The US leg of the Waking Up The World tour began on October 20 , 1994 and finished on December 9 . Over Christmas , LaBrie went on holiday to Cuba with his wife , where he had violent food poisoning . Upon his return home he consulted an ears , nose , and throat specialist , who told LaBrie that he had ruptured his vocal cords , advising him not to sing for six months to a year . " I was in total shock and devastated , " LaBrie said . " On the US leg I had been so psyched and could n't wait to blow everyone away around the rest of the world . We were n't in a position for me to take a six-month break so I had to keep touring . " LaBrie was able to continue performing , but his voice became unpredictable . " It was absolutely miserable , and it was an extremely dark and depressing period for me , " he recalled . " Literally every fucking night on the European leg , I would n't know if my voice would be there or if it would cooperate ... I did n't feel that my voice really started to come back until maybe the '' Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence '' tour in 2002 . That 's when I '' started '' to feel my range and strength coming back . " The Great Hanshin earthquake struck Japan while Dream Theater were touring there . Although none of the band was injured , they seriously considered calling off the tour , but only ended up canceling one show . The band held a minute 's silence at every show in Japan in memory of those who had died . During the soundchecks for the Japanese shows , the band rehearsed a series of cover songs . These were performed at a special covers-only show in Ronnie Scott 's Jazz Club , London . The show , performed to an invitation-only audience of three hundred , featured guest musicians such as Barney Greenway , Steve Hogarth , Steve Rothery and Steve Howe . A selection of covers and medleys performed by Dream Theater at this show were released on '' A Change of Seasons ''
Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
Awake (Dream Theater album)