Finally, the band, crew, luggage, and at least
the guitars took off from Detroit Metropolitan Airport heading to Frankfurt, Germany to meet their bus and driver -
then on to Hamburg for rehearsals and the first show of the tour. The early arrival allowed everyone to adjust to the
time change a little and to set up the rental gear and rehearse. "We had to re-arrange our set list accordingly for the
first two shows in Hamburg and Hannover," explains Chris. "There were no
keyboards, samples, or effects at our disposal, so we opted to play songs which didn't rely as heavily on them. This
was somewhat difficult because we felt some songs still had to be played, plus we dug out a few songs that we had not
rehearsed very much."
The "Docks" in Hamburg was the first venue of
the tour - and the first of several places located in or near infamous red-light districts. "It became kind of a
running joke with Dream Theater," laughs Chris. "I noted that we began the tour in a red-light district, played several
gigs throughout the tour in red-light districts, and ended the tour in a red-light district! Kind of a culture shock
for first-time visitors."
Both the "Docks" and the "Capitol Theater" in
Hannover, Germany drew crowds of around 1,500 people. All the venues on the tour were festival seating. So with
enthusiastic progressive metal fans anxious to get the best vantage points, Tiles was able to perform to the bulk of
the audience. Chris remembers the first couple shows… "The first 2 shows were very stressful for me just trying to get
the amps to sound good and attempting to simulate some basic delays and chorus required by the songs. Even John
Petrucci was suitably sympathetic about having to use rental amps! So naturally, our luck would have it that the press
was out in full force for these shows - and the reviews
were not all positive. The audience responded well enough to the 'stripped down' versions, but as we later learned
through the reviews and our painfully blunt publisher, people were disappointed in the sparse sound. Dream Theater,
their crew and production staff, and the concert promoters were truly professional in helping us
acclimate to the tour. There were no 'attitudes' from anyone. They were all very supportive, helpful, and friendly. I
think it helped that DT has had several Inside Out bands open for them in the past. Vanden Plas, Enchant, and now Spock's Beard have done
their tours. DT has done a lot to help out independent progressive artists by taking them on the road."
The first few days in Germany were dark, cold and drizzly as is typical in November. But, on the way to Amsterdam the skies cleared and the sun shone
brightly. Tiles picked up their wayward equipment from the airport then enjoyed the day off finding a hotel and taking
in the sights. Although Amsterdam is known for maintaining a certain liberal atmosphere (if you know what I mean!), the
shops, architecture, and general Dutch culture proved to be much more absorbing and relevant.
November 11th marked the third show of the tour at the Ijsselhall in Zwolle, Netherlands - just outside of Amsterdam. By
this time both Tiles and Dream Theater were getting to know each other better, creating a friendly camaraderie. "I
have to mention, at the risk of sounding like a sycophant, that all the members of DT were great guys. Trading stories and
talking about music, amps, guitars, the Simpsons, kids, Europe, technology - you name it. Especially when you consider
how egocentric virtuoso musicians or "rock stars" can occasionally be," Chris explains. Zwolle was one of the largest
shows on the tour with 5,000 people in attendance. The venue was unusual for a concert - a cattle auction hall/market
complex, such as you might see at an American state fair. With their equipment bugs ironed out, Tiles was pleased to
perform with a little more confidence in their sound and presentation. It was also here that the band finally met the
President and Promotions Manager of Inside Out after years of phone calls, faxes, and email!
Next, the Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium. "Brussels was really a beautiful city - one of my favorites of the
tour. The architecture was quite varied and dramatic," explains the animated guitarist. "The venue was very upscale with nice hardwood floors,
great dressing rooms and facilities, and a 48 track recording studio available for live recording. Portnoy arranged to
have DT's set recorded and I think they've already released some of these versions as bonus tracks." Dream Theater had
settled into their set and were sound checking quicker, allowing Tiles more set up time and a chance to interact on
stage. Jeff and Pat spent time satisfying their technical curiosities with the details of bass and drum equipment,
while Chris received a lengthy tour and explanation of Petrucci's impressive amp rig from the guitarist and his
technician. "It was interesting how we didn't automatically fall into friendships along 'instrumental' lines. More
along where we stood on stage!" Chris laughs.
Throughout the tour, Tiles maintained an attitude that it was their job to inspire the audience and prepare them for
the main event. While the band has extensive live experience in the Midwest, opening for the likes of King's X, Steve
Morse, Judas Priest, Fates Warning, and Kansas, performing on foreign soil presented its own set of challenges. "We
caught a little flack from the press for sometimes pushing the audience too hard for a reaction, but Paul was simply trying to pump up
the energy level - and a lot of times it did work. We played our most challenging and aggressive material, which seemed
to go over well. Pat alone is such a dynamic and powerful drummer that after "Patterns" & "Token Pledge," our first two
songs, the audience seemed to key in on him and feel the energy of the music," summarizes Chris. "There definitely was
some added pressure being the opening band for DT and dealing with the language barrier," admits the pensive Herin. "We
had worked up short phrases in German, Dutch, and French, but Paul felt too unsure of himself to use them. I think he
was afraid of mispronouncing something and turning it into an insult. Fortunately, English is nearly every European's
second language - so we could communicate a little!"
"DT felt we were a good opener since
stylistically we don't sound a lot alike," theorizes Chris. "We share many of the same influences and certainly inhabit
the same genre, but we're more hard rock oriented as opposed to metal. This thankfully absolved us from having to
"compete" with DT on the progressive, technical metal style that they founded."
