2006 was definitely the year of the "rock band meets orchestra" concert DVD. Three of my top ten concert DVDs of 2006 featured rock bands performing live with a full orchestra. Obviously, I have not been able to see all of the good ones, but here are my ten favorite concert DVDs of 2006:
1. Collective Soul - Home: After being blown away by these guys at an outdoor festival last summer, way more than I expected to be, Collective Soul went out and released one of the most charming concert DVDs that I have ever seen. Teamed up with the marvelous Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, the band runs through 20 of their biggest hits and betters each and every one of them along the way. Don't miss this one.
2. Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere...: There is no hiding it, Porcupine Tree is my current favorite band. Porcupine who, you say? I'll pretend I didn't even hear that. Just check 'em out. This was my most anticipated DVD of the year, and Arriving Somewhere... delivers. If you want to hear one of the best DTS mixes ever, look no further than this baby, because Steve Wilson outdid himself once again. The director got a little bit carried away with all of the artsy-fartsy post-production trickery, for my taste, but the magic of a live Porcupine Tree show still manages to shine through brightly.
3. Dream Theater - Score (20th Anniversary World Tour): I didn't have the highest of expectations for this DVD. Dream Theater used to be my favorite prog-metal band, by far, but have taken a slight turn for the worse going into this new century. When I saw that the setlist weighed heavily on the band's last three mediocre albums, and ignored many of their best songs, I just figured that I was going to be let down once again. Oh yeah, and a progressive metal band jamming with a symphony orchestra? Well, to my pleasant surprise, this DVD kicks some serious ass. The orchestra complimented the music wonderfully, and album-length epics like "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence" and "Octavarium", which never really did much for me before, were simply knockouts here.
![Whitesnake - Live in the Still of the Night [DVD]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61T6WD5QN1L._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
Great Review...I definitely have to check out the Styx,Porcupine Tree & Gary Moore DVDs. As for Dream Theater, I would love to watch it but I think for their 20th year anniversary they should've done a Metropolis pt.2 concert w/ the orchestra. I am still sad that I missed the Orpheum date here in Boston. Pink Floyd's Division Bell still has to be my all-time favorite CD from them so here comes more cake out of my wallet for Pulse...
2 - duane
Porcupine Tree is one of my favorites, as well. Glad to hear that they can deliver live.
For us ignoramuses (or maybe I'm the only one), what is DTS?
3 - Brian aka Guppusmaximus
DTS is and was very similiar to Dolby as they are a company that engineers audio technolgy. DTS builds decoders that are the standard for any Surround Sound system but they cover more than that:Click Here
4 - Paul Roy
Duane, following up what Brian said, most better concert DVDs come with a DTS audio track and it is usually the superior sounding mix. You need a surround sound amplifier that has a DTS decoder, which most do now, in order to play that track. It stands for Digital Theater System
5 - duane
Thanks, gents. Guess I'll have to break down one of these days and buy a surround sound system.
6 - D'oh
WHAT?
No R30?
philistines...
7 - An Angry Citizen
Awesome! I have Porcupine Tree and Score, and both are unbelievable. I think One Cold Winter's Night by the band Kamelot should be mentioned. It is just as good as Score and Arriving Somewhere.
8 - Paul Roy
Hey D'oh, Rush R30 was released in late 2005 and was #4 on my 2005 Top Ten list.
Angry Citizen, I've heard a lot of great things about the Kamelot DVD, I just haven't had the chance to check it out yet. Thanks.
9 - D'oh
My bad, Paul. I didn't even see the disc until early '06, dopey of me not to have checked.
You earn extra bonus points for having the date right and putting it in your review for the proper year.
Rock on!
10 - Mike
Paul,
Great job all the way around, and you're review of Dream Theater may have swayed my turning away from that band. I'll check that DVD out for sure. I completely agree that Porcupine Tree's 'Arriving Somewhere' is a monster. Loved that band since Stupid Dream! Nice Job!
Peace!
11 - Paul Roy
Thanks Mike. Yeah, definately check out the Dream Theater DVD. It is worth it just to hear the previously unreleased epic "Raise The Knife", which was recorded during the Falling Into Infinity sessions, as well as obscure gems like "Another One" from their Majesty days.
12 - Fag
Uncle Meat.