How much JM doesn't want the spotlight

[erwinrafael]

This video of Barstool Warrior gets me every time:

BW in the Wiltern

JM deliberately walked out of his spot before the spotlight fell on him. 

Good thing he changed in the next shows.

BW in Masonic

BW in CHicago

[Dream Team]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

[King Postwhore]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

I saw Maynard James Keenan of Tool have his back to the fans the whole show once but he's just an odd dude.

[Max Kuehnau]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

Miles Davis. And he was fully intentional about it and that's fine. I'd do the same if I could.

[bill1971]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

Too soon!

[Zydar]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

[Progmetty]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

Ray Charles 

[pg1067]

Honestly, if they could find a skinny guy who had long dark hair and could play the parts, JM could retire from performing live, and no one would notice.

As a bass player, JM's "performance" was about the only truly disappointing thing about the show I saw.

[Max Kuehnau]

Ah he played wrong notes? That's unfortunate.

[Anxiety35]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

I saw Maynard James Keenan of Tool have his back to the fans the whole show once but he's just an odd dude.

I saw Fishbone live in the late 90's and the drummer was completely turned around with his back to the audience. He never turned around during the entire set.

[Volante99]

Honestly, if they could find a skinny guy who had long dark hair and could play the parts, JM could retire from performing live, and no one would notice.

Lol I would argue you can say that about any bassist 

Point taken, though. JM is certainly a bit..."different". But that's why we love him

[bill1971]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

I saw Maynard James Keenan of Tool have his back to the fans the whole show once but he's just an odd dude.

I saw Fishbone live in the late 90's and the drummer was completely turned around with his back to the audience. He never turned around during the entire set.

That's interesting. I wonder if it is stage fright?

[pg1067]

Ah he played wrong notes? That's unfortunate.

I don't know.  I could barely hear the bass most of the night.

I don't need guys running and jumping all over the stage, but some animation -- or at least acknowledging that you're performing for a crowd -- would be nice.  I watched the Live in Tokyo and 5YIAL DVDs within a week or two before seeing the show, and the contrast between JM in the 90s and JM in 2019 is massive -- much more so than for JLB and JP.

[Cool Chris]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

[Mladen]

The first time I ever saw Dream Theater, they opened with ITPOE1, and within the first minute, JM was actually the first band member to step up to the front of the stage and look directly into the audience. I was blown away, knowing that he almost never does it. I have no idea what prompted him to do it. 

[Dublagent66]

Well, he doesn't talk that much either.  So yeah, big surprise. 

[Herrick]

Looks like a flub on the first video. He moved back into the spotlight.

[erwinrafael]

Looks like a flub on the first video. He moved back into the spotlight.

Yep, that's possible. But I love how big and deliberate his steps out of his spot are. 

[robbob]

I think we have gotten used to JM, and it is shocking to see more animation out of him then usual.

On a different note:
His playing was great in Chicago, always is. And,was very audible. There's been other concerts where he was not as audible. I wonder if it depends on where you're sitting in the theater with relation to the bass in general.

[KevShmev]

This video of Barstool Warrior gets me every time:

BW in the Wiltern

JM deliberately walked out of his spot before the spotlight fell on him. 

Er, not really.  The same spotlight also included Rudess, and it looked to me like Myung, who wasn't playing anything during that guitar/keyboard breakdown, was getting out of the spotlight to as not to take any attention away from Rudess.

[TAC]

It just looks like JM didn't know his spot for the lighting for that section. Obviously it was corrected.

[erwinrafael]

This video of Barstool Warrior gets me every time:

BW in the Wiltern

JM deliberately walked out of his spot before the spotlight fell on him. 

Er, not really.  The same spotlight also included Rudess, and it looked to me like Myung, who wasn't playing anything during that guitar/keyboard breakdown, was getting out of the spotlight to as not to take any attention away from Rudess.

They have different spotlights, JM's opened when his turn during that break comes in. Anyway, yeah, it could just be a mistake. Just had a laugh with that vid.

[Tick]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

I've seen Stevie Wonder 5 times and he's always looking at the audience. He just can't see them.

[Zydar]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

I've seen Stevie Wonder 5 times and he's always looking at the audience. He just can't see them.

Blind faith they have in him.

[pg1067]

Does anyone know of another musician who won't look at the audience for 2.5 hrs? Besides Stevie Wonder?

I've seen Stevie Wonder 5 times and he's always looking at the audience. He just can't see them.

Blind faith they have in him.

Predictable....

[Anxiety35]

JM is a really humble and quiet person and I respect the stink out of him for that. You really appreciate the bass parts in DT by watching him play live.

[pg1067]

JM is a really humble and quiet person and I respect the stink out of him for that. You really appreciate the bass parts in DT by watching him play live.

This tour marked my 16th DT show going back to 1992.  At every prior show, I have been surprised and impressed at what JM was playing because I could see him playing stuff that I could not hear on the albums.  As a bass player myself, I tend to focus on the bass player at just about all shows I attend.  However, the show last month in LA was the first time that I didn't see anything from JM that was impressive.  The other problem is that I shouldn't have to see what JM is doing to recognize that he is doing it.  In other words, it's the age old complaint that JM gets shafted by how DT albums are mixed, and this show was the first time since the very early days where I could barely hear the bass live.

[TAC]

I could definitely hear him pretty clearly last night.

[erwinrafael]

JM is a really humble and quiet person and I respect the stink out of him for that. You really appreciate the bass parts in DT by watching him play live.

This tour marked my 16th DT show going back to 1992.  At every prior show, I have been surprised and impressed at what JM was playing because I could see him playing stuff that I could not hear on the albums.  As a bass player myself, I tend to focus on the bass player at just about all shows I attend.  However, the show last month in LA was the first time that I didn't see anything from JM that was impressive.  The other problem is that I shouldn't have to see what JM is doing to recognize that he is doing it.  In other words, it's the age old complaint that JM gets shafted by how DT albums are mixed, and this show was the first time since the very early days where I could barely hear the bass live.

Are you complaining about him being shafted in the mix during the LA show, or even with the mix of the D/T album? Because he is really audible in D/T.

[pg1067]

JM is a really humble and quiet person and I respect the stink out of him for that. You really appreciate the bass parts in DT by watching him play live.

This tour marked my 16th DT show going back to 1992.  At every prior show, I have been surprised and impressed at what JM was playing because I could see him playing stuff that I could not hear on the albums.  As a bass player myself, I tend to focus on the bass player at just about all shows I attend.  However, the show last month in LA was the first time that I didn't see anything from JM that was impressive.  The other problem is that I shouldn't have to see what JM is doing to recognize that he is doing it.  In other words, it's the age old complaint that JM gets shafted by how DT albums are mixed, and this show was the first time since the very early days where I could barely hear the bass live.

Are you complaining about him being shafted in the mix during the LA show, or even with the mix of the D/T album? Because he is really audible in D/T.

He was definitely lost in the mix at the LA show, and he is generally lost in the album mixes (although I would agree that this is a little better than usual on DOT).

[robbob]

For the most part, I think he's fairly audible on all of their albums. Though when JP is playing an especially heavy, crunchy riff he can get lost in the background a bit.

He was very audible at the Chicago show this time around. We were sitting in the balcony on the left side. A few other shows I've been to he was not as audible. I sometimes wonder if it has to do with where you are sitting in the theater due to the low frequencies of his bass in general, just a thought. Anyone else notice this.

[pg1067]

For the most part, I think he's fairly audible on all of their albums. Though when JP is playing an especially heavy, crunchy riff he can get lost in the background a bit.

He was very audible at the Chicago show this time around. We were sitting in the balcony on the left side. A few other shows I've been to he was not as audible. I sometimes wonder if it has to do with where you are sitting in the theater due to the low frequencies of his bass in general, just a thought. Anyone else notice this.

That's entirely possible.  It's also possible that they've refined things since the show I saw (third show of the tour).

As far as albums go, I generally think the bass is too low in the mix on just about every album that isn't a Rush or Yes album, so my album-related comments probably should be taken with a grain of salt.

[zappafrank2112]

I don't need guys running and jumping all over the stage, but some animation -- or at least acknowledging that you're performing for a crowd -- would be nice.

Have you ever considered that the way he carries himself on stage is what allows him to give YOU the best possible musical performance possible?

"Man, Robert Fripp sure is an asshole and old fuddy duddy.  He sits on his ass the entire show and is more concerned with making sure his sounds are right and different parts are played correctly than dancing for me!"

[Herrick]

I don't need guys running and jumping all over the stage, but some animation -- or at least acknowledging that you're performing for a crowd -- would be nice.

Have you ever considered that the way he carries himself on stage is what allows him to give YOU the best possible musical performance possible?

"Man, Robert Fripp sure is an asshole and old fuddy duddy.  He sits on his ass the entire show and is more concerned with making sure his sounds are right and different parts are played correctly than dancing for me!"

He isn't nearly as animated as he was back in the day (none of them are) but I had a good time watching him in NYC a few nights ago.

Off topic: listening to Zappa right now and I'm going to that weird hologram thing in a couple weeks. I've never seen Zappa's music performed live and it would be a lot cooler if it was Dweezil playing but the ticket's free so...