American metal band Dream Theater has had a fan base in China since performing in Beijing in 2008. [Provided to China Daily]

Stability in a band can help singer-songwriters concentrate on writing more material and playing more concerts. That's the case for Dream Theater, the American progressive metal band, that will return to the stage of Beijing.

This concert will retrace the career of the band founded in Boston in 1985 by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy. There will also be songs from their latest album, A Dramatic Turn of Events, released in September 2011.

Ever since the band came to Beijing in January 2008, the musicians have won over Chinese fans with their technical proficiency.

Founded under the name Majesty, the band rose to fame with a gold-selling album, Images and Words, in 1992. Since then, its albums have been fixtures on the US Billboard chart and the band was nominated for a Grammy Award.

Over time, Dream Theater's live shows have gradually become bigger, longer and more diverse.

There is also a significant amount of humor and improvisation attached to a Dream Theater concert. In 2005, Dream Theater toured North America with the Gigantour festival, co-headlining with Megadeth, and have played with Megadeth and Iron Maiden on other stages.

In October 2011, the band released their first ever Blue-ray release, Live at Budokan.

Filmed in high-definition in 2004, Live at Budokan captures the band on tour with its Train of Thought album. The 18-song concert, captured in DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, reprises most of that album - as well as a generous portion of the band's most cherished material, including the 1992 breakout single, Pull Me Under.

According to keyboardist Jordan Rudess, the band's ability to combine rocking, strong energy with complicated music makes it fun for them to play on stage.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn