Waking Up the World Tour was a tour by progressive metal/rock band Dream Theater promoting their third studio albumAwake. After a headlining concert on September 9, 1994 at the Foundations Forum in Burbank, California, with Jordan Rudess performed with them at the show, but decided against joining the band for the entire tour, the band held another round of auditions and were impressed with Derek Sherinian, who studied at Berklee College of Music the year before Petrucci, Portnoy and Myung did. He had previously played with Alice Cooper and Kiss and enjoyed similar music to the other members of Dream Theater. He was offered the position on a trial basis at the beginning of October 1994, giving him just two weeks to learn two hours of highly complex music. Sherinian was officially asked to join the band as a full member in February 1995. The North America leg of the Waking Up The World tour began on October 20, 1994 and finished on December 9, 1994. Over Christmas, James 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 couldn't wait to blow everyone away around the rest of the world. We weren'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. The band continued with Japanese leg on January 14, 1995 until January 25, 1995. 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. The band continued with European leg on January 31, 1995 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. The European leg wrapped up on March 15, 1995 in London, England, continued with North America leg on June 9, 1995, European 2nd leg on June 18, 1995 until July 9, 1995, and the whole Waking Up the World Tour concluded on August 3, 1995 in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
Notes: Derek Sherinian did not play keyboards on The Ones Who Help to Set the Sun, since it was low on his priority list of songs to learn, though original plans were for him to learn it later.
