THE ART OF LIVE

This CD ranks much better than the DVD (which suffered from poor production and some crazy videography choices). But it says something that the best moments here are from songs created more than a decade earlier while the newer songs pale in comparison.

Basically the 80 minutes here are divided into three parts: 1) Tribe songs 2) earlier QR songs and 3) a two-song rockestra featuring QR and Dream Theater. The first section is exactly what you'd think it would be with pedestrian versions of pedestrian songs (only the stellar opener Tribe works really well). The second section offers great acoustic versions of the underrated My Global Mind and Roads To Madness - both work exceptionally well and are highlights of the disc. ANother highlight is the only live version available of one of my favorite QR songs, Anybody Listening.

The third section is historical because it teams two of prog-metals pioneers. Surprisingly both songs are rendered in exciting fashion with the musicians obviously enjoying the moment. Portnoy and Rockingfield take turns banging out the drum solo from Won't Get Fooled Again in glorios fashion. I only wish they had chosen different songs. When I saw this show in Atlanta they played the quintessential verison of the QR song Real World and followed it with the DT song Through Her Eyes. While I like Comfortably Numb and WGFA I would have preferred these QR / DT originals.

All in all not bad...but probably only for QR devotees.