DREAM THEATER Announces Early 2020 European Headlining Tour

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have announced the European leg of their "Evening With" touring cycle; featuring a celebration of the band's latest record, "Distance Over Time", and their acclaimed milestone achievement, "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory".

The "Distance Over Time Tour - Celebrating 20 Years Of Scenes From A Memory" takes place across Europe through January/February 2020. The 28-date leg will see the band traverse 16 countries, including the U.K., Germany, France, Netherlands, and many more. Full dates are below and information on tickets for all upcoming shows, as well as VIP packages, can be found at dreamtheater.net/tour. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. BST on Friday, September 13.

The initial U.S. leg of this tour garnered both critical commendation and audience acclaim due in large part to its diverse setlist of fan favorites spanning the quintet's venerable 30-plus-year career. Featuring tracks from "Distance Over Time" and selections from their comprehensive discography along with a nightly celebration marking the 20th anniversary of their seminal concept album "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory", the band established a precedent on this tour of a nightly not-to-be-missed standout performance. DREAM THEATER will continue that trend on the European tour, creating an evening of over two hours and 45 minutes of iconic DREAM THEATER at their masterful best, making this a milestone concert event that long-time fans and newcomers alike will remember for years to come.

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci comments: "Europe! The response to 'Distance Over Time' has been overwhelmingly positive and we are really looking forward to playing some of the songs from that album live for our European audiences in an 'Evening With' setting along with our full headlining show production.

"For those of you who were there when we premiered 'Scenes From A Memory' live in Europe 20 years ago, this will not only be a trip down memory lane but also the chance to see it presented in a completely new light and the way it was always intended to be. Our updated presentation has all-new animated video content depicting the characters and storyline through the entire show as they’ve never been 'scene' before!

"For those of our fans who were either not born yet, too young, or had not yet been introduced to DT 20 years ago, this will be a fresh opportunity to experience 'Scenes' live for the first time in its entirety. We can't wait to perform for all of you!"

Tour dates:

Jan. 11 - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ AFAS Live
Jan. 12 - Oberhausen, Germany @ Turbinenhalle 1
Jan. 14 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Cirkus
Jan. 15 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Cirkus
Jan. 17 - Helsinki, Finland @ Icehall
Jan. 18 - Oulu, Finland @ Teatri Oulu
Jan. 20 - Trondheim, Norway @ Spektrum
Jan. 21 - Oslo, Norway @ Spektrum
Jan. 23 - Hamburg, Germany @ Sporthalle
Jan. 24 - Helsingor, Denmark @ Kulturvaerftet Hal 14
Jan. 26 - Paris, France @ Seine Musicale
Jan. 27 - Lyon, France @ Halle Tony Garnier
Jan. 29 - Barcelona, Spain @ St Jordi Club
Jan. 31 - Madrid, Spain @ Wizink Center
Feb. 01 - Porto, Portugal @ Gondomar Pavilion
Feb. 02 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Campo Pequeno
Feb. 05 - Ludwigsburg, Germany @ MHP Arena
Feb. 06 - Frankfurt, Germany @ Jahrhunderthalle
Feb. 08 - Budapest, Hungary @ Arena
Feb. 09 - Munich, Germany @ Zenith
Feb. 11 - Rome, Italy @ Palazzo dello Sport
Feb. 12 - Milan, Italy @ Mediolanum Forum
Feb. 14 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Samsung Hall
Feb. 15 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Tipsport Arena
Feb. 16 - Wroclaw, Poland @ Orbita Hall
Feb. 18 - Hannover, Germany @ Swizz Life
Feb. 21 - London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Feb. 23 - Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo, UK

Petrucci told Rolling Stone that "Metropolis Pt. 2" was significant for him because "it was our first album with [keyboardist] Jordan [Rudess], so that was important. And it was the first album where we didn't use an outside producer. I remember back then having a conversation with Mike [original DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy] where we said, 'Let's not do that anymore. Let's produce ourselves.' And we basically have ever since. So in that respect, 'Scenes From A Memory' might have actually been a record that was a reaction to the previous one. And then we also figured that we hadn't done a concept album yet, and we decided that it was time. It was like, let's make our 'Operation: Mindcrime', our 'Tommy', our 'The Wall'. It was definitely a conscious decision to do something bold and new and different."

Released this past February, "Distance Over Time" marks DREAM THEATER's first album for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.