827. Dream Theater / Master of Metallica [Bootleg]. 2002. 5/5

Towards the end of February in 2002, on whatever music forums I was currently following and a member of, there began to be some interesting gossip concerning the band Dream Theater, and the possibility that they were going to do something "very special" at a concert they were performing in Barcelona in the coming days. Few details were being given, but as the day approached there was a rumour going around that they would be performing some songs that weren't necessarily their own. What that meant, and any significance, was never really touched on.
So the day, February 19, 2002, comes and goes, and then amazing reports are posted online everywhere. "DREAM THEATER DID THE ENTIRE MASTER OF PUPPETS ALBUM!!! LIVE!!!"

Wow. This is huge. I mean, bands had always performed cover versions of songs from artists they loved before, but this was on a massive scale. Not only had they performed an entire album live, it was actually an album that wasn't their own, it was someone else's! Amazing. And what's more -  everyone wants to hear it! OK. So, now the real ability of the internet at that time was about to be tested. Because with the advent of the internet, the tracking down and possessing of bootleg albums was suddenly becoming a lot easier than trying to trade with people from overseas. Now, with any luck, someone in the audience that night will have recorded the performance, and then hopefully someone will post it somewhere so that puerile novices such as myself on the other side of the world would be able to locate it and download it.
Well, surprising enough, a week later to the day Blabbermouth.com posted two links to where a bootleg of that performance had been uploaded online. So it was that only a little more than a week after the gig I was able to invite some mates around to listen to a performance we had been talking about for most of that time.
This is an amazing bootleg that records a significant moment in music history, and it does so brilliantly. Not only is it an excellent audience recording, it is enhanced by being so. The excitement of the crowd when they recognise the start of "Battery" is terrific, and their rapturous applause at the end of the song signifies that. But that pales compared to the roar when they hear the start of "Master of Puppets", and the singing from everyone is loud and raucous. Terrific. Then, when they hear the first two notes of "The Thing That Should Not Be", there is an awestruck "whoooaaa!!" as it finally hits home that the band is going to play the entire album!. The crowd's reactions are fantastic here, and you feel as though you are there.
As to the band's performance, I think it is superb. Many criticise parts of it, mostly James LaBrie's vocals, but I think he does a great job. No one expects him to be James Hetfield, just like anyone who goes to see a tribute band doesn't expect anyone in that band to be the epitome of the person they are paying tribute to. And obviously at times it doesn't feel as full as it could, with Jordan Rudess' keyboards replacing one of the guitars, but then you hear them play "Orion" and it actually fits the song remarkably well. And just think - this was the first time anyone had heard this entire album being performed live track-by-track - and it wasn't even by the band whose album it is! When my mates and I first heard it, we reckoned that we could hear a total of four mistakes during the performance. In hindsight of course we were wrong - now I think there was seven. Ever think about how ludicrous that is, learning these songs, no doubt in a reasonably short space of time, and only make a handful of mistakes, and not ones that anyone would really notice anyway! It is ridiculous.

This is one of the best bootlegs I own, not only for the historical nature of the performance, but by the great crowd interaction on the recording. if you can find it out there, it is worth tracking down.

Rating:  End of passion play, crumbling away...  5/5