Dream Theater

I recently did the Meet & Greet at Grand Prairie, TX. I have some thoughts on it and would like to hear what others think about their M&G experience.

Briefly, the way the M&G went was we got to the concert hall 3 hours before the concert started. After around 45 minutes we were brought back for a photo with the band. They did the photos in fairly rapid succession. Then you cue back up to get autographs. When going through this line you have a chance to shake hands, talk for about 1 minute per band member. Then you collect your bag of awesome DT memorabilia and go to your seat - first three rows. I think I paid $350 for all this.

My overall thought on the experience is "worth it" and "will do it again." You get to hang out with other true fans and it is fun hearing about their experiences. Plus - to shake the hands of such masters of their craft as Mike, James, John, Jordan, and John is an honor.

With that said there is one piece of feedback that I would give in hopes that I can see what other people think and, maybe, even have the members of DT see. It would have been nice to have had something like a "social hour" with the band.

I did not actually count but I think there were around 80 people at the event. It seems like it would be feasible to have the members in a room where we could talk a bit with them or have some sort of Q&A with the band.

While it seems feasible, I do not pretend to understand the logistics of such a thing. Security might be a concern. I dont know. But, while I do feel like I got $350 of value out of the experience, that is not a small amount to pay for a concert. It would have been absolutely exceptional to get a little more face time.

You paid $350,- for that?! Wow, i just looked at the show in Zwolle and that's "only" $150,- for the meet and greet package. I'm still debating with myself if i should go, since the a normal ticket is €60,- and i think that's way too much for a concert. But now i see that the VIP package is $150 (i guess that's more or less the same amount in euros), i think i might go for that. I get to see them, meet them and get a bunch of special limited edition stuff. I gladl pay €100 more of something like that!

My bad, 275 is the price. Still not bad. I think i'm going for that, since i'm going all alone anyway (no one is willing to pay €60 i know anyway)

I already have my tickets for the gig in Stockholm but I'm still thinking of purchasing a M&G ticket. That would mean that I have an extra ticket that I'd just throw away but hey, that's life I guess.

I'm...pretty sure it was $350. I could be wrong. I bought my ticket as soon as they were available to purchase and that was...I believe...around 4 or 5 months ago.

At the end of the day my memory is crap for such things.

If you are thinking about getting the ticket and it would not be too huge a financial commitment for you, then I say go for it. As I said in my post, when I go see DT again (which is as soon as possible) I will do the M&G again. It was worth it.

I've also done some more thinking about my comment(s) that there was not more interaction with the band. I do not know the members of DT, but when I met them they were all friendly and seemed happy to be there. What I've been trying to nail down is a concise reason why I had expected more interaction in a M&G, why I was a little disappointed there was not, and I think I have the answer.

First, I'll discredit myself by mentioning this was my first M&G I'd done with any band. So I had no idea what to expect at all. With that said, all successful bands out there have a group of strong fans that support them (ergo "successful"). MANY bands have a large fan base that may just like a couple songs that they had heard on the radio and figure "eh, i'll go see them in concert". While this is not a bad thing, there is a marginalization of the level of commitment the fans have to the band. This is not so much the case with DT. They do not get much radio play and, because of that, their fans need to be a bit more proactive in seeking out their material. And are rewarded for it in a way that I for one think exceeds all other musical experiences. But what I am ultimately trying to say is that I bet nearly every person in attendance at a DT concert is intimately familiar with their work and a truly, truly dedicated fan.

The band is certainly cognizant of this and I think it would have simply been nice to have a beer with them both as a reward for the level of dedication we fans have for them and to remind them just how much their work means to us all.

In the event that a member of the band does read this I hope it is not misconstrued as malcontent but just feedback. Perhaps it is utterly impossible to pull something like this off but it would rule if my suggestion were something that could be added to future M&G.

IMO without question they are the best band around, and have been for years. Their new album is INCREDIBLE!

Anyhow they stated that they would come back to Dallas in 2012. If they do I would really want to attend my first meet and greet. I wonder if they have any sort of a deal for kids? My 12 year old daughter who was at their Grand Prairie show thinks 'they are the best band ever' and my younger son also really likes them. I would really want to take them to the show and the meet & greet.

Wonder if their management would swing me a decent deal?

This was pretty much my M&G experience with them in Las Vegas in 2009 during the Progressive Nation tour. We paid $311 per ticket for that one. The only other M&G we have done is with Megadeth. Comparing the two, DT was a little better; it was less "herding the cattle" than Megadeth.

Ayatollah, would you do it again though?

If I do it again, I'm going to officially become "That Guy" and request that they play 6:00 and Caught in a Web.

I'm sure they hate people like that but after 5 concerts of not hearing two of my favorite songs...it's time to put in a request.



...


And likely be banned from ever coming back again:(

Have M+G getails been released for the u.k, i have already bought manchester and london tickets, but i wanted to surprise my girlfriend for her birthday and get her a package, i thought i saw them posted online but as a package, idealy i would like to add on the meet and greet part.

trivium-tommyten, if you decide to purchase a M&G package it'll include a ticket, either a reserved seat or a general admission ticket with "early entry", depending on the venue. The only chance for you to be able to purchase an "add-on" kind of M&G is if the regular M&G tickets are sold out. I'm not completely sure about this but I'm pretty certain I've read something like that somewhere. Don't quote me on that though...

Anyways, if you'd like to purchase M&G tickets, click this link.

I already have tickets for the show in Stockholm but I'll probably buy a M&G for myself, even though the guys I'm going with will stick with their regular tickets. I figured I can go to the M&G and meet up with them after we're done. Sure, I'll be throwing away a ticket (unless I find another friend who'd like to go with us) but there's nothing I can do about that really. I should have thought about the M&G before purchasing the regular tickets I guess. ^^

I was not going to spend that much money on a Meet and Greet. I already had two 5th row tix's to the Austin, TX show! My 16 year old son and I waited behind the venue after the show with about 50 other DT fans.

The whole band signed my sons guitar and was able to get photo's of him with JL and JP! We met the rest of the band who were nice as could be! Spend a little time after the show and save yourself about $600.....Just sayin and Just puttin it out there...