Haifa 14.6.09, I wander on the Grand Canyon especially to buy a video camera to shoot Dream Theater's concert in the 16th. I finally find the perfect camera for the perfect price. I looked at it and thought, that's the least what I could do to make the night remembered.
We arrived to the exhibition ground at 15:25, only 5 minutes before we stood in line. The atmosphere was weird, why would nobody seemed interested in being in the first raw. Then out of a sudden, 3 lines were accumulated, and the next thing I know is that I was among one of them. For more than two hours we stood in line not knowing when we'll get in. Not to mention the pushing and the waving that occurred. When finally it was about 17:50, the guards probably sympathized with us and let us in. For a moment I thought "Finally now I could run toward the first raw". Or that what everyone else thought, but in fact we were ranged in another line, where they'll do an actual body and a backpack search to make sure you don't have alcohol, drugs, or a video camera. "Oh my god, I thought, I didn't know we're not supposed to bring video cameras with us, I am not going back to return my video camera, I'll be lost".
The guard searched and checked every inch of my body and gave my backpack to another guard who checks the backpacks. The table where they put my backpack had many other ones too. I waited in confusion. The guard opened my back pack, takes out my video camera's case, opens it to find it in another pouch, and calmly give it back to me. I snatched my backpack and ran toward the heaped up crowd.
I couldn't manage to get to the first raw, but mine wasn't that bad. I was in the 6th raw, were about 500 people were in front of me and aside me. So then we just stood there and waited. The preparation band who was on stage seemed ready to play. They jammed a little so we thought its gonna start immediately, but instead it didn't. They weren't satisfied in fact that we stood for over two hours, and so they let us stand for another two. At 20:00 the preparation band came back to the stage to play what I felt to be the longest four songs ever. Everyone else in the crowd was pushing us and taking us to the sides, for a moment I felt like a puppet in a puppet show. It was like a sea of people, or one big orgy. I was just trying to survive in a hope that once the gods go on stage, it will be much calmer.
Only a few minutes after the preparation band left the stage. Anyone who came up on stage motivated the people to cheer very loudly, and also caused many more chaos in the crowd. A few moments then I saw a very familiar face behind the drum set. It was John Myung. In that moment I thought "Oh my god, this is happening, right here, right now". I wasn't mistaken only 20 minutes after that, I managed to reached as close as to the second raw, just a spit away from the stage. 10 minutes later while surviving the aggressive crowd, I don't know how to describe it, simply John Petrucci came out and stood in front of me. It seemed like a DREAM to me. He looked kind of old, but it didn't matter his technique, his presence, his charisma, and his feeling to music. I remember my self shouting "Oh my god John". Every time I shout his name I felt like I was gonna cry, because I felt like one of my DREAMS came true.
I just couldn't believe what I saw. It was very magical he seemed so real, yet it is a DREAM coming true. I was in front of the best band of all times, more importantly I was in front of the greatest guitarist of all times. This joy of a very few seconds make me feel in heaven. As the crowd was pushing and waving again, I thought I can't enjoy it like this. I'll break my neck or suffocate if I stay for another 5 minutes here. So, in tears, I moved back while listening to Petrucci's solo, as if it speaks to me saying why did you give up?! But what I could say, I longed for a seat or the grass to lay down after standing for over 6 hours in density.
I went back to the very end of the crowd just trying to breathe any piece of air I could find. Then I realized that I've made one of the biggest mistakes of my life, which is leaving in a very good point of observing the best scene of my life. I tried to open my video camera and zoom it, but it just betrayed me and didn't switched on. So there I was standing in the last lines not knowing what to do. But I thought, I came here for DREAM THEATER, I wanna make my best attempt to enjoy it.
As the third song "A rite of a passage" was toward its end, and that I knew the play list beforehand, I know their best song is one of the best ballads ever. I starting penetrating inside 12000 people, and managed to go as far as the 15th line. When James Labrie` started singing I got so emotional and shed one tear while singing along. When Petrucci played the acoustic solo I just couldn't take it anymore and burst into tears. He really can get to everyone's emotions. I stood there listening and weeping. An hour later, I managed to get 5 more lines closer.
Jordan Rudess hit the progression on D Major, and I immediately knew what would be the next song. It was The Spirit Carries On. While singing along with Labrie` I felt so elevated. Like living in another world. Petrucci's solo was magnificent. It shivers my essence. As the solo goes to its melodic sequence in the end, I started applauding and weeping again. I was the only one applauding and pointed my finger to Petrucci, which also the thing that I did alone, and it all comes out of emotions. He picks one note in the solo Looks at me and points back. I grabbed my hair and stretched back my head while not believing what just happened. He pointed back at me, as if he was saying to me "I love you".
That was what the power of music can do to one of us. You can communicate with the gods only through music. Because it is very simple. It is a very simple language. All you have to do is listen and respond. In the end Mike Portnoy completed the unforgettable scenery of the night after the five of them been gathered to tell us good night saying to us "It was so fuckin' awesome night we had", and promised us to come back very soon.
That was my love story, of my favorite band of all times.
AND KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE!!!
Here's the link for the unforgettable moment (notice 2:19):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcZkruGSfyE