Dream Theater, Community Theatre: A Beautiful Blend

On Tuesday night, we got to rock out without leaving the comfort of home, as entertained a sold-out crowd at the

Here is a brief synopsis of five things we took away from the entertaining evening:

1. You Need to Know About 'A Dramatic Turn of Events:' After following the band through much of our teen years, they fell off our radar once the college years began. This new album, released last month with the featured single "On the Backs of Angels," might just get us interested in them again.
2. You Need to Know About Morristown Patch, the Teen Years: Would we have preferred at least a couple more songs from when we still had unreceded hair that extended down to our butts? Yes, but songs like "Caught in a Web," from the band's 1994 album Awake, certainly did remind us ... we're getting old.
3. You Need to Know About Mike Mangini: , and even then he seemed like a pretty cool cat. Once we saw him on stage, with his seemingly-perpetual smile, we couldn't help but like the band's new drummer.
4. You Need to Know About the Audience: We got the opportunity to see . That show left us somewhat disappointed, mostly because that band's singer didn't really seem to connect with the audience, who in turn did not seem to give a damn when the band's less-recognized material was played. At Tuesday's Dream Theater concert, the few people who left their seats were running to the bathroom, and quickly running back. That connection can only motivate the performers to bring their "A" game.
5. You Need to Know About MPAC's Broadening Horizons: We don't want to say the Mayo Performing Arts Center's previous lineups seemed to play it a little safe, but they played it a little safe. Lately, with acts like Dream Theater and Queensryche coming through, along with comedians, jazz musicians, classic rock and more, they are definitely headed in the right direction.