Dream Theater opened their 2019 North American tour at the Balboa Theatre in San Diego last night with a performance that included 19 songs.

They started with the live premiere of “Untethered Angel,” taken from their latest album Distance Over Time, and also included the new songs “Paralyzed,” “Barstool Warrior” and “Pale Blue Dot” in their set.

The second act of the night included a performance of the 1999 LP Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory to mark its 20th anniversary. Some of those songs haven't been played live in years. Except for an encore of “Pull Me Under,” none of the numbers in the set had been performed since at least 2014.

You can see the set list below.

Compared with previous outings, the band’s new stage set was relatively simple, consisting of one large screen, three levels separated by stairways and no additional screens or equipment banks. Drummer Mike Mangini, notably, played a drum kit featuring a single bass drum.

In a new interview, guitarist Jon Petrucci explained why Dream Theater wanted to play the 1999 LP in its entirety. “That was the first record [keyboardist] Jordan Rudess recorded with us when he joined the band, so it was monumental that way, and it was the first record where we self-produced — every record before that, we had an outside producer,” he told Consequence of Sound. “And it was our first concept album, which was a big undertaking for us.

“As a progressive band, you’d think it’s a very natural thing to fall into, but some of our favorite bands made some of the most incredible concept albums of all time. … So, we were like, ‘Are we ready to do this? We don’t want it to be some hack concept. We want to do it right.’ So, it ended up being something our fans really loved, and felt really close to – and 20 years later, it turned out to be one of our band’s favorites. So we’re happy to celebrate the [anniversary of] its release.”

Dream Theater, Balboa Theatre, San Diego, 3/20/19
Set 1
1. “Untethered Angel” (live premiere)
2. “A Nightmare to Remember”
3. “Paralyzed” (live premiere)
4. “Barstool Warrior” (live premiere)
5. “In the Presence of Enemies, Part I”
6. “Pale Blue Dot” (live premiere)

Set 2: ‘Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory’
7. “Regression”
8. “Overture 1928”
9. “Strange Deja Vu”
10. “Through My Words”
11. “Fatal Tragedy”
12. “Beyond This Life”
13. “Through Her Eyes”
14. “Home”
15. “The Dance of Eternity”
16. “One Last Time”
17. “The Spirit Carries On”
18. “Finally Free”

Encore
19. “Pull Me Under”

More From Q 105.7