When you see Dream Theater live, this is what you're not going to get: a performance less than two hours in duration or a stage full of longhairs that are “too metal” to incorporate “Mary Had a Little Lamb” into their songs. Do you hope they play “Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence” like the last time you saw them? Forget about it—they almost never play the same song in the same city due to their scrupulous set list selection for every single show. They've toured every single year since 1986—Dream Theater only took 2001 off to catch their breath. Be sure to bring an ass pillow, you're going to be sitting for a long time.
Fri., Dec. 2, 9 p.m., 2011
When not running the OCWeekly.com and OC Weekly’s social media sites, Taylor “Hellcat” Hamby can be found partying like it’s 1899.