GIG REVIEW: DREAM THEATER and ARION Live at Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith, London

An hour after the doors of the Apollo opened, Finnish five-piece Arion kicked the show off with their symphonic brand of power metal. Drummer Topias Kupiainen arrived first, then keyboardist Arttu Vauhkonen, followed by Gege Velinov on bass and axeman Iivo Kaipainen. Finally, vocalist Lassi Vääränen completed the band’s lineup and each of the men were cheered by seated spectators as they appeared and the fifth set of cheers outdid the previous four.

Two-thirds of their setlist for the night contained tracks from their second album, Life is not Beautiful, the first being “No One Stands in My Way”. Gege and Vauhkonen provided backup vocals.

Following up a catchy performance of “I’m Here to Save You” the lead vocalist thanked all attendees for showing up and gave a shoutout to Dream Theater for making their “dreams come true”. He also mentioned that Arion had been in London half a year ago, and went on to say he knew they could be loud. Londoners were asked to practice their screams for their third song of the evening, “Punish You”. With flashing lights alternating between purple and green to the beat of the drum during the intro, a killer solo, and the keyboardist picking up a stick to help out the drummer with his duties, the track was short but very eventful.

The last notes of “Unforgivable” were a vocal highlight, and frontman Lassi received a round of applause from the thoroughly entertained crowd. “Bloodline” was the last of only two songs Hammersmith heard from their latest full-length Vultures Die Alone, though the stage was decorated with illustrations from its curiously sinister cover art. During “At the Break of Dawn”, Vääränen managed to get the venue to sing along to whoa-ohs in the intro and again in the chorus. Everyone knew it was their last moment to show their appreciation to the Finns and they did just that.

They captured the closing night of the tour by taking a selfie with the crowd, after thanking the front of the house.

An enjoyable thirty minutes from Finland’s Arion who won the audience over by the end of their set by engaging with them and delivering hard-hitting fantasy-themed tracks.

Arion setlist:

No One Stands in My Way
I’m Here to Save You
Punish You
Unforgivable
Bloodline
At the Break of Dawn

The excitement was palpable during the half-hour interval and some were too excited to remain in their seats. Fans walked up to the stage, taking pictures of the stage decorations and Mike Mangini’s drum kit once it was unveiled. This would be the first time many presents would be witnessing Dream Theater, at least since 2020. They would be a lot of anticipation for this London show, as their last show pre-lockdown took place at this very venue (Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith).

“The Alien” was the first song from the headliners, who would go on to play three more songs from their fifteenth studio album, A View from the Top of the World. John Petrucci dazzled with his intricate solos in between providing backing vocals and Rudess’ rotating and pivoting keyboard promoted some excited cheers. During the longest solo, vocalist James LaBrie left the stage as the instrumentalists worked their magic, before coming back on to continue singing, running around the stage, and hyping up the crowd.

Mangini’s magnificent drumming kicked off “6:00”, with many in attendees visibly happy to hear a throwback so early on in the set. Afterward, LaBrie mentioned that he spotted a primary school-age child singing along to the words of both songs performed so far at this point, one of them from 1994’s Awake. She received a round of applause and words of praise from the impressed frontman.

The intro riffs for “Sleeping Giant” could be heard bouncing from the left speaker, then to the right, and then finally erupting from both. Stage lights flashed an intense red, matching the speedy headbanging of those who were fully into the song. The light show did not stop there, as green lasers danced over the band for part of the guitar solo.

The ominous number “Bridges in the Sky”, was the heaviest song by this point in the evening. Having walked onstage with a purple guitar, JP now sported an orange one. As the outro approached, the lead singer kissed John Myung on the face, a gesture of their decades-long friendship.

Immediately following up the catchy, keyboard-laden “Caught in a Web”, “Answering the Call” was a newer cut that went over well with attendees. James marveled at the fact that the drinkers in the stalls held pint cups that have handles, as a guy interjects, he replies, “I’m not talking to you,” drawing a few laughs. He later held up two fingers, alternating between showing the front of his hand, pretending not to know which was the “bad one” and which meant peace, amusing people further.

The final three parts from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence were played, being some of the several tour rarities Dream Theater treated their devoted audience to. Beginning with the hopefully nostalgic “Part VI: Solitary Shell”, it was not long until the triumphant “Part VII: About to Crash (Reprise)” took over, followed up by mournful but equally powerful “Part VIII: Losing Time / Grand Finale”.

“Pull Me Under” was musically sound, but the vocals were often shouty as LaBrie hit the high notes, and pointed his microphone toward the audience during the last chorus. Nevertheless, the song received a standing ovation from many who clearly held the tune dear.

“A View from the Top of the World” showed off Myung’s talented basswork from the jump as the screen behind the men showed climbers working their way to the summit. A tightrope walker could be seen during Jordan’s circus-like jaunty keyboard solo. As the music grew solemn, an underwater scene with sharks and divers was pictured, shifting the mood from a jolly to a sorrowful one. La Brie and Petrucci’s combined vocal performances throughout this section (II: Rapture of the Deep) did well to communicate downcast emotions, and the latter reinforced the feel of the verses with a solo that echoed the depressive feel. When the beat picked up again, a waterfall appears, shown between hikers, complimenting the hopeful lyrics. Grateful for the positive feedback, LaBrie gushed, “Thank you, each and every one of you. We really appreciate it!” As all five left the stage, it seemed like the show had ended.

The group appeared a couple of minutes later with “Count of Tuscany” as their encore. Having heard just a few notes, ecstatic voices screamed with delight. While the guitarist and keyboardist remain on stage, the rest of the band leave as the two perform a snippet of “When You Wish Upon a Star”. While Petrucci played the melody of the Disney classic, Rudess plays a repeated three-note melody, on the third one he pointed skyward with his right hand, mesmerizing onlookers. The other brief cover heard at the end of their 2009 opus was the Police’s “Message in The Bottle”, which got lots of claps who had been standing since “Pull Me Under” was played. Even those on the balcony were roused to their feet.

“Let’s do this again in the foreseeable future, until then, all the best!” said James LaBrie, going on to tell everyone to stay healthy so they can “keep doing this”. It was plain to see why the quintet is Grammy-awarded, as they are one of the most well-loved progressive metal bands of all time. An admirable return to Hammersmith Apollo for Dream Theater!

Dream Theater setlist: