Guitarist John Petrucci wrote this song after he had gone on a trip with his guitar tech while in Italy to this old castle-type building that's used to ferment and store wines. His tech was a wine importer and thought the trip would be fun, but John felt fearful the entire time. The man who owned the property was this strange fairy-tale-esque Count that told a bunch of weird stories. John genuinely didn't know if he was gonna trap him there for some devious spells or some shit, but at the end of the day, it was just a man that owned a winery and liked telling stories, nothing more. The lyrics in this song detail that fear being eventually met with the reassurance that he is not in danger, this is just how they live out here in Tuscany. It's a great piece of commentary on cultural differences.
I read in a article today about the song and that the count was talking about his grandfather over his painted mural and his misdoings and they based the character of Hanibal Lector from his grandfather, so that’s also where that fear came from
This is one of their songs i think fully encapsulates the name Dream Theater. Absolute Cinema. This is based of a real story the band had on a wine tour in Italy, BTW.
i agree, but would add it to a list including (presence of enemies 1 and 2 b2b, octavarium, ministry of lost souls, not quite best of times, but that solo hits me in my eye faucets. sacrificed sons, fatal tragedy, endless sacrifice. and apropos to nothing, dont cross the crooked step.
Their first taste of one of Dream Theater's true epics. It's a great piece to chew on before tackling one of their masterpieces like A Change of Seasons or Octavarium. That will be a true sight to see.
Dream Theater is one of the most genuine bands out there. They don’t care about radio play, they don’t care about music videos, they don’t care about being super popular or famous. They are a group of amazing musicians who just want to create something special and magical. They’ll never sell out, never compromise their artistic integrity and never give up on their dream.
I remember the first time I heard this song, I was driving home late at night from a friend's house. The song ended just as I was pulling into my driveway but I ended up listening to the entire thing again completely amazed that a song like this could exist. It's been in my top 5 songs of all time ever since and my second favorite Dream Theater song only behind the ministry of lost souls. I'm so glad you guys got to listen to it and experience it, it really does capture the essence of the band.
I love how Smokey hit the nail on the head at 27:45 - they were on tour and were taken by one of their fans (the count's brother) to meet the count at his villa. Being a historian, he told them a bunch of stories from the war and about how the character Hannibal was inspired by his brother the count's life. Hence the fear for their lives and then the count clears up the misunderstanding in the last verse. Love your reactions btw!
This song blew me away the first time I listened to it, back in 2009. Since then, I have listened to it again many times, and even saw Dream Theater performing it twice live, and that feeling of emotion, dream, adventure and fantasy in just one song, has never ever gone away. Thanks for reacting to it!!!
I think you guys really need to watch some of their live performances. While listening to DT is a musical adventure watching DT play is a magical experience.
Hey guys, i'm a DT fan since their early days when they were called Majesty. Sometimes i forget how long that is. I remember every part of every song. Petrucci was my biggest influence and i started plaing the guitar at the age of 14. I still watch every reaction to them. I really appreciate you listend to the entire song without interupt. Thanks and greetings from germany. Love them, always will
I've also been a fan since way way back ! I first heard them on a college radio station. I've been a fan ever since. I remember going to shows where I was one of 5 females in the audience😊
Dream Theater is the culmination of Kansas, Rush, Genesis, Yes, ELP, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, and other great bands I didn't mention in this comment.
The last couple minutes/the final movement of this song were touched by divinity. It's an absolutely epic finale for the album and their first run with Mike Portnoy on the skins. I can't wait to see them next year! You should react to their Grammy-winning song "The Alien." It's fantastic, as should be expected, and kicks ass!
God I'm so fucking happy you guys got to this!! Alots changing in my life right now, I'm having to move from Savannah to Texas soon and try to start life over again. Getting to see you guys experience the bands and songs that have meant so much to me had brought alot of happiness to me and thank you guys for that! From one Georgia boy the the next you guys are the best.
Thr fascinating thing about this band is that they are committed to Prog Rock but still master the fine art of all genres...from Blues Jazz Psychedelic and of course Hard Rock. Everything is handmade and every musician in the band is an artist in their own right. An exeptional band in music history. Listen to the song "Breaking all illusions". The guitar solo in the middle is incredible.
First time I saw DT was on this tour cycle. It was the last time MP was with the band. I just got tickets to the radio city 40th anniversary show. I can’t wait to see Portnoy back behind the kit. Great video guys!!
It was a real story of Petrucci (the guitarist) visiting a count while on tour in the early 2000's, in Tuscany, Italy. This guy takes them in his car to show them his estate and the winery he has. He shows them around, he introduces them to his brother (the esteemed gentleman sucking on his pipe, who served as inspiration for Hannibal Lecter 😅) and then he shows them the wine cellar and tells them stories about soldiers going down in the cellar during the war to hide in the wine barrels and getting stuck in there (the wine vapors must've made them feel dizzy and drunk and they must've drowned) and he also had some saints behind an altar, perfectly preserved (mummified). All of that made Petrucci terrified and he thought he was in danger. And then at the end the count clears the air and tells him he knows it all seems weird and terrifying, but it's just a bunch of stories passed down through time, and that they enjoy telling them to people. He also tells Petrucci to tell the world about it. And so he did it, in this amazing fashion! ❤ It's a silly misunderstanding turned into an epic, incredible masterpiece.
Ahh yea !! What a tune this is. And of course they have so many more. Lucky i didnt miss this one. And as some other said. Their live shows is a must see.
For some reason a lot of Dream Theater songs (esp later ones from what I've heard) remind me of musicals. Crazy rhythm changes on this one though! Also you guys absolutely have to check this out: Mastodon did a collaboration with Lamb of God :D
Forgive me if this has been posted before, just thought I'd share an interesting piece from 2011 I found where 'The Count of Tuscany' Niccolo Capponi recalls his experience meeting Dream Theater and shares his side of the story. He has a great sense of humor and I'm glad him and his brother Sebastiano can see the funny side of the whole encounter! Edit - just wanted to fix up something in my post above. Sebastiano Capponi would be the 'Count of Tuscany' referred to in the lyrics, the story in the link is written by his brother Niccolo Capponi a.k.a the bearded gentleman, historian!
I find some of the lyrics a little cringe at times but I feel this is one of Mike portnoys best performances. The composition from a drum perspective blends complex prog parts but also very melodic to serve the songs. He has a video of him playing it in the studio and it’s awesome.
Yall have got to check out some stuff from the band "Death"! They implement some progressive stuff in the latter half of their career and the riffs are top-notch.
Oh my, the expression on your faces, ❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂. Brilliant reaction. Love this song so much. So sad that my familie ( children and grandchildren) dont like this kind of music.
Good one. It is tough reacting to Prog in your format. The good stuff has meanings that you don't see until you listened to it several times. But I would hate to have my dreams made into a video. I have dreamt some strange stuff. However, I would love being able to choose what is shown. Think a movie and download it!
i dont think ive made it clear enough how grateful i am for this. i cannot count how many reactors ive begged to react to dream theater, with the disclaimer that i dont wanna hear the standard 3-5 songs (their commercial hits?/not huge misses?) so for you to pick this song, i gotta ask. what president of the dream theater fan club are you guys hiding as a friend? as a 37 year old fanboy since age 11 - i rarely meet people that can pull count of tuscany in any dream theater talk. props, kudos, thanks, thanks, legit, thanks.
wait... you guys rap, might i suggest looking up the band 'liquid tension experiment', its dream theater without a singer and a very slightly different bass player. the point is no vocals, easy to sample, id love to hear you guys get on a sampled dream theater or lte riff.
My understanding of this song is basically about picking up and trolling a tourist. You guys owe it to yourselves to go see these guys live. Songs like this and The Spirit Carries On become like a religious experience
First heard of Dream Theater in conjunction with the term 'math rock', which still seems both somewhat reductive and dismissive. Yeah, it's complex, a challenging listen at times, but so what? Sufficient musicality to merit repeated listenings imo. Keep it coming, please, dudes, I guess I'll develop the muscles eventually 💪🏽😊👂🏼🎶❤️✨️🕊
I'm gonna skip on Dream Theater, not that I don't like it, just don't care for 20 min songs... I had a co-worker who thought it was funny to play a 20 min dream theater song on the jukebox and make ppl flustered that it was tied up. After the 4th time, my fellow co-workers and I started slipping $5 to the bartender to hit skip on the touchtunes remote about 2 min and act like it froze up... he kept trying, I kept paying... it got to the point he complained to the mngt company of the touchtunes jukebox's in our area that they needed to update the software on that bars jukebox when they came to our bar to get the $ out of ours... should of seen his face after he found out what was happening 🤣🤣
Guitarist John Petrucci wrote this song after he had gone on a trip with his guitar tech while in Italy to this old castle-type building that's used to ferment and store wines. His tech was a wine importer and thought the trip would be fun, but John felt fearful the entire time. The man who owned the property was this strange fairy-tale-esque Count that told a bunch of weird stories. John genuinely didn't know if he was gonna trap him there for some devious spells or some shit, but at the end of the day, it was just a man that owned a winery and liked telling stories, nothing more. The lyrics in this song detail that fear being eventually met with the reassurance that he is not in danger, this is just how they live out here in Tuscany. It's a great piece of commentary on cultural differences.
I read in a article today about the song and that the count was talking about his grandfather over his painted mural and his misdoings and they based the character of Hanibal Lector from his grandfather, so that’s also where that fear came from
This is one of their songs i think fully encapsulates the name Dream Theater. Absolute Cinema. This is based of a real story the band had on a wine tour in Italy, BTW.
i agree, but would add it to a list including (presence of enemies 1 and 2 b2b, octavarium, ministry of lost souls, not quite best of times, but that solo hits me in my eye faucets. sacrificed sons, fatal tragedy, endless sacrifice. and apropos to nothing, dont cross the crooked step.
Also adding on A Change of Seasons.
"based on an EXAGGERATED story" btw, John was not freaking out at all, he enjoyed his time. Also it wasnt tuscany iirc.
It happened to John Petrucci on a dinner in a Tuscan castle.
octavarium is their best song btw
Their first taste of one of Dream Theater's true epics. It's a great piece to chew on before tackling one of their masterpieces like A Change of Seasons or Octavarium. That will be a true sight to see.
I know many people like Octavarium but for me it's easily one of their worst compositions ever. A Change of Seasons is good though.
@@petrilampela I hated it at first, but it's grown on me. It took about 10 years, but I don't hate it now ha ha.
I might be alone in this but I think my favorite DT epic is The Ministry of Lost Souls. Wish more people reacted to it 😅
@@LochAndLoad95 Deep cut, my friend! Systematic Chaos is amazing start to finish!
@@kevinhodgins1811 In the Presence of Enemies is my favourite 20+ min Dream Theater song. It's perfection.
Dream Theater is one of the most genuine bands out there. They don’t care about radio play, they don’t care about music videos, they don’t care about being super popular or famous. They are a group of amazing musicians who just want to create something special and magical. They’ll never sell out, never compromise their artistic integrity and never give up on their dream.
Perfect comment about Dream Theater!
This was eventually awarded by winning a Grammy. That's something a progressive metal band only dreams of.
My fave DT song. So glad to see Portnoy back in the band where he belongs! Next album will be EPIC!
I remember the first time I heard this song, I was driving home late at night from a friend's house. The song ended just as I was pulling into my driveway but I ended up listening to the entire thing again completely amazed that a song like this could exist. It's been in my top 5 songs of all time ever since and my second favorite Dream Theater song only behind the ministry of lost souls. I'm so glad you guys got to listen to it and experience it, it really does capture the essence of the band.
One of my all time favorite songs! Such a great ride! And the second half (starting at about 15:30 in your video) is just so gorgeous…
I love how Smokey hit the nail on the head at 27:45 - they were on tour and were taken by one of their fans (the count's brother) to meet the count at his villa. Being a historian, he told them a bunch of stories from the war and about how the character Hannibal was inspired by his brother the count's life. Hence the fear for their lives and then the count clears up the misunderstanding in the last verse.
Love your reactions btw!
Quite simply one of the greatest songs ever written, by the greatest band that ever existed on this Earth.
This song blew me away the first time I listened to it, back in 2009. Since then, I have listened to it again many times, and even saw Dream Theater performing it twice live, and that feeling of emotion, dream, adventure and fantasy in just one song, has never ever gone away. Thanks for reacting to it!!!
My favorite band. What a beautiful piece of music. I know you guys are feeling it.
Not to be bias, but this is my favorite reaction of yours now. Thank you!🤘🔥 ps this song made me cry the first time I heard it
Me too
This, Best of Times and Another Day always get the corners of my eyes wet.
@@HenritheHorseDon’t forget Wither!
@@easleyreacts5827 Great song, I had that guitar solo cover here back in 2009 filmed with a shitty Nokia phone.
Same! The first 50 times 😂😭
I think you guys really need to watch some of their live performances. While listening to DT is a musical adventure watching DT play is a magical experience.
Finally! This song is amazing 🤘
Never commented on your videos before, but seeing you guys feel this song for its entirety was amazing. Best video on the channel!
This one of my absolute favorites of theirs. Ya'll should also check out Octovarium.
try listening to the best of times by dream theater on the same album, it is where you can hear the most melodic guitar solo ever written
Just listen to ''Best of Times'' from the same album. Then we can talk about emotion on six strings.
Holy scheize yes!!
That song came out right as my dad was dying, so I've cried to it many times!
@@jocelynbunn Since my father died, 4 years ago, I changed my ringphone with Petrucci's solo.
This is one of my favourite songs from DT (next to Octavarium). Beautiful story and music. Thank you for your reaction.
Hey guys, i'm a DT fan since their early days when they were called Majesty. Sometimes i forget how long that is. I remember every part of every song. Petrucci was my biggest influence and i started plaing the guitar at the age of 14. I still watch every reaction to them. I really appreciate you listend to the entire song without interupt. Thanks and greetings from germany. Love them, always will
I've also been a fan since way way back ! I first heard them on a college radio station. I've been a fan ever since. I remember going to shows where I was one of 5 females in the audience😊
One of the greatest rock songs ever
One of my favorites of all time. I'm so happy you experienced it. This actually gets better everytime you hear it. So much to take in
there is a video of john petrucci talking about this song its based on a real story that happend to him
Dream Theater is the culmination of Kansas, Rush, Genesis, Yes, ELP, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, and other great bands I didn't mention in this comment.
You just named most of my favourite bands! You are absolutely right. Another great one is Porcupine Tree.
The last couple minutes/the final movement of this song were touched by divinity. It's an absolutely epic finale for the album and their first run with Mike Portnoy on the skins. I can't wait to see them next year!
You should react to their Grammy-winning song "The Alien." It's fantastic, as should be expected, and kicks ass!
God I'm so fucking happy you guys got to this!! Alots changing in my life right now, I'm having to move from Savannah to Texas soon and try to start life over again. Getting to see you guys experience the bands and songs that have meant so much to me had brought alot of happiness to me and thank you guys for that! From one Georgia boy the the next you guys are the best.
So happy to hear so many people are with me on my enjoyment of this song, good luck on your move!
DT are like if Rush, Yes, early Genesis and 80s metal had a baby....
Thanks to getting back to more Dream Theater. Hopefully you have more Dream Theater reactions coming soon!! 😊
Thr fascinating thing about this band is that they are committed to Prog Rock but still master the fine art of all genres...from Blues Jazz Psychedelic and of course Hard Rock. Everything is handmade and every musician in the band is an artist in their own right. An exeptional band in music history. Listen to the song "Breaking all illusions". The guitar solo in the middle is incredible.
This song is super epic and for me John Myung is the greatest bassist in the world
no disrespect for anyone, but most people can't comprehend what they just heard! DT are virtuoso's in every aspect
First time I saw DT was on this tour cycle. It was the last time MP was with the band. I just got tickets to the radio city 40th anniversary show. I can’t wait to see Portnoy back behind the kit. Great video guys!!
Man this song always give me the chills, beautiful music always fill the soul man i can see it in the smiles on your faces =D
Yoooo glad you guys got to this song!
One of their best songs amongst the many of their best songs. Top 5 favorite band of mine
Favourite piece of music of all time yah’ll!!! Heavenly! Beautiful! Breathtaking, fantastic reaction lads
My introduction to Dream Theater was Untethered Angel .. it was and still is my favorite 🥰
It was a real story of Petrucci (the guitarist) visiting a count while on tour in the early 2000's, in Tuscany, Italy. This guy takes them in his car to show them his estate and the winery he has. He shows them around, he introduces them to his brother (the esteemed gentleman sucking on his pipe, who served as inspiration for Hannibal Lecter 😅) and then he shows them the wine cellar and tells them stories about soldiers going down in the cellar during the war to hide in the wine barrels and getting stuck in there (the wine vapors must've made them feel dizzy and drunk and they must've drowned) and he also had some saints behind an altar, perfectly preserved (mummified). All of that made Petrucci terrified and he thought he was in danger. And then at the end the count clears the air and tells him he knows it all seems weird and terrifying, but it's just a bunch of stories passed down through time, and that they enjoy telling them to people. He also tells Petrucci to tell the world about it. And so he did it, in this amazing fashion! ❤ It's a silly misunderstanding turned into an epic, incredible masterpiece.
In summation: That's how I feel about their song & self titled album: "A Change of Seasons". *Chef's kiss*.
Luv your reaction to this. This was fire 🔥. This song takes you on a journey
What i really enjoy about this channel is how open to different music you 2 are! Its really amazing to follow your journey.
Morning guys! Such a beautiful song!❤...i thought it ended and then he sang more about not dying alone..man...this made me almost cry...good song!!!
Ahh yea !! What a tune this is. And of course they have so many more. Lucky i didnt miss this one. And as some other said. Their live shows is a must see.
There's a lot of Rush in there.
Absolutely. I like how Dream Theater takes concepts from Rush to the next level.
Thanks for this. One of my favorites.
You should check out Dream Theaters Hells Kitchen + Lines In The Sand, or Trial of Tears.
I love watching you guys enjoy a song❤
Alot of my dreams are nightmarish and if recorded would be like some kind of horror/ freak show 😂
Yes! I love this masterpiece!
Congrats you wittnes one of progressive masterpiece🎉
well that certainly put the "dream" in dream theater
For some reason a lot of Dream Theater songs (esp later ones from what I've heard) remind me of musicals. Crazy rhythm changes on this one though!
Also you guys absolutely have to check this out: Mastodon did a collaboration with Lamb of God :D
Octavarium please
Labrie narrates two characters in this song.
Isn't it 3 people? The Count, his brother, and John Petrucci?
@@lanzend101Yes you're right! 👍
Please review their new video, "Night Terror"!
Best Dream Theater album ever!
Forgive me if this has been posted before, just thought I'd share an interesting piece from 2011 I found where 'The Count of Tuscany' Niccolo Capponi recalls his experience meeting Dream Theater and shares his side of the story.
He has a great sense of humor and I'm glad him and his brother Sebastiano can see the funny side of the whole encounter!
Edit - just wanted to fix up something in my post above. Sebastiano Capponi would be the 'Count of Tuscany' referred to in the lyrics, the story in the link is written by his brother Niccolo Capponi a.k.a the bearded gentleman, historian!
this sounds like yes
I find some of the lyrics a little cringe at times but I feel this is one of Mike portnoys best performances. The composition from a drum perspective blends complex prog parts but also very melodic to serve the songs. He has a video of him playing it in the studio and it’s awesome.
Yall have got to check out some stuff from the band "Death"! They implement some progressive stuff in the latter half of their career and the riffs are top-notch.
Seconded for Death. Crystal Mountain, Spirit Crusher, The Philosopher
This is probably their best song, IMO.
Not even top twenty
I always thought this song was about a vampire kidnapping someone, reading through the lyrics I was dead wrong lol
That's "Forsaken."
Oh my, the expression on your faces, ❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂. Brilliant reaction. Love this song so much. So sad that my familie ( children and grandchildren) dont like this kind of music.
Good one. It is tough reacting to Prog in your format. The good stuff has meanings that you don't see until you listened to it several times. But I would hate to have my dreams made into a video. I have dreamt some strange stuff. However, I would love being able to choose what is shown. Think a movie and download it!
Metropolis parts 1 and 2 will also send you on an extreme roller coaster of emotions.
i dont think ive made it clear enough how grateful i am for this. i cannot count how many reactors ive begged to react to dream theater, with the disclaimer that i dont wanna hear the standard 3-5 songs (their commercial hits?/not huge misses?) so for you to pick this song, i gotta ask. what president of the dream theater fan club are you guys hiding as a friend? as a 37 year old fanboy since age 11 - i rarely meet people that can pull count of tuscany in any dream theater talk. props, kudos, thanks, thanks, legit, thanks.
I requested it on their Paetron one of my all time favorite songs!!!!🔥❤️
@@easleyreacts5827 you are my new god, move over petrucci.
Великолепная песня лучшая в этом альбоме.хорошо что взяли не из концерта .
My personal favorite DT piece :)
wait... you guys rap, might i suggest looking up the band 'liquid tension experiment', its dream theater without a singer and a very slightly different bass player. the point is no vocals, easy to sample, id love to hear you guys get on a sampled dream theater or lte riff.
If no one has tried to suggest A Change of Seasons... That's a perfect song. The Count of Tuscany is close, but you gotta check that track out.
My understanding of this song is basically about picking up and trolling a tourist. You guys owe it to yourselves to go see these guys live. Songs like this and The Spirit Carries On become like a religious experience
you need to do "Dark Eternal night" - just to see your face for the last solo, which sounds like a guitar, but is a keyboard.
Ya need to do "A Change of Seasons", another long epic song
Mushroomhead - Solitaire Unraveling please!
cool reaction more more Dream Theater
listen to The Best of Times the Solo is gonna melt your heart
First heard of Dream Theater in conjunction with the term 'math rock', which still seems both somewhat reductive and dismissive. Yeah, it's complex, a challenging listen at times, but so what? Sufficient musicality to merit repeated listenings imo. Keep it coming, please, dudes, I guess I'll develop the muscles eventually
💪🏽😊👂🏼🎶❤️✨️🕊
Excelente reacción hermanos, les recomiendo reacciónar a Panic attack de Dream Theater saludos
the suoer lemon haze has me on the same vibe
super derp lol
If I'm correct, I believe this was based on a Dream that petrucci had
No, that's "A Nightmare to Remember," which starts this same album. This track ends it.
Y’all should react to “Diamond Girl” by Oddy Nuff I think yall would fuck with it
I will say, a huge missed opportunity they didn’t make a music video for this song
This was the last great DT album. Let's hope Portnoy gets them back on track with the new one coming out!
Mad Dream Theater fan here for decades but this is oke of those songs that is 10/10 musically and awful lyrically.
I'm gonna skip on Dream Theater, not that I don't like it, just don't care for 20 min songs... I had a co-worker who thought it was funny to play a 20 min dream theater song on the jukebox and make ppl flustered that it was tied up. After the 4th time, my fellow co-workers and I started slipping $5 to the bartender to hit skip on the touchtunes remote about 2 min and act like it froze up... he kept trying, I kept paying... it got to the point he complained to the mngt company of the touchtunes jukebox's in our area that they needed to update the software on that bars jukebox when they came to our bar to get the $ out of ours... should of seen his face after he found out what was happening 🤣🤣
pls do more soen
Portnoy wasn't the drummer on this album. It was Mike Mangini
This was Portnoy’s last album. Mangini joined with A Dramatic Turn of Events
My brain thought this album was more recent than 15 years ago!
This is the last album with Mike Portnoy, with proof of "the best of times"!@@peterokulski9005
Beautiful song, dream theater never disappoints
16:12 The ending could be a song in itself.😊😮
I always thought of 18:47 like the character coming out of a coma