Music is very important to me, which should be clear to even the most casual readers of ‘Summer Vacation.’ Different people have different interests and passions, and music is one of mine. One of my all-time favorite bands is progressive rock titans Dream Theater. Seemingly hyperbolic labels such as “progressive rock titans” are usually included when Dream Theater is mentioned online or in print, because they're so far out of the mainstream even after more than thirty years of existence that most people have little to no idea who they are. Mostly this is because they are far too awesome for the dementedly generic post-millennial over-produced playlist that 21st century radio has become. Plus, since Dream Theater’s songs probably average somewhere near twelve minutes in length, they’ve never exactly been radio friendly. Suffice it to say this is a band of rock musicians who perform with such aggressive virtuosity that each member of the band is arguably one of the best at his respective instrument playing today, if not ever. As you’d expect, that level of musicianship translates into their music, which is so carefully constructed that for many pieces it isn’t enough to call them mere songs, but more accurately compositions, and compositions with a degree of mastery that require such things as their drummer occasionally playing in one time signature with the right side of his body and a different one with his left. Being the music nerd I am, I love that kind of thing.
They’re currently touring to support their most recent album, a two-hour-plus rock opera called “The Astonishing,” which was released this past winter. For at least this leg of the tour, they’ve put aside their entire back catalog to play through this new release from beginning to end to preserve the continuity of the storyline. This was the second time I’ve seen them flawlessly play through an entire album live, which they also did the first time I saw them back in 2000, when they played through what is probably still today my all-time favorite album. The show I saw them at last night was the eighth time I’ve seen them perform, and it was a perfect time for me to see them.
You see, Sundays aren’t really good for me right now. Saturday is a nice respite in the week from anything school related that might be threatening to burn me out, but on Sunday morning I’m immediately aware of how all of it is only one day away from starting back up, and then I have the rest of the day to think about it and feel it approaching. I don’t mean to make going back to school on Monday sound like some kind of a horror movie, but when you’re all too aware of the toll something is taking on you, usually it seems the anticipation of getting back to it is even worse than actually returning. Because of this, I spent most of the day more aware of the concert being that night than looking forward to it. I knew once I got there it would all become real and I’d get excited, but most of the day I wasn’t there yet.
My sister Jenny bought our tickets the day they went on sale, so we ended up with great seats, in the front part of the balcony where we could see the stage in full view without having to worry about some 6’ 9” headbanger standing in front of us the whole time.
I bought a tour shirt on the way in, because of course I did. The show started more or less on time, and it really was incredible — seeing the story play out on the video screens behind the stage, hearing so many songs I’ve connected with, watching these musicians that I’ve followed so closely and listened to for so long it was almost like seeing old friends again. It was a great show and a great night.
Recently I heard someone say how they didn’t understand why simply hearing a song was enough to make a person cry. I can’t relate to that mindset at all. If you’re unable to find the intangible quality of music that makes it live inside of you and touches you at a primordial level, I just don’t get you. Last night I heard an album played straight through in its two-plus hours entirety, which I’ve already listened to repeatedly in recent months, and there were tears all over my face at least three different times. It came from how perfect the songs were, and how skillfully they were played, and because of what they’ve come to mean to me, and because I was seeing and hearing them performed by the people who created them.
By the time the show was over and we were on our way home, I was in a much better mood. I felt I had just witnessed something much bigger and greater than my own collection of problems and complaints. I witnessed some of the music I love happen at the highest level of proficiency. In a very real way, I felt I had experienced a kind of healing. It stayed with me long enough to carry over into this morning; I’m not saying I hopped out of bed on a Monday morning ready to attack the day, but I was at least ready for it and openly willing to participate. On some days, especially those godforsaken Mondays, that’s more than enough.
Music can be the entertainment on a fun night out, but sometimes it can also be much more. It’s something that can permeate our lives so thoroughly that the songs and the feelings they inspire stay with us like ever-present companions, always at the ready to step in and help us put the events of our lives into a proper perspective. It can provide an escape, or existential healing, or help us pull back from feelings of burn out and realize that we might actually be more on top of things than we think we are.
Most importantly of all though, as it’s labeled in “The Astonishing” and addressed so strongly throughout the storyline of the album, music can be a gift.
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