It's the kind of tale that, on the surface, sounds a little unbelievable at first. A group of guys are chosen from the
hundreds, if not thousands, of bands crowding the progressive/hard rock/metal landscape and thrust into the limelight
to tour as the opening act for a major band. Against daunting logistical odds they embark on an adventure exploring
exotic and foreign locales, performing for thousands, and basking in a wellspring of enthusiastic response. This past
November, that unlikely scenario became a reality for the Detroit-based progressive rock group Tiles. The major band
in question was none other than progressive metal heavyweights Dream Theater.
One evening, late in September, Tiles guitarist (and manager) Christopher Herin received an email from Dream Theater
(DT) drummer Mike Portnoy. Mike inquired about Tiles'
availability to support them on the first European leg of their Metropolis 2000 tour. Tiles, of course, were surprised,
flattered, and theoretically willing; but with just a few precious weeks to prepare, "able" was the true
challenge.
This opportunity materialized as a result of a series of factors. With three albums released, five years of diligent
promotion and marketing, label signings to Magna Carta and Inside Out Music, and a high-profile partnership with Terry Brown working in their favor, Tiles found that both Mike Portnoy and James
LaBrie were fans. "Several members of Dream Theater have done recording projects for Magna Carta and the entire band
are friends with the owners of our European label Inside Out," explains Chris Herin. "So I know they had seen our name
knocking around a bit. I suspect that Terry Brown was instrumental in keeping our name alive as he worked on the
Mullmuzzler album with LaBrie and also DT's Metropolis Part II: Scenes from a Memory. Our most recent
album "Presents Of Mind" was released in mid-1999. I had contacted Mike Portnoy several times to see if he'
d offer a promotional quote of some sort. He really liked the album and said he would say something after he had time
to think about it. Although we never did get a quote, he certainly one-upped his favor by asking us to do the European
tour!"
We had about a month to prepare which included working with DT's management, our European label, and our own efforts
to figure out all the logistics and necessities of touring," continued Chris. "Although we are a fairly experienced
live band, we have never officially toured - so there was a steep learning curve to climb in a short period of time.
Jim Pitulski, DT's former manager and current manager of Spock's Beard, gave us a lot of helpful tips. At least my
guitar equipment was road worthy in a rack and anything else we needed like keyboard foot controllers, electronic
drums, guitar footpedals and miscellaneous hardware could fit in a custom road case we had built. Our label undertook
t-shirt design and production, made arrangements with a tour bus company, and took care of equipment rental for the
drums and bass gear. We had to supply a stage plot, an input list, and equipment manifest as we were required to rent
our own front of house sound board and effects rack. The record label also started their normal efforts of promotion
and publicity. Unfortunately, the short lead time on our participation made it difficult for promoters to include us
in posters and advertisements."
The band organized a crew consisting of two musician friends (willing to work for an all-expenses paid three week trip
to Europe in lieu of a wage) and a professional soundman from Detroit. With budget concerns always looming over the
arrangements, everyone seemed willing to forgo luxuries (like hotels!) to put, and keep, the show on the road. Chris
took on basic tour manager responsibilities with the help of the soundman, while Michael, the generous native German
bus driver, really did all the work getting the band from place to place. With the crew assembled, equipment organized,
show rehearsed, and details worked out by the label, Tiles headed to the airport to begin their first official
tour.
The reality of inexperience quickly set in when, upon attempting to check their road cases as excess luggage at the
airport, the cases were rejected as oversized and overweight and required to be shipped as cargo. "The lesson here is
to be wary of ticket reservation employees passing on this kind of technical information," advises Herin. "We were told
it would be no problem. I even had given them the exact measurements and weights! We spent a frantic two hours trying
to get our equipment shipped to Europe in time for the first show in Hamburg, Germany without missing the flight
altogether. We eventually had to give up. The best we could do was ship the equipment to Amsterdam and pick it up on
our day off between the second and third shows of the tour." This posed a unique and frustrating predicament because it
meant Herin was not able to use his guitar amp and effects rack, with its tailored sounds and sampler/keyboard modules,
which are integral to Tiles' live presentation. However, knowing they would rent equipment when they arrived in Europe,
he would have to assemble a makeshift amp rig for the first two shows.
