Dream Theater

in 1989, Guitar Player Magazine (I think April issue) had this side bar kind of thing in the beginning where they introduce new bands/up and coming guitarists etc. I was into Al diMeola at that time and the mag said the guitarist JP had picking chops like Al and Steve Morse. Also they said the bassist had switched to bass from playing violin. DT only had the WDADU out then. Found the record and listening to Ytsejam blew me away. Then in 92 went to the States for studying and saw the TTT video and my hair stood up....totally freaked out. Amazingly, recognized JM from the video and knew it was DT. Bought IAW and that was it. Fan forever.

I was a little late to the party. The first album I heard was Octovarium, that my friend had lend me.
After the first 2 or 3 songs, I was a fan.
Then went on to check out the older stuff, and I've followed them religiously ever since!

MP got me into it. My drum teacher showed me the Liquid Drum Theater DVD and I started getting into it...it wasn't until 2006 that I bought my first record Octavarium (underwhelmed the first time with most but the 2nd half of the title track, because of the expectations I had). I didn't listen to it much, then a year later a friend of mine from school asked if I could give him a ride home, and he plugged in his iPod and started showing me DT tracks, Metropolis (Score version) is the one that stood out...so I started getting into some of their earlier material, and really started digging it, and they quickly took the top spot as my favorite band. I've been mostly practicing DT/LTE on drums ever since, and I've gotten into other prog bands through MP, like Transatlantic, Neal Morse (yes I know it's solo), and then Spock's, Rush, Pain of Salvation, Opeth etc etc etc... :)

My dad got me hooked. I've been listening to dream theater literally from the day I was born.

Got a cassette tape from a friend in '92, it was Images & Words. He thought I needed a 'pick-me-up' from what could have been one of the worst times of my life. That album pulled me IN...they had me at "Lost". Awed and rather obsessed, I absorbed every small fragment of that album, rode to work every day listening to it, exercised with it and DT, from then on became a positive part of my new-found life.

Was already a Rush, Yes, Maiden fan. A co-worker who knew what I was into loaned me Awake. I went out and got I&W and ToT, and was hooked in time to get Octavarium on release, then went back and filled in the gaps in my discography. I enjoy every album - would have loved them back in 89 had I known. ADTOE is great.

Images and words was the first album and still my favorite but the new one! Awsome! I saw the show twice in sa at the majestic and now in austin will be the third time It was amazing as ever AND now my husband is a fan and my nephew ! Something speaks to my heart in your music probably my favorite band ever! Thank you guys! Rock ON :)

I grew up on Long Island close to JP and JM's hometown. I actually took guitar lessons from JP at a local music store around 1988. Fast forward to 1990 when a girl I shared a summer job with gave me a copy of WDADU because her older brother knew them.....I gave it a few spins but couldn't wrap my brain around it. Fast forward again to 1993 when I&W got attention and I've been obsessed ever since. Though I never met up with my mentor again, the years I have been a devoted DT fan have given me almost as much pleasure as marriage and fatherhood! We can debate till the end of time which albums are more prog or more metal, which are better and which are worse or whether we embrace Mangini or wish Portnoy was back. In the end, this band has given the world a most astoundingly beautiful, hard rocking, awe inspiring, technically mesmerizing and emotionally uplifting collection of music. Though most of the world has never heard it, we hold it sacred nonetheless.

Pull Me Under on MTV back in 92. At that time, Iron Maiden and Rush was in heavy rotation for me, with a sprinkling of Yes. When I heard PMU for the first time, I thought, Holy crap, I need to check these guys out!

A buddy of mine asked me to go camping with he and his son. I showed up at the campsite and he was playing "As I Am". I was hooked!