweat was pouring.
The show was amazing. Seeing DT in a small venue like that was something special. They had a completely stripped down stage, although the drummer, Mike Portnoy, used his full drum kit, there was no video and hardly any light production. The guys were completely on fire. John Petrucci's guitar was nice and hot in the mix, his leads were stellar. The band seemed completely relaxed and really enjoying being closer than usual to the fans. Portnoy was throwing drum sticks left and right to fans and also tossing them back and forth to his road crew. I have seen the band at the State Fair opening for Yes in Sept '04, August '05 at Darien Lake, April '06 at Radio City Music Hall, August '07 in Buffalo, May '08 in Columbus OH, August '09 in Albany, and this show. This was my favorite as far as setlists and overall vibe go, but I have thoroughly enjoyed them all. This is Heathers 4th time seeing them and she knew and sang along with most of the songs. When a girl is into Dream Theater, she's a keeper.
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