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SYSTEMATIC FANS fanclub
The idea of founding Czech Dream Theater Fan Club came to me in the beginning of 2014… However, the events of that year led to the transformation and evolution of that idea into creating Czech and Slovak Dream Theater Fan Club.
But before I tell you that story, let me talk to you about my musical beginnings, so that you can better understand who is the person that had started it all .
The biggest influence on my musical journey were my dearest parents. I want to thank them for raising me up the way they did and nourishing me with the best music available. I can still hear the childhood melodies as they walked through the door of my dad’s music room – from Moody Blues and Chicago, TOTO, ELO, RUSH, Journey and YANNI, through Jean Michel Jarre, Asia, INXS to Queen, Camel, Queensrÿche and many, many more that set the direction for me. And as the memories fly out the window I see myself, 7 years old girl, begging Dad to play Pink Floyd’s High Hopes over and over again in the walkman. I had been carried out by the beauty of the song. Then came the era of TOTO or Michael Jackson and many others… Well, life was filled with wonder, and it all perpetuates to this day. But the most significant influence was yet to come.
Back in 1990, when my Dad returned from New York trip, he brought with him a cassette titled When Dream and Day Unite. I only started appreciating it some 10 years later, around the time Dream Theater first came to the Czech Republic (on July 20th 2000, Sportovní hala Novesta, Zlin).
However, it was not until 2007 when I had my first live Dream Theater experience in Katowice, Poland (Chaos in Motion World Tour). I can hardly express impressions from that show – it was simply AWESOME! That‘s where my amazing journey with Dream Theater has really begun.
The band returned to Czech republic again in 2009 on their Black Clouds And Silver Linings tour with a show in Prague. Of course, I had to be there! And then, after my third live show – An Evening With Dream Theater (29. 1. 2014, Tip Sport Arena), phenomenal 3-hours of musical delight (when I experienced an absolute state of euphoria, bliss and felicity and the tears of joy flowed) I had to admit that Dream Theater had become my lifelong Love.
It didn’t take long and I got the chance to climb a little higher on the ladder of my relation with the band. The opportunity presented itself at the Masters of Rock 2014 where Dream Theater were to do a signing session! I would finally meet them in person! The DT-Day came on July 7, 2014 – I met the band – they signed the card and ‚Dramatic Turn of Events‘ CD and I shook hands with MM, JR and JP. Even better, I could even present John Petrucci with a gift – a hand carved candle stand with a gold plated Majesty logo from my dad’s workshop.
What a honor! I cherish the thought that maybe it‘s been helping to spread the light and inspiration in writing some of the Dream Theater masterpieces since then.
Another piece of great news came in, especially for Slovak fans, when DT announced their first show in Slovakia on July 27th, 2014. I’m sure you will read more on that from our webmaster and SK boss Martin Driensky who attended that show. And that’s when I decided to do what these voices in my head have kept saying for some time – to unite all Dream Theater fans from Czech republic and Slovakia under one flag.
I created a FB group which, after a long and difficult voting process, has been titled SYSTEMATIC FANS (SF). Since then the small group of 10 core „DT headz“ has expanded and grows.
I have sent a Letter to DT management in order to get the requirements for Official CZ & SK DT Fan Club. They replied with the question about web site, which did not exist at the time! I experienced a slight panic attack, so I asked my fellow Systematic Fans for help. It came as blessing from above – in form of a selfless offer from Martin Driensky. He put his IT abilities to work, created the fan club logo within few minutes of my request – many thanks, Martin – and the Dream Team was born.
Systematic Fans has become my main hobby, I find it entertaining and fulfilling. Not only I get to know fantastic people across Czech and Slovak Republic, who are so much into great music and help me to co-create this community, but I also have been making friends from different parts of the world.
Music connects us all!
The best of times full of musical nirvanas and fan club gatherings lie ahead.
Thank you for joining me and… let’s ProgRock !!! 😉
~Vilma~
♥ DREAM THEATER FOREVER IN MY HEART ♥
Back home I had to rely on the TV show Triangel where the bands like Tublatanka, Citron, Metalinda and Kreyson used to play. Then I watched Iron Maiden’s video of Can I Play with Madness which poured some fresh blood into my veins, so to speak.My parents noticed my enthusiasm about music and presented me with a Walkman for Christmas. Grandma somehow managed to obtain copies of 3 albums – Europe’s The Final Countdown, Pink Floyd’s A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet. Even though it was not quite my cup of tea, it still made me very happy.Some two years later CD/tape rental shops and listening rooms in the libraries begun to pop up and I used to spend most of my time after school there. I could enjoy systematic chaos of rock and metal bands – Gamma Ray, Guns’N’Roses, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Blind Guardian, Stratovarius, Iced Earth. Iron Maiden and Helloween got pushed out of the scope at that time, so broad was the spectrum of the music I was exposed to.Then, in the year of 1994, when I was a student at university, a dramatic turn of events occurred. One of my friends got a job at Roxy Music in Bratislava. I quickly became regular visitor to the store, where we listened and discussed the music. One day he handed me a CD of to me of an unknown band Dream Theater – Images and Words and ask me to give him my opinion. I bought that CD the very next day and even asked for more music from them. I had to wait about a week, it was by the time Dream Theater released their next album Awake and CDs just hit the stores. Since then DT has become my favorite band and I dig every release. I also rediscovered Iron Maiden, but that’s another story…I love going to concerts and try to see as many as my time and finances allow.The list of relevant live shows I was at:
- Metallica & Megadeth & various – 1993 (my first big concert, long story )
- Whitesnake+David Coverdale & Status Quo – 1994
- Iron Maiden – 2007 & 2008 & 2010 & 2013
- Gamma Ray & Helloween – 2007
- Europe & Motorband – 2010
- Sabaton – 2013 & 2015
and the winner IS:
July 25th 2014 – AN EVENING WITH DREAM THEATER – NTC Bratislava, Slovakia !
I so much wanted to see them, for once in a livetime. Then, finally, dream and day united for me and the waiting was over! I nearly bought the ticket to the January 25th Vienna show (coincidentally on my birthday) but none of my friends wanted to join me. Luckily, soon thereafter it was announced that DT will come almost to my living room – NTC Bratislava, only 300 meters from my place. That was more than I could wish for, I bought the ticket as soon as they became available and went alone, thus settling the score with my friends who don’t like prog music.
The dream came true! As I stood at the entrance to the arena, I met 2 nice fans from Zakamenne, Orava (if you are reading this, pls get in touch) and together we enjoyed a fantastic 3-hour show just a few rows from „the Gods“.
This year you can meet me at following venues:
- April 30th 2015 – less.than.PROG/fest – Randal Club, Bratislava, Slovakia
- June 14th 2015 – Nightwish + Sabaton – Amfiteáter, Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
- June 28th 2015 – DREAM THEATER @ Prague Sounds Good Festival – Praha, Czech Republic
I am married, have 2 children. My daughter is 13,5 and son 3,5 years old. I work as programmer and app developer. I like watching movies, TV series, play football, tennis, badminton, table tennis, volleyball. Occasionally I make web pages. Not much time left for singing or playing guitar.
~Your Webmaster~
Martin M.B.D. Driensky