My camera still hasn't returned from being fixed, so I could only use my phone camera, which isn't worth much at a concert.
Here are some shots of the smoke clouds from our friendly neighborhood wildfires, as seen on the way to the show...
[click thumbnails to enlarge]
...as well as a Masonic Temple with dilapidated brickwork...
First band: Scale the Summit. Progressive metal ripping young transplanted Houstonian lads with at least 2 extra strings on their guitars & bass. I enjoyed them enough to buy a shirt* & CD...
Unfortunately I have no pics of Bigelf. They rocked. They were underdogs, because they have a very retro 70's rocksound**, rather than being technical shredders like all the other bands. Most bands would sound sloppy next to the other bands on this bill. They did use real Mellotron 400, Hammond C3 & Minimoog.
Zappa Plays Zappa was awesome. Very impressed with and inspired by drummer Joe Travers...
And then there's Dream Theater. Part of me thinks they are total, over-the-top cheese, but I can't shake some strange fascination with them. I had to see them once before I die.
Here is a shot off the big screen, showing Jordan Rudess actually playing his iPhone onstage. Sonically, you would never know it wasn't a professional synth, or his Continuum fingerboard...
(Note: I later found the app he used. It's called Bebot, and you can click here to see a video of JR demonstrating it on YouTube.)
Besides getting onstage to play 1 song with each of the 1st 3 bands, Mike Portnoy called out all the other drummers one-by-one to jam with him side-by-side. This all seemed like support & comradery, but partly to prove that he's the big dog. The first 2 guys seemed nervous, but he couldn't pull a single g*dd*mn trick over on Joe Travers. That guy more than kept up with Mike, and was visibly smiling & laughing his way through. Tearing sh*t up!
Here's Portnoy getting ready to call out Steve Vai & Dweezil Zappa for an all out guitar shredonomitronathon...
Cheesiest keytar ever...
Looks like a Klingon weapon prop from Star Trek The Next Generation. Rudess used it for some psuedo-guitar shredding, ala Jan Hammer...
I enjoyed the whole show; sublime beauty & cheesewank alike.
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* Designed by Dan Mumford.
** Ala Black Sabbath, Kiss, The Beatles, Alice Cooper, '69 King Crimson
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