Disco de Dream Theater: “Live at Budokan [DVD]”

FINALLY! After much procrastination, I got this DVD! I loved the album version of LAB, but seeing them just BLEW ME AWAY! THIS is how a DT show REALLY is!

Okay. First off, the production is SOLID! John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy (guitarist and drummer, respectively) did a great job of producing it in the studio. The drums sound great, and the instruments sound better! On top of that, if that wasn't enough and it would make any DT fan drool, James sounds GREAT! Sure, he KINDA sounds nasal, but it's because he sometimes sings too close to the mic'. I'd say this is the best production on ANY DT release.

Second, the performance is AMAZING! Here's a quick rundown through the tracks:

As I Am: Great, energetic live starter. The solo is MINDBLOWING.

This Dying Soul: Great enough follow up. Love Jordan's keyboard adlibs here.

Beyond This Life: The extended jam session gave me a massive erection.

Hollow Years: I love JP's added Spanish guitar solo at the intro.

War Inside My Head/The Test That Stumped Them All: Now it gets back to HEAVY! The transition between these 2 songs is amazing!

Endless Sacrifice: Great, just like the studio version, though.

Instrumedley: A mix of all the band's instrumentals! AMAZING!

Trial of Tears: Amazing. James never sounded better.

New Millennium: Great but I don't get why the crowd roared with excitement during the intro.

Keyboard solo: "Ladies and gentlemen, MR. Jordan Rudess!" Exellent keyboard solo!

Only a Matter of Time: Along with TOT, James' best performance here.

Goodnight Kiss/Solitary Shell: Exellent, yet again, one of James's bets peroformances.

Stream of Consciousness: Great instrumental!

Disappear: Better than the "Six..." version!

Pull Me Under: Do I need to say anything here?

In the Name of God: And now the grand finale! IT was absolutely amazing! The added solo at the end was brilliant! I did the hand swinging along with the crowd ;).

On to disc 2:

It gives a documentary of the band's tour. IT's great to watc, and has a hilarious moment: When LaBrie was getting his voice in shape, John P. and Jordan tried to sing to! "Did I mention... YEAH!"

There is also the intro tape, which is what they played at the start of each show on tour.

There are John P. and Jordan's setups, which ARE indeed interesting.

There's Mike's killer drum solo.

And there's a multi-angle lense of "Instrumedley".

All in all, it is a must for ALL DT fans.

I think this DVD is fantastic. This live performance is one the best i've seen. The music turns from heavy and angry to soft and melodic. The production is superb, the audio is great and the songs are played without a mistake. Once again these guys prove that they are amazing players. Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung are awesome with their instruments. LaBrie is singing better and more controlled than in previous tours. I give a 4 star rating because the song list it's a bit disapointing, it could have been better. But, if you are a die hard fan, get this DVD! It's a must.

Simply amazing... the multi-angle view of Instrumedley on the bonus disc is worth nearly the price of admission... but there are hidden pieces of astounding talent on display throughout the entire DVD... I don't think Dream Theater knows how to play something that's just nice, short, sweet, and simple. They pride themselves on pushing the boundaries, and they do so brilliantly in nearly every tune they compose! Overall this is a MUST OWN for any prog rock fan, any shred fan, any musician who plays guitar, bass, drums, or keyboard, or fan of those instruments.

My only complaint is that the guys aren't the most entertaining in the world. To some that's a complement: "shut up and play." But if I have to fish around for a complaint, that would be it. Otherwise this DVD is simply mind boggling.

I ordered the new DT weeks ago and spend the last few days basically waiting by the mail box. It arrived yesterday and then everything went on hold so I could watch the concert in it's entirety. And was it worth the wait? You bet. It's all I expected and then some. All the band members are in super form and there is simple not another band in the world that contains such a wealth of musical talent. Guitar, drums, keys and bass are all just jawdroppingly amazing and James never sung better. In the past he sometimes struggled with the higher notes and tended to scream rather than sing. No such problems here. If loud or with feeling, he is spot on. Song selection is superb. Some people might miss the odd track, but considering how many great songs they have, the concert should be 8 hours long to cover only the greatest of them all. Highlights? Everything from minute 1 to minute 172 and I am overwhelmed with the inclusion of my favorite DT song "trial of tears".

Visually they've done a world class job. Lighting is not over the top, the band always clear to see and the mix is the best I've ever seen on a concert DVD with the cameras always picking up the soloists without ignoring the others. Sound is also great apart from that glitch in "new millenium". Some may complain about the crowd noise being too loud as they did with "Rush in Rio", but believe me, it is just perfect.

Enough said. No go and get your copy, if you havn't already done it. This is a must have for everyone who likes to see and hear music played to perfection.

Do these guys every stop getting better? I've been a Dream Theater fan since I heard "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory." This band is utterly amazing. The technical brilliance of this band is not of this world. The sheer power and beauty of their music lies within the hands and hearts of four memebers: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, John Myung, and Jordan Rudess. James LaBrie's singing, in my opinion, is just a diversion. NO OFFENSE TO ANYONE WHO LIKES JAMES!!!! I like his singing, but I think he's there to satisfy those fans who believe you must have vocals in the music for it to be music. Oh, how stupid people are.....just kidding!

Anyway, on with the review of this concert DVD. This DVD absolutely smokes!!!! From start to finish, this DVD is jaw-dropping. I think the whole concert is very well done and put together. The audio and video are tight. Very crisp picture and audio. Good seperation of the instruments, which I'm very happy about.

The content of this DVD are also something that any DT fan should get excited about. One true highlight for me was the "Instrumedley," which absolutely blew me away. Dream Theater are probably one of the best bands I've ever heard. I mean I rank them up there with other progressive giants like Genesis, Yes, and King Crimson. These guys can pull out all the stops in the studio and live. They are a fantastic live band.

The bonus material is also worth watching. There is a very cool documentary of the band on tour in Japan. John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, and Jordan Rudess take us into their worlds and show their equipment setup. There's also an interesting video history of the band that takes us back to the beginning where it all began!

This DVD is inspiring and at the same time makes me realize that these musicians are some of the best in the world and anyone who don't know who they are need to pick this DVD up.