Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Ayreon
Label: Inside Out Records
Release: 2016
Duration: 107:21
Rating: 4.5/5
»The Theater Equation« is the first live album in Ayreon’s history so far. The boss of this ambitious Dutch prog rock/prog metal project, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, has already recorded two live albums in the past, but those were with his other two projects, Star One and Stream Of Passion. Until now, he hadn’t tackled anything similar with Ayreon for a number of reasons, mainly because of the huge number of more or less famous musical collaborators from all corners of the world. Well, there’s a first time for everything. This time he gathered a choir, a small orchestra and most of the musicians who worked on the by-now almost cult concept album »The Human Equation« (2004), which is rightly considered one of the best in the story of Lucassen’s almost always thrilling project. During the show in Rotterdam in September 2015, Arjen’s ambitious musical crew played the entire »The Human Equation«, which was certainly no small feat. The move surprised most of the fans, though they of course expected Arjen to cook up something special for the project’s twentieth anniversary.
Although Arjen originally didn’t want to appear on stage, since he mostly acted as a coordinator and advisor in putting together »The Theater Equation«, he later changed his mind a bit and showed up for the short closing track »Dream Sequencer System Offline«, in the role of ‘Forever of the Stars’. That means he only appeared at the very end of the show, after stepping out of the fans’ well-known Dream Sequencer machine and saying exactly one sentence. His complete instrumental absence, especially when it comes to guitar, was made up for by Marcel Coenen (Sun Caged) and Freek Gielen. Of the musicians who took part in the studio version of »The Human Equation«, James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion), Heather Findlay (ex-Mostly Autumn), Devon Graves (Deadsoul Tribe), Irene Jansen and a few other ‘old acquaintances’ returned to their roles, while among the newcomers Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) stood out, successfully stepping in for Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) in the role of Fear. Of the splendid guest singers, the one you miss most this time is Devin Townsend, who was unforgettable as Rage on the studio version.
The original idea for the whole theatrical concert project, which Arjen’s former manager championed, was for only a select group of Ayreon fans to take part, but it all got a lot more ambitious later on, when some of Arjen’s old musical buddies showed interest in getting involved too. Of course, what most fans will want to know on the first listen is which version of »The Human Equation« is better: the original studio album, or the live version with a slightly changed lineup and without Arjen’s multi-instrumental contribution. Apart from the vocal changes mentioned above, there’s hardly any noticeable difference, while the absence of keyboardists Martin Orford (ex-IQ, Jadis), Ken Hensley (ex-Uriah Heep) and Oliver Wakeman (ex-Yes) doesn’t bring a dramatic drop in quality, since they originally only played on three tracks. Even the changes to some of the arrangements are merely ‘cosmetic’.
The production, as is Arjen’s tradition, is excellent this time too. The album sounds like it was recorded in a studio pretty much the whole way through, which might bother anyone who doesn’t care for an overly ‘polished’ sound and swears by a more authentic live vibe. You only hear the audience in small doses, just enough to tell that it wasn’t all recorded in a studio. »The Theater Equation« is aimed first and foremost at longtime fans, while the more authentic »The Human Equation« experience, especially for those just discovering Ayreon’s best work, is still best served by the original studio album, despite the almost imperceptible differences in sound and vocals. »The Theater Equation« isn’t a must-have for anyone who already owns the original studio album, except of course for the most hardcore Ayreon fans, who have to have every release from Arjen’s ambitious project. Still, if nothing else, it can also be seen as a slightly updated version of the 2004 concept classic.
Lineup
Joost van den Broek – musical director
Freek Gielen – guitar
Marcel Coenen- guitar
Erik van Ittersum – keyboards
Ruben Wijga – keyboards
Maaike Peterse – cello
Jeroen Goossens – flute, woodwinds
Ben Mathot – violin
Johan van Stratum – bass guitar
Ed Warby – drums
Devon Graves – vocals [Agony]
Jermain ‘Wudstik’ Van Der Bogt – vocals [Best Friend]
Anneke van Giersbergen – vocals [Fear]
Heather Findlay – vocals [as Love]
James LaBrie – vocals [Me]
Irene Jansen – vocals [Passion]
Magnus Ekwall – vocals [Pride]
Mike Mills – vocals [Rage / Father]
Eric Clayton – vocals [Reason]
Marcela Bovio – vocals [Wife]
Arjen Anthony Lucassen – vocals [Forever of the Stars]
Peter Jan Moltmaker – vocals[Supporting Cast, Doctor]
Anita van der Hoeven – vocals[Supporting Cast, Mother]
Nienke Verboom – vocals [Supporting Cast, Nurse 1]
Katinka van der Harst – vocals [Supporting Cast, Nurse 2]
Agoston Szabo, Andreas Schröder, Anita van der Hoeven, Radina Dimcheva, Cons Marg, Els Prins, Jan Willem Ketelaers, Jose Gallardo, Katinka van der Harst, Laura Guldemond, Lisette van den Berg, Marcus Becker, Marjolein Husken, Marlies Schuitemaker, Matteo Nicolin, Nienke Verboom, Peter Jan Moltmaker, Thina Chat – choir
Production
Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Track list
CD 1 (53:07)
1. Day One: Vigil (1:43)
2. Day Two: Isolation (8:12)
3. Day Three: Pain (4:50)
4. Day Four: Mystery (6:05)
5. Day Five: Voices (6:52)
6. Reprise Pain 1 (0:34)
7. Day Six: Childhood (5:10)
8. Day Seven: Hope (2:22)
9. Day Eight: School (4:27)
10. Reprise Childhood (1:08)
11. Day Nine: Playground (2:06)
12. Day Ten: Memories (3:52)
13. Reprise Pain 2 (1:39)
14. Day Eleven: Love (4:07)
CD 2 (54:14)
1. Day Twelve: Trauma (9:41)
2. Day Thirteen: Sign (5:06)
3. Day Fourteen: Pride (4:46)
4. Reprise Vigil (1:09)
5. Day Fifteen: Betrayal (5:09)
6. Reprise School (1:24)
7. Day Sixteen: Loser (4:15)
8. Day Seventeen: Accident? (5:16)
9. Reprise Pain 3 (0:53)
10. Day Eighteen: Realization (3:05)
11. Reprise Trauma (2:14)
12. Day Nineteen: Disclosure (3:49)
13. Day Twenty: Confrontation (7:27)
