When the band returns for an encore there is a ton of excitement and anticipation in the air. The crowd cheers wildly in the darkened hall, as only traces of light register from the orchestra. Finally, Portnoy opens with a hi-hat pattern and the string section executes the opening chords to "Metropolis." When Petrucci fires off the first chugging guitar chords of the song, the strobe lights synch perfectly to his riff.
The performance is, of course, killer, but as they stood together taking their bow after the show, I was left thinking, "Where was 'Take The Time,' 'Pull Me Under,' and 'Learning To Live?'" Maybe an old medley like Rush did on their 35th Anniversary Tour and what they sort of did with "Instrumedley" at the Budokan would have been appropriate here.
Dream Theater has certainly scored again with the production quality of this DVD. The widescreen picture is simply stunning, capturing the performance with vivid detail, color, and depth. The camera production is first-rate, presenting every possible angle you could ask for while making you forget you are only watching a video.
There are plenty of great close-ups of each musician working their magic on their instruments, but I would have enjoyed a few more of the longer shots of the entire stage to balance things out. Split screen shots are also used on a few occasions to great effect.
The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound audio track is very sharp and spacious and provides an excellent mix of band and orchestra. A slightly weak bass mix is my only minor complaint. I found the drum and bass mix on the Budokan DVD slightly better overall, but this is still one of the better sounding DD 5.1 tracks you are likely to hear this year. The potent PCM stereo track has no such problems and is easily one of the best I have heard in a while.
The Bonus Material is also impressive. "The Score So Far..." is a fascinating 56-minute documentary which takes you back to the birth of the band and progresses up through their entire career, as described by current and former members of the band.
Charlie Dominici and Derek Sherinian took part in the interviews, but it was a shame that Kevin Moore wasn't involved. Most of the interviews took place at the Berklee College of Music, as Petrucci, Portnoy, and Myung reminisced about the good old days.
Article comments
1 - Lee
Nice review, it's an 18 string not a 12 string though!
2 - Tony
The most technically proficient band to grace the planet earth, of course the new dvd was amazing.
3 - Nicholas
"Dream Theater was everything I had been waiting for in a band - the progressive grandeur of Yes, the power and intensity of Metallica, the melodic charm of Boston, and the instrumental virtuosity of Rush."
Give yourself a hand, that is poetry.
4 - greenblob
ok..
call me stupid.. call me naive.. but i had never listened to Dream Theater before..
im a big fan (and player) of tech metal like Cynic, Death, Athiest..
bought this dvd.. and damn...
what a show.. not the kind of vocals im used to, but damn that guy can sing.. as for the rest of the band.. wow...
i agree, the PCM 2 chan mix is great.. much better than many many others i have heard on main stream dvd releases..
awesome review man.. it pretty much sums up the dvd.. guessing i'll be a late comer to join the dream theater bandwagon. will have to buy "images and words" in the coming days..
sorry.. a long post... but i'm just damn impressed by this..
blob..
5 - Paul Roy
Welcome to the club greenblob. Dream Theater has always enjoyed good crossover appeal, which is why they can more than hold their own with the likes of Megadeth and Fear Factory on a mostly thrash metal tour like Gigantour, while at the same time not being entirely out of place opening for Yes.
6 - Nicolas Salas
Hi..... Jordan Rudess has the best style from dream theater....... derek sherinian its the worst thing that ever hapened to dream theater
7 - mascha
yup, derek sherinian its the worst
8 - Tumpal
I have no problem whatsoever concerning this album, the set list is simply acceptable. And thats what Dream Theater is all about: Simply the best band one the surface of the world up to the stratosphere.
9 - davo
Kevin moore is better than rudess, he does wonders in Images and words. Although rudess is awesome, they should get all the guys back together for a jam sesh. Any ideas as to why they fired Dominici in the early stages?