LIVE AT BUDOKAN

Fantastic! I've been a Dream Theater fan for quite some time now, and I've seen countless video bootlegs of their performances, and I've always thought - "Wow! That's just amazing". When watching the 'Live Scenes From New York' DVD, I was amazed at how spot-on everything was, and how James Labrie hit ALL those high notes etc., but 'LIVE AT BUDOKAN' just leaves me breathless.

I was more amazed at the quality of the video AND audio. The band took with them, HD (High Definition) Cameras to Japan, and you can certainly tell! The result is cinema movie quality video, and well, as far as the audio is concerned, it is second to none. It sounds so clean, almost like the songs were on the studio albums, yet, with that ever- present live feel.

The band never do anything that you can call ordinary, and this DVD is definately no exception! The 8 minute Instrumental section in 'Beyond This Life', dubbed the 'Frank Zappa Jam' is just mindblowing - with yet another amazing John Petrucci guitar solo, and a call-and-response section between Jordan Rudess (Keyboard) and Mike Portnoy (Drums) is one of the highlights. Another is the extended version of 'Hollow Years', the studio version of which, is not all that good in my opinion, but this version is just great! One of the most emotional guitar solos you will ever encounter is present here, and for a semi-improvised solo (hell, for ANY solo) it just knocks the wind out of you! (I can tell you, seeing them play this live earlier on this year was just as amazing). And then we come onto the 'Instrumedley', which combines the band's instrumental songs, along with some instrumental sections from their other songs. If for nothing else, you should buy the DVD for this - it is pure genious, and the transitions between the different songs is seamless, and leaves you wondering, "When did this song start?!"

The only negative thing I could find on this DVD is the 'Jordan Rudess Piano Solo', which isn't bad or anything, it just breaks up the fluidity of the concert, and is not really necessary.

The features on the second DVD are also a great addition. The Japanese Tour Documentary gives fans a big insight into the daily routine of the band, and the sections with the 'Instrumedley Multiangle' allows the viewer to watch only one of the band members throughout the Intrumedley, so you can view the virtuocity of each one separately! There is also a drum solo performed with a random member of the crowd, which is a nice sight.

The DVD features atleast one song from every previously released Dream Theater album, and is a masterpiece! Buy it now!