Quote from: wolfking on October 21, 2024, 05:02:31 PMAs for JLB, I also wonder if he himself as a professional is happy with the way he is signing.  You have to know your own limits and he must know he's clearly struggling.

I feel like I saw a moment (in the fan shot YouTube video) where he walks back towards the drum riser after struggling through a chorus of UAGM where he makes like a 'cut' gesture like he's well aware that it was shithouse and was disappointed in himself.  It must be unbelievably frustrating for him.  I really don't get why they just don't transpose some of the songs down - I'd imagine that it wouldn't take musicians of that calibre long at all to adjust.

Quote from: wolfking on October 21, 2024, 04:15:51 PMYou didn't miss out on anything.

All 4 of the Neal Morse Band albums are as good as any of DT's albums in their prime. No one can change my mind

Quote from: tuto on October 21, 2024, 06:38:14 PMAll 4 of the Neal Morse Band albums are as good as any of DT's albums in their prime. No one can change my mind

I genuinely wish I was capable of agreeing with this, but I can't stomach it. Give me a song?

SOA did absolutely nothing for me either 

Quote from: TheCountOfNYC on October 21, 2024, 04:38:40 PMCan we bring Ginger Baker back from the dead for this? Him on drums and Gene Simmons on bass would really round out that lineup nicely.

We can do better than Simmons surely?    those other guys are all arseholes too, but at least they can play their instruments!

Quote from: ganpondorodf on October 21, 2024, 07:00:13 PMWe can do better than Simmons surely?    those other guys are all arseholes too, but at least they can play their instruments!

Honestly, the only other asshole bass player besides Gene that I can think of is myself.

Quote from: Sir Walrus Cauliflower on October 21, 2024, 06:50:35 PMI genuinely wish I was capable of agreeing with this, but I can't stomach it. Give me a song?

SOA did absolutely nothing for me either 

With regards to NMB...

Check out The Call, Waterfall, City of Destruction, The Man in the Iron Cage, Your Place in the Sun or The Way It Had to Be.  Any of those should grab you right away.

Or, if you're feeling daring and want a "sidelong" epic, try Alive Again or Beyond the Years.

Sons of Apollo sucked, but NMB was/is awesome.

I will. Got a 12 hour drive coming Friday, I'll fire up some of those tunes. Thanks Kev!

Quote from: tuto on October 21, 2024, 06:38:14 PMAll 4 of the Neal Morse Band albums are as good as any of DT's albums in their prime. No one can change my mind

My post was mainly just referring to SOA.  Although, I'm not a NM fan so probably won't agree with that either.

I never could get into Neal Morse's music. As a non-religious person, the lyrics ruined the music for me. Great musicianship, but I don't enjoy being preached at.

Quote from: tuto on October 21, 2024, 06:38:14 PMAll 4 of the Neal Morse Band albums are as good as any of DT's albums in their prime. No one can change my mind

As a big fan of Spock's Beard, I will comment here.

I probably can't convince you or change your mind.

I can just tell you that you're batshit crazy and completely wrong 😀.

Day for Night is fantastic though, one of my favorite albums.

You know, it's entirely possible that Derek will get kicked in the throat by a horse, and then won't be able to sing very well either. Maybe that will humble him a little?

What the hell, man.

I'm re-watching old DT videos with commentaries and they all said how cool DS was and how much of a rock star was in his personality.  When he did the reunion show with Charlie it was just so cool to see them all there.  I've always loved his lead tone and those thick and gnarly effects he uses (eg. Lines in the Sand).

Then MP left and for no reason that we know of starts trashing James (and MP didn't really help matters during this time, but at least he didn't hate James) and now this?

I guess Mangini will be the only former member celebrating at the final show/tour.

What a loser.

Chance defends his dad:

I'm surprised nobody hit him back with "A band is only as good as their keyboardist". 

Like others have said this feels like a typical "whether it's true or false why even say it at all?". It's that sort of mean spiritedness that just oozes through society today unfortunately. You see a facebook post about someone and the comments will be people attacking someone they don't know over their haircut or style of clothes or whatever else. 

I've never been a fan of Derek, so I will just ignore his comments. DT wouldn't have achieved the same level of success with him, and I'm ever so happy they replaced him with Rudess. It must have been an obvious choice.

Regarding James' vocals, I'm just curious: is auto-tune available for live performances? If so, why not use it? Sure, some fans might be upset, but considering his age, it could be a good solution?

There's an element of overcoming pride I guess for a singer to use Auto tune live. You can't avoid hurting the pride though in a way. It's a matter of: would one rather hurt their pride by trying and singing out of tune or by using a tool to correct their singing?

You guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode. What a huge riddle. All the while it is YOU guys who are in attack-mode against Derek. Of course without noticing it as always.

Jesus Christ guys, at this point this type of positivity is killing not only James' body, soul and DT's legacy, but also this forum. Even when almost getting it (not even this forum can let a fully out of tune concert pass and act as if everything is okay), you can't really engage with and ACCEPT the situation as it is.

James can't sing anymore, he's out of tune CONSTANTLY. Which drags down the performances considerably. How are you supposed to enjoy this if one key instrument is SEVERELY worse than all the others? It is not an enjoyable experience anymore. But Dream Theater AND the fans act as of everything is fine, being complete a-holes to each other.

You know, saying everything is okay is not only scamming people out of money, it is also dismissive of DT's legacy. It is not positive, kind behavior. It's the opposite.

Derek is the only one being fair towards DT and their fans right now, but none of you are able to engage with what is actually happening.

I remember being 18 on Myspace and being heartbroken too.

Quote from: Rob24 on Today at 02:38:24 AMYou guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode. What a huge riddle. All the while it is YOU guys who are in attack-mode against Derek. Of course without noticing it as always.

Jesus Christ guys, at this point this type of positivity is killing not only James' body, soul and DT's legacy, but also this forum. Even when almost getting it (not even this forum can let a fully out of tune concert pass and act as if everything is okay), you can't really engage with and ACCEPT the situation as it is.

James can't sing anymore, he's out of tune CONSTANTLY. Which drags down the performances considerably. How are you supposed to enjoy this if one key instrument is SEVERELY worse than all the others? It is not an enjoyable experience anymore. But Dream Theater AND the fans act as of everything is fine, being complete a-holes to each other.

You know, saying everything is okay is not only scamming people out of money, it is also dismissive of DT's legacy. It is not positive, kind behavior. It's the opposite.

Derek is the only one being fair towards DT and their fans right now, but none of you are able to engage with what is actually happening.

People are currently talking about James vocal performance everywhere on the forum.

To put it simply, Derek's personality, history, and arrogance are unhelpful and unappreciated, regardless of whether James has a vocal problem.

Quote from: Rob24 on Today at 02:38:24 AMYou guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode. What a huge riddle. All the while it is YOU guys who are in attack-mode against Derek. Of course without noticing it as always.

Jesus Christ guys, at this point this type of positivity is killing not only James' body, soul and DT's legacy, but also this forum. Even when almost getting it (not even this forum can let a fully out of tune concert pass and act as if everything is okay), you can't really engage with and ACCEPT the situation as it is.

James can't sing anymore, he's out of tune CONSTANTLY. Which drags down the performances considerably. How are you supposed to enjoy this if one key instrument is SEVERELY worse than all the others? It is not an enjoyable experience anymore. But Dream Theater AND the fans act as of everything is fine, being complete a-holes to each other.

You know, saying everything is okay is not only scamming people out of money, it is also dismissive of DT's legacy. It is not positive, kind behavior. It's the opposite.

Derek is the only one being fair towards DT and their fans right now, but none of you are able to engage with what is actually happening.

Lots of talk about James in the other thread.  Everything you say in regards to his vocals I 100% agree with and while Derek is stating an obvious issue, what benefit to him is it?

Maybe it gets the issue 'out there' more I guess but just a bad look on him being a former member.

Quote from: evilasiojr on Today at 02:33:28 AMThere's an element of overcoming pride I guess for a singer to use Auto tune live. You can't avoid hurting the pride though in a way. It's a matter of: would one rather hurt their pride by trying and singing out of tune or by using a tool to correct their singing?

I would think if James is singing original vocal lines in their original key, then not using a tool like auto tune is letting his ego get in the way.  Putting pride first over the quality of a show that a lot of people are going to see would be a selfish act.

The band should put on the best show possible.  Most are there to watch the musicians and James is the icing on the cake and if helping him improves his performance and improves the overall show, then not doing it is the band letting all their egos get in the way.

It's clear his voice is shot, so it's not like they would use it to hide any secrets like a lot of bands are doing with miming and backing tracks.

Jesus christ what a fucking helmet. Get a grip

Bit harsh. I always thought wolfie was all right. For an Aussie, obviously

Haha, wow. Well, this tweet is definitely in line with the personality he usually portrays in the media.

So, he got to play with MP again in a respectable DT-inspired prog metal band which was pretty cool and also did quite well I guess.. and now, instead of supporting his friend MP and being happy for him, he's taking shots beneath the belt? Wtf dude. Grow up.

Quote from: nobloodyname on Today at 03:43:16 AMBit harsh. I always thought wolfie was all right. For an Aussie, obviously

I thought that was aimed at me too for a second. 

I thought, 'alright, it's true, I am a delusional helmet but at least try to get to know me first before coming to your conclusion.' 

Quote from: Rob24 on Today at 02:38:24 AMYou guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode.

Yes, Derek chatting shit about DT and its members at every possible opportunity makes him the victim. Talk about cognitive dissonance.

Quote from: Dani Helios on Today at 03:38:45 AMJesus christ what a fucking helmet. Get a grip

Have to agree with this. It was an utterly classless thing for Derek to post (despite there perhaps being an element of truth to it), as much I like a bit of celebrity dirt.

Quote from: Rob24 on Today at 02:38:24 AMYou guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode. What a huge riddle. All the while it is YOU guys who are in attack-mode against Derek. Of course without noticing it as always.

Jesus Christ guys, at this point this type of positivity is killing not only James' body, soul and DT's legacy, but also this forum. Even when almost getting it (not even this forum can let a fully out of tune concert pass and act as if everything is okay), you can't really engage with and ACCEPT the situation as it is.

James can't sing anymore, he's out of tune CONSTANTLY. Which drags down the performances considerably. How are you supposed to enjoy this if one key instrument is SEVERELY worse than all the others? It is not an enjoyable experience anymore. But Dream Theater AND the fans act as of everything is fine, being complete a-holes to each other.

You know, saying everything is okay is not only scamming people out of money, it is also dismissive of DT's legacy. It is not positive, kind behavior. It's the opposite.

Derek is the only one being fair towards DT and their fans right now, but none of you are able to engage with what is actually happening.

Wild, mega toxic rambling

He's right in that James Labrie is getting too old to be able to handle a professional level 40th anniversary tour, but phrasing it like that isn't going to help his case

The way I see it is as follows:

1. Yes, the vocals leave a lot to be desired nowadays (live).
2. A huge part of their appeal to me is their instrumental game (which is still great)
3. I don't want to see them with another singer, JLB is the DT voice.
4. When being there live, due to the volume and the excitement, a lot of the vocal flaws are less apparent.
5. I've been a huge DT fan since 2002.
6. I consider myself part of the DT family and want to celebrate their legacy together with the band and the fans.

This is not cognitive dissonance. I just accept it and I'm grateful to see the band that's been important to me throughout many years.

Quote from: PixelDream on Today at 04:10:35 AMThe way I see it is as follows:

1. Yes, the vocals leave a lot to be desired nowadays (live).
2. A huge part of their appeal to me is their instrumental game (which is still great)
3. I don't want to see them with another singer, JLB is the DT voice.
4. When being there live, due to the volume and the excitement, a lot of the vocal flaws are less apparent.
5. I've been a huge DT fan since 2002.
6. I consider myself part of the DT family and want to celebrate their legacy together with the band and the fans.

This is not cognitive dissonance. I just accept it and I'm grateful to see the band that's been important to me throughout many years.

Couldn't have said it better.

Quote from: PixelDream on Today at 04:10:35 AMThe way I see it is as follows:

1. Yes, the vocals leave a lot to be desired nowadays (live).
2. A huge part of their appeal to me is their instrumental game (which is still great)
3. I don't want to see them with another singer, JLB is the DT voice.
4. When being there live, due to the volume and the excitement, a lot of the vocal flaws are less apparent.
5. I've been a huge DT fan since 2002.
6. I consider myself part of the DT family and want to celebrate their legacy together with the band and the fans.

This is not cognitive dissonance. I just accept it and I'm grateful to see the band that's been important to me throughout many years.

Bingo.

Quote from: PixelDream on Today at 04:10:35 AMThe way I see it is as follows:

1. Yes, the vocals leave a lot to be desired nowadays (live).
2. A huge part of their appeal to me is their instrumental game (which is still great)
3. I don't want to see them with another singer, JLB is the DT voice.
4. When being there live, due to the volume and the excitement, a lot of the vocal flaws are less apparent.
5. I've been a huge DT fan since 2002.
6. I consider myself part of the DT family and want to celebrate their legacy together with the band and the fans.

This is not cognitive dissonance. I just accept it and I'm grateful to see the band that's been important to me throughout many years.

Nice post. And for all of those who think DS is a douche - - - You're right.

Quote from: Rob24 on Today at 02:38:24 AMYou guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode. What a huge riddle. All the while it is YOU guys who are in attack-mode against Derek. Of course without noticing it as always.

Jesus Christ guys, at this point this type of positivity is killing not only James' body, soul and DT's legacy, but also this forum. Even when almost getting it (not even this forum can let a fully out of tune concert pass and act as if everything is okay), you can't really engage with and ACCEPT the situation as it is.

James can't sing anymore, he's out of tune CONSTANTLY. Which drags down the performances considerably. How are you supposed to enjoy this if one key instrument is SEVERELY worse than all the others? It is not an enjoyable experience anymore. But Dream Theater AND the fans act as of everything is fine, being complete a-holes to each other.

You know, saying everything is okay is not only scamming people out of money, it is also dismissive of DT's legacy. It is not positive, kind behavior. It's the opposite.

Derek is the only one being fair towards DT and their fans right now, but none of you are able to engage with what is actually happening.

Everything you said about James is correct. The only thing that is misunderstood is your lack of awareness that people recognize it and just don't feel the need to call it out unnecessarily. Everybody knows about James's struggles, almost everybody and just accept it and move on. Life is too short too keep harping on it things that you don't like anymore, rather than just enjoy things that you still do. James has his issues but nobody wants to see some nobody from the internet. We want to see james, good or bad.

Derek is a poor sport, and always has been, and I would rather listen to James 50% of his abilities then Jeff Scott Soto any day of the week. After all these years Derek has nothing better to do then keep coping about Dream Theater, apparently same as a lot of people who still hang out here and can't find much better to do then critique James.

Quote from: Rob24 on Today at 02:38:24 AMYou guys are hilarious. You can see the cognitive dissonance in display here, unable to engage with the content of the statement at hand, you come up with all sorts of scenarios and explanations as to how Derek is so salty, such a bad person, so weirdly in attack-mode. What a huge riddle. All the while it is YOU guys who are in attack-mode against Derek. Of course without noticing it as always.

Jesus Christ guys, at this point this type of positivity is killing not only James' body, soul and DT's legacy, but also this forum. Even when almost getting it (not even this forum can let a fully out of tune concert pass and act as if everything is okay), you can't really engage with and ACCEPT the situation as it is.

James can't sing anymore, he's out of tune CONSTANTLY. Which drags down the performances considerably. How are you supposed to enjoy this if one key instrument is SEVERELY worse than all the others? It is not an enjoyable experience anymore. But Dream Theater AND the fans act as of everything is fine, being complete a-holes to each other.

You know, saying everything is okay is not only scamming people out of money, it is also dismissive of DT's legacy. It is not positive, kind behavior. It's the opposite.

Derek is the only one being fair towards DT and their fans right now, but none of you are able to engage with what is actually happening.

Guys I think we found Derek's burner account...