DREAM THEATER - SCORE: 20TH ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR LIVE WITH THE OCTAVARIUM ORCHESTRA

WOW, what an incredible performance Here in Monterrey Mexico, it was released a week before it sould be released, and I buyed it, I invite a friend of mine, who is also a DT fan, we lock all the doors, turn off all the lights, and prepare for this special moment, I saw it in its entirety and WOW, incredible peformance from each member, especially Labrie who hit all the notes, the definition is quite all right, also what a well-made setlist, it inlcudes songs from all the DT carreer including Another Won, from the majesty demos, and raise the knife an unreleased track, inocence faded is a highlight, especially for Labrie. The orchestra is very nice, it fit in every second of the 2nd set, it isnt that complex but the arrangements are good enough to make the song special, Overture is the better one with orchestra, same with Metropolis and Octavarium, I was really waiting for this DVD, since they anounced it, and it really worth the waiting, and the money, from the 5 DT dvds, this is the greatest one for me, the 2nd disc is also very nice, the animation and the bounes tracks, same with the 1-hour documentary. Every DT fan and prog-rock fan should include this one in your music DVDs, you better go the 29th to the store and buy it, it will worth.

Finally got my hands on SCORE!

And, dude, is it a hell of a show...

The image and sound are better than on the Live at Budokan. The setlist is flawless and historical (at least one song from every album they released this far), its execution is flawless too. James Labrie shines like he never did before, and, well, you know what the four others can do!Well, the first half of the show is quite classical, well done and all, but the real treat is the second half of it.

And YES, they did it. A full 30-people symphonic orchestra, led by Jamshied Sharifi, to wander with the band in the Dream Theater universe. Many will be disappointed, as the rock+orchestra formula has already been tried, and most of the time, failed. But beware, you guys, Dream Theater's not the average band, and whatever they intended to perform here, the result is simply overwhelming.

First, we have the longest DT epic to date, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, perform as a whole (the 8 original tracks aren't even separated on the dvd, it's just ONE song). Once again : AWESOME. Just listen to what Rudess, Portnoy and Sharifi did to Overture, and you'll understand : this is not just about performing DT's music with some orchestra things in the background. THIS IS PURE OSMOSIS. The arrangements are over the top, the playing is great, and moreover, the band, which could have been terrified by this, seems actually to have a great time, all smiling and looking at the crowd or at each other.

The tension goes off for a bit after this 40+ min long epic, with two smooth and relaxing songs, Vacant and The Answer Lies Within. Note that TALW was nearly never played live during the tour, so to have it played here, on dvd, along with the orchestra, is a beautiful surprise. Sacrificed Sons is played then, with some footage from 9/11 displayed on the screens to accompany the samples that introduce the song. Once again it's the real deal : the song is done perfectly, with its wonderful instrumental part rendered very nicely. The audience screams loudly at the end, knowing that the MONSTER ONE is coming right next.

Octavarium. The pinnacle of DT's music, the one epic that truly shows the variety, the technical proficiency and songwriting ability of the band. Truly a great moment on the moment, and a awesome performing live (I saw the band when they toured in France last October). But here, in this 30-minute, intense and explosive version, the song blows your head off like nothing else. I can't say enough about this true masterpiece of progressive metal - just watch it, just watch this splendid Royal City Music Hall, NY, watch the crowd and the band having one of the most incredible moment of their lives. Passionate, true and memorable.

The encore consists solely of a lone song, but what song : Metropolis pt.I, THE DT classic par excellence! Nothing to add here, as everybody here already know this prog metal anthem from Images and Words. The orchestra is, as ever, perfectly accompanying the band during the instrumental part, never too much, never too less, it fits just nicely to the music.

Just a word over the bonuses : the three bonus tracks are IMHO quite unnecessary at this point, but will surely please the hardcore, never-enough fan of DT. Then we have the One- hour long documentary, explaining mostly ALL of DT's history, a really nice piece of musical history is told here, and the rare footages from the Majesty era are really fun to discover.

At this point, I guess I just have to conclude this long review, by rating (finally!) the SCORE dvd.

I understand that some may just "like" DT once in a while, or even hate them. In this case, retain one or two stars from the 5 STARS RATING I'm giving to what is to me the best band in the world nowadays.

A long wait it has been since April 1st, but it was worth it. 5/5.

Val

PS : sorry to have already put this all for the cd review... Just been a bit carried on ^^

What else can I say besides that it is a testament to live albums. You may see the setlist and think "What? Why are they playing those songs? I prefer to hear ____" Well believe me, once you pop in the DVD/CD. It won't matter anymore. DReam Theater puts on an unbeliveable show. Every band member is just SOLID. The riffs sound ranchy, the solos sound crisp, James' voice soars. The only minor gripe of this DVD is at brief times the orchestry will sound a little iffy. But overall, they do a great job. But of course, DT, what really matters, does AMAZING. It's really cool to see all the songs from each album collaberate so well in 1 show. Then you have the awesome bonus features: An entertaining and informing hour long documentary, 3 songs never seen on DVD, and that neat Octavarium animation that you probably saw in concert!!! Not only is this Dream Theater's best live album, its one of the best live albums of all time. If you don't own this by now. Go get it. I'm not kidding! Go on!

This is, for me, the first time that I can "scan" a Dream Theater's work. After a few minutes "The Gates of Paradise" opened in front of my eyes and ears. One questions: where I was for all this time? The music is strong, sweet, prog, rock classical... and so on. The show was incredible, the drums is played very very strong in a perfect solo line. The bass is a carpet where you can "see" the chords of the guitar. The incredible keyboards are another carpet for all the band and, finally, we have the clear voice of James. What can I say more? Everyone should have this DVD.

Dream Theater has outdone themselves once again. Usually after a band's been around for 20+ years one would figure a band has worn out its welcome. This cannot be further from the truth with Dream Theater, especially after seeing the absolutley incredible DVD "Score" Live at Radio City. Labrie sounds bettter than ever, and Portnoy has proven to be an architectural wizard when it comes to originality. "Score" is not a recycled track list. Instead, it has a freshness to it, just like Budokan has. "Score" isn't nearly as heavy nor progressive as the Budokan Concert, but in many ways it is better. First off the PCM stereo option is flat out kick ass. The sound quality is truly sick!!! If you have an HDTV, this is the concert for you. The classic tracks from the "Majesty" days and WDADU was at first a dissapointment, but I've never garnered the respect for DT's older stuff like I have now. "Raise The Knife" was a nice surprise, considering I had never heard it before. Not to mention it is a total slam in the face to Ex-Keyboardist Kevin Moore. Listen to the lyrics carefully, and you'll see what I mean. "Under a Glass Moon, Sacrificed Sons and Metroplis" all kicked total ass, as to be expected. The higlights of the show were the two epics "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" and of course their most recent masterpiece "Octavarium" which has quickly become a fan favorite. Just wait until you see this song live, it is truly on an epic scale. The last 4 minutes of "Octavarium" is the most inspirational section of music I've ever heard in any song!!!! "Score" isn't without it's flaws. First off is the microphone feedback. Every so often you'd hear a loud buzzing sound during important parts of certain songs, and it really hinders from the emotions one would feel while watching a paticular song. Secondly is the "DT drown out affect"? Another words, Dream Theater is simply more talented than the orchestra can ever dream of, and actually outshines the orchestra in many aspects, especially during "Six Degrees." Overall the addition of an orchestra was an interesting touch, but not as effective as it could've or should've been. However, they sounded great on Octavarium , and especially Metropolis which was a great way to finish out the set list. The crowd went absolutley berzerk when Metropolis was played, and is one of the greatest sights in any Dt concert. What really sets this dvd over the top is the bonus features, especially the wonderful documentary. The bonus tracks are a nice touch, but the sound quality isn't nearl as good, which is to be expected. Overall I'd give this concert a 4 1/2, but since I can't I must give it a 4!!! Pop in this dvd, and fall into infinity with Dream Theater. Enjoy!!!!!

Dream Theater is one of those bands that are constantly out doing themselves. every time they release a new live performance you can see the improvement. If you thought that these guys couldn't get any better, you might want to sit down for this dvd. The real kickers are six degrees of inner turbulence (the best song in teh world btw) and octavarium. The orchestra adds so much to both of these songs, that were already masterpieces without. If you had to get one dt album, get this, as it covers SOME of the hightlights of their career so far. (of course i'd recommend getting all the dt albums, but hey, who am i?)

Much can be argued for as well as against the group Dream Theater, but I pray at least one observation can be displayed irrefutably, and that's simple: they put on terrific live performances. Regardless of how many censurers maintain that this band releases far too many live albums, because I'll agree, their quantity of live releases is abundant, but I am in no way saying that is a bad thing. When an ensemble takes so much devotion and sounds and looks so superlative when playing live, I am of the opinion that they should exhibit their faculties openly and without worry of copious discharging. Of course, many might name me biased, which, in truth, I suppose I am. Since I first heard Dream Theater in late 2003, I've grown fonder and fonder of them. I've felt sorrow for not coming upon them sooner, making it just three years shy of their twentieth anniversary tour, but at the same time it was out of my control; I could neither progress my musical penchant into flourishing nor could I have had any more of a handle over my tastes when they finally decided to climax. In any case, I don't wish to dwell on when or how or where I found Dream Theater, but rather have myself and my readers agree universally that I consider myself to be a pledged adherent and have been since I first heard "Images and Words" and "Train of Thought," which were my the first albums of their [Dream Theater] collection, although the latter never really grew on me as much as others. I support them in every decision they make, regardless of my personal issues with them, and it thrills me to see how spirited they are twenty years after the start of an epoch of majesty (pardon the pun); heartily live Mike, John, John, James and Jordan, for their entire splendor and the music they create hereafter.

My apologies for the rant, but it happens when I'm discussing music . . .

On this DVD, the avid fan will find most of everything he - or she - is looking for: starting with the band's one-hour documentary titled, "The Score So Far," which chronicles the group's commencement as well as the hardships faced throughout the twenty years of their involvement, concluding with the show in New York City, at the Radio City Music Hall, which, I gather, is quite the legendary venue. Watching this documentary, I fell in love with the guys all over again; I knew most of the story of how they got started, who came and who left, but I never knew how dramatic it'd been, or how close it was that Dream Theater never even existed. Call me a drama queen, but it's how I felt while watching it. Although it's an hour, and I wish it really was longer, I felt I grew closer to the three central pillars that began this journey over twenty years ago, Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci and John Myung, the drummer, guitarist and bass guitarist of Dream Theater. It was a sad tale of an ambitious group of musicians whose original dream was about wanting to simply play the music. It escalated, I figured, into wanting to share their music with the world, until finally they grew to one of the top Progressively-oriented ensemble known in the world today. I suppose it's natural to describe these guys as "overrated," but not without cause, because they have earned it fully with their blood and tears put into the process. With me on my soapbox a few more moments, Dream Theater is the group that were I more interested in the art of music, I'd aspire to become one of the five, whether my interests lay in strings, keys, drums or vocals. It pains me worse that I don't show more of an aspiration to become a musician, even though I know it'd be damn find to play like John Petrucci or Mike Portnoy, or John Myung or Jordan Rudess; and it'd be equally invigorating to know I possessed the status of vocalism that James LaBrie carries, but in saddening conclusion, I don't. I'd love to play but I never see myself doing it, as if actually learning just wouldn't be worth it at this point, me pressing on being twenty years old. All the stories I hear of musicians who preserved throughout their lives, they began playing at ages five or six, or eight or night; they didn't pick up a guitar five months shy of their twentieth birthday, did they? Sure, they may be some, but the entire process gives me a bloody headache, so let's move on . . .

As said, the hour-long documentary archives how the band progressed from day-job delivery men to pinnacles of Progressive music and idols for millions across the globe. It's a spiritual journey, watching this documentary, and any appreciative fan of Dream Theater should find it somewhere and watch it. These guys aren't immortal, or superheroes; they aren't gods, musical or otherwise, and they can't set objects aflame simply by staring at them; they're normal people like you, or me, and their story is worth being heard, especially if the listener cares a lick about music. I suggest you find it, but do what you will.

Other features include three bonus live tracks never shown on previous DVDs. Filmed from Tokyo to Bucharest to Chicago, the three songs ("Another Day," "The Great Debate" and "Honor Thy Father") are all a great addition to this DVD, though the sound and video quality, as already stated in another review, is considerably lower; not so low, however, that you can't enjoy it. Just don't play it with the expectation you're about to watch "Live at Budokan," or the like.

I believe that sums up the bonus features of this DVD, but before I leave let's go over the concert itself: obviously I won't delve track-by-track as of yet, as I'm making a special effort later to review the CD set of this same concert, but I wanted to say a few things regarding issues that only the video format can tackle - starting with number one: the cinematography is yet again a spectacle to observe. The angles shot of each member of the band are beautiful and I can only imagine being on the cutting room floor, deciding which shots to use and which to throw out, because I know full well how hard it can be to not use an important shot that may - or may not - tell a further story and accentuate a member's enjoyment, so my hats off to Chris Osterhus and, I expect also, Mike Portnoy (if he did, in fact, contribute to the editing), for doing such an amazing job with this performance. Many might not be able to see it, but what's given cinematographically determines a lot of the mood when actually watching a concert onscreen, as opposed to simply listening to it in a discman or car stereo. It's a difficult task and I'd just like to express my appreciation for doing such a terrific job, is all. Not enough reviewers truly thank the artists behind the screen, who help bring the picture to life.

Furthermore, the stage was amazing. The set didn't look much different than previous ones you guys have worked with, but during the second set with the orchestra, the entire stage was just awe-inspiring to witness. I, unfortunately, wasn't at the Radio City Music Hall, but I was one of the ill-fated souls who paid to see you guys in Salt Lake City, Utah, that ended in heartbreak when you guys couldn't make it due to bad weather. Hopefully, with your next tour, you'll be able to stop by and put on a great show, as I'm sure it would've been similar had you guys been able to arrive. And two: the lighting and visuals were well placed and shot, and performed throughout the night they were incredible. Watching your shows only makes me that much more envious of all those who have been present at your tapings, being able to observe the grandeur.

Highlighted songs of the night, for me, were: "Afterlife," "Innocence Faded," "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," which was the height, I thought, of the orchestra's participation, even though it would've been regal to see them perform more extensively throughout the rest of the show; ibid, "The Answer Lies Within," "Octavarium" and "Metropolis" were outstandingly engaged.

As already mentioned, the entire show was extraordinary. More and more watching it, I have long enjoyed "Live at Budokan" more than much of your previous scores, but "Score," I think, has come running a close second, and I have only seen it all the way through once thus far. When given time, I expect I'll come to enjoy "Score" advanced from any others.

In short, I recommend this to any listener of Progressive rock, metal, and so forth; though, I should warn you that it's much more passionate if you're familiar with their songs, otherwise the emotional material of this DVD will likely just go wasted. At any rate, I think "Score" is the performance worthy of an aficionado's two-and-a-half hours.

This is a culmination of 20 years of this era's most recognizable progressive band. THE band that every other progressive metal band is measured against. SCORE is broken into 2 parts. The first DT only section and the second with DT being accompanied by a live orchestra for portions of their songs. In my opinion, DT could have done without the orchestra but props to them for trying something different. Their music is so lush they don't need an orchestra. For me the orchestra could have been better, but from what I've read, the orchestra had one day with DT before SCORE was recorded. For something as important as the bands 20th year celebration, I would have hoped they would have spent more time polishing this performance with the orchestra but that didn't happen. Everyone knows DT had a VERY busy touring schedule before this concert but couldn't they have spent more time up front getting it right?

Besides the orchestra, you have to be in awe of DT's performance. Petrucci and Rudess are spot on. I am very hard pressed to find any band performance as tight as theirs. James has been ridiculed for some time now about his performances but I'm very impressed with his performance on SCORE. I don't know if he's being autotuned/overdubbed or not, he's rarely sounded as good as he does on Score. As for John's and Mike's performances, flawless.

The magnitude of this over 3 hour performance is incredible. The set truly spans the bands 20 year past. I really enjoyed hearing 6DOIT in its entirety as well. DT can do it all and they prove in this live performance that it's not studio tricks. They are the real deal and they are here to stay. Any band that can stay together for 20 years has accomplished a lot and DT seem to just be beginning as it seems their fan base just continues to grow worldwide and I can understand why with performances such as SCORE.

In closing, I would have enjoyed hearing what the orchestra could have done better with more time and planning. I think I might have enjoyed the second portion more without the orchestra but I consider the orchestra addition as icing on the DT cake.

4.5 stars rounded up. ;)

This is definately a must have for any prog metal fan. Fisrt of all, one of the most interesting setlist ever performed with such a great energy, like the concert opening with the excelent The Root of All Evil, the incredible 26-minutes epic, Octavarium and the concert closing song, Metropolis. The band sound so great on this show, even Labrie don't miss one note, with the best keyboards and guitar solos ever performed by DT. And with the orchestra, it gives an other sound to their music, which is pretty good.

Looking at the bonus disc, the documentary is pretty interesting, with Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung visiting the Berklee College Of Music and explaining how Majesty had been created. Also in the documentary, some rare footage of the band in 1986, interviews with former members Charlie Dominici and Derek Sherinian about their experiences in the band and the complete story of Dream Theater (exept the fact that they skipped the A Change of Seasons part). Bonus tracks are not bad, but I would have prefered is there was some song of the 94 to 98 era.

My overall rating is definately a five star.

This DVD is by far the best that DT have released (so far). I've seen them live a few times and have every release and by now I was getting tired of hearing "Pull me under" for the 27th time. One of the reasons that this live album pleases me so much is the fact that it consists of more than a few songs that haven't been released on previous live albums (or even released at all). Secondly, I think the orchestra sometimes give songs a real extra touch. The intro to "6 degrees" for example was a part that I disliked on the studio- version, but now that it's performed by an orchestra, it's a whole lot better. Another thing that I noticed was Labrie: I think there never was a live release where he sings better. And of course the rest of the band is awesome as always. In that way I can assure that this registration gives a very realistic insight to a DT show: what you see is what you get! As far as the bonus material is concerned, I think it's a worthy addition to this release. Most of it can certainly be watched more than once. (Other groups usually add interviews or a silly road-documentary that I can hardly bear watching even once...)

All in all, it's an excellent addition to the DT catalogue, it surpasses "Budokan" and "Live scenes" by far. Rating live albums is so difficult: it's not a classic that you can't do without, but it's an excellent release, so I'll give it 4 stars...

PS: if you didn't like DT before, you will certainly not become a fan by this release. But to everyone that likes DT a bit, I can highly recommend this one!

I noticed that Dream Theater are geat at putting diverse songs together live and making them fit the entire show as a whole. The "Budokan" DVD shows this to great effect, especially considering the number of "Train of Thought" songs on that program. I mention TOT as some have ripped on the album yet have nothing but kind things to say about Live at Budokan.

Similarly, Score has a winning overall sound, this time focusing on the Octavarium album. Again, many had mixed feelings about Octavarium upon it's release, but it's heavily covered in set one, the band only set, and finishing with Sacrificed Sons and Octavarium. This is the band and orchestral set and I can't think of a better ending.

I've long felt James LaBrie was the weak part of DT, but have changed my mind within the last few years. His performance on Score is electrifying. We expect this from Portnoy, Myung, Pettrucci and Rudess, and they shine on Score; in fact, it as if they've answered everyone that considered them great and considered them just "ok" by letting out a performance that will be hard to top. Also, they proved how great the songs from Octavarium were.

To those looking to the past, there were plenty songs there; from their 80s roots (and when you watch the 2nd disc and hear the Majesty sound vs what Dream Theater circa 2006 do to their catalog, you won't help but be somewhat amazed.)

Of course, the composition most speak of is the suite, "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence." Perhaps this is the best the orchestra plays, although Overature is a bit sloppy. Instead, it is as the work progresses and arrangements double Pettrucci's guitar work or play counterpoint to Rudess' keyboards that the concept really takes off. For me, I think it's best observed on the title suite of Octavarium. Whatever I think, you will find your favorite parts based on your favorite songs and their execution. This much is sure; I prefer this to YES' orchestral tour, and I had been waiting for many of the YES songs to be treated to that kind of arrangement. Also, there is a good but difficult to please number of songs representing Dream Theater's career. Let's be honest - 20 years is a long time and this tour basically still supports Octavarium, so all things considered, the choices are good and more important, fit well with the rest of the concert.

I think Dream Theater do more with the orchestra and are not at all cheesy as many artists sometimes get in musical situations like this. Also, the orchestral arrangments compliment the band's technical capabilities.

Lastly, John Myung owns the bass on this concert. He is astonishingly accurate on the technical stuff but plays tremendously well on the simple things like short improvised fills and by keeping the band together - and doing so without being a showboat kind of player like Chris Squire. Watch the 2nd disc's history. It's one of the more sincere documentaries I've seen, spoken by articulate artists with egos firmly in check.

With this DVD, DREAM THEATER are getting closer and closer to RUSH for most live albums/bootlegs, etc. I'll go ahead and say that this is the best I have ever heard James LaBrie sound, and that helps a lot. He's on key, and doesn't have near the annoyance in his voice that he has on other live works.

I'm not all too thrilled about the use of the orchestra. I didn't care for it when Deep Purple used one, I didn't care when Metallica used one, and I certainly don't care for it now. The idea itself is cheesy and dumb as bricks. You wouldn't go see a symphony in your local town and want to hear some guy widdle on his guitar and more or less destroy the beauty of the symphony. Maybe a lot of bands and fans think it's cool, and that's why every single rock band in the known world wants to use one.

Enough ranting, this is by far the best DT live effort. The members are spot on and I love some of the song selections, like UAGM, Raise the Knife, and the extra Another Day, which was always one of my favorite tracks of yore from when they used guest SPYRO GYRA's sax great Jay Beckenstein. This would be a two starrer, becuase let's face it, only DT fans will really be interested, but I opted for 3 because it is the best DVD they have to offer.

I'm gonna try to be honest here.

This is one hell of a live DVD. Every single thing about it is everything you could ask for in a DVD. Fantastic production, amazing setlist, entertaining documentary and other special features. As has been mentioned before, LaBrie shines here more than he has in past; i.e., he doesn't sound bad, really. At any point. Which is cool.

That being said, I prefer Budokan. I'm really not sure why. I mean that honestly. Something about Budokan's production is just better in my book. I also think that the difference in setlists contributes to that. Budokan's setlist was about as incredible as you could get. Perfection. The setlist for Score is a great concept, but I think it falls short for me. I thought it was absolutely incredible to see Under A Glass Moon and Innocence Faded on there. Would never have guessed it, and beyond pleasantly surprised. Yet, I don't think Raise the Knife and Another Won were necessary. Afterlife, I'm in the middle on.

And Vacant? I mean, it sounds fantastic. Don't get me wrong. But that as Train of Thought's representation in Dream Theater's catalogue? Not sure about that.

Now, for the unbelievably good parts. The selection off Octavarium is righteous. I have nothing to complain about there. The song Octavarium is about as mind-blowing as you can get. Sacrificed Sons could bring tears to my eyes. And Root of All Evil opens the concert with more than a bang.

But, for me, the best part was the inclusion of the entirety of my favorite Dream Theater song: Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. I mean... wow. Wow. Come on. With an orchestra. I mean wow. There's nothing to say. If you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking about. 42 minutes of bliss.

All in all, however, I can't give it more than three. I gave Budokan four, and to put this on the same page as Budokan (for me) is impossible. Can't give either a 5: can't force Dream Theater on anyone, and a live DVD can't really be a 5 (for me). I give it three because Dream Theater fans MUST own this. That just goes without saying. Want to get to know Dream Theater? Eh. Starting here COULD be a good idea, but I'm not so sure. I'd go with the albums first. Maybe Metropolis or something to that effect. But this DVD, in many ways, is fantastic just the same.

One Score and zero years ago, a band named Majesty (in reference to Rush's "Bastille Day") was formed. Twenty years later, the same band now named Dream Theater graces listeners with the most amazing music man could possibly listen to.

Score is perfect in every way. It has the most balanced sound any listener could ever hope for from a live recording. The bass is punchy and still cuts through the rest of the band during louder more metal parts, the keyboards have amazing clarity, the guitar is clean and not overpowering, and the drums are crisp. This works hand in hand with seemless DVD footage such as the animation in "Octavarium" and other visual effects all throughout the DVD.

There were two pleasant suprises on this DVD, the first was the orchestra in the second half of the set, which was kept secret until the night of the show. The second are the two previously unreleased tracks "Another Won" from the Majesty demos and "Raise the Knife" from the Cleaning Out the Closet fan club release and the Falling Into Infinity sessions. "Another Won" is one of the best early Dream Theater releases, and fans would have been unjustly deprived of it had Dream Theater not released even better music. "Raise the Knife" didn't impress me as much at first, but as the song keeps moving on I keep becoming more an more intrested in it.

The Octavarium Orchestra does an incredible job. Dream Theater is one of those bands that can give the listener the "feeling" they are watching a band with an orchestra (they sure as hell did it to me in Denver), but when Dream Theater actually plays with an orchestra, and the listener can see the body language of all the musicians, the listener has just been brought into a whole new world of musical ecstacy. "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" and "Octavarium" were expected to be amazing with an orchestra, they were. What's so impressive about "Six Degrees" is that unlike the orchestra having parts edited to fit the band, the band edits their parts to fit the orchestra. "Octavarium" being originally composed with the orchestra has more of a visual impact. Watching Jordan Rudess play the continuum intro for "Octavarium" live is an inspiring experience. I couldn't believe my ears or my eyes. "Metropolis" encore with the orchestra was suprise. I didn't expect the orchestra to be back for the encore, but they were,and what an impact they had.

This is the best live release I have ever had the pleasure of listening/watching, it's even better than my old favorite Dream Theater releases. Dream Theater consistently is able to please fans with releasing matierial that breaks down their creative walls, and this DVD is no exception. This DVD is an entirely new and different experience, in short to quote James LaBrie "THIS IS UNBELIVEABLE!"

I can't wait from Dream Theater's next release, as the band has only built up momentum with this release.

I bought this DVD due to the way Octavarium caught my attention and seeing as DT did not wish to tour Australia, I really wanted to see them Live on their tour in one way or another.

And all I can say, like most reviews on here, is one word. Wow. Everything about it, (spar a few extremely small annoyances) is just amazing.

Upsides:

LaBrie is at his best in this show, so is Myung.. and Petrucci, well ok everyone is at their best. The entire band has obviously dedicated themselves to this one show in order to make it the best it could be. And they definately have not let this fan down.

The journey through their entire career beginning with Another Won and ending with Octavarium, from Majesty to Majestic Epic throwing in some SDoIT and The Spirit Carries On along the way.

The Bonus Material is also not just thrown in, but all is meaningful to the band. The Octavarium Animation shows the band fighting off the demons and cobwebs in their lives and joining together like a giant Octopus, a sign that together they are one complete unit.

The Score So Far is also a great documentary about the struggles and evolution of Dream Theater.

Downsides:

Only one really.. Portnoy's drumming does seem to steal the show a little too much, as if it was the main instrument in DT's songs. It seems to drown out Petrucci's excellent playing and Rudess' keyboards a little too much for my liking.

Overall though, this DVD is by far the best they've ever done. A real feat for a band with plenty still to offer.

I was looking foward so much to getting this DVD, and when it arrived, it did not disappoint! Everyone has said heaps already, and run through the whole thing, so I'm not gonna go through all that, I'm just gonna say, if you're a fan of Dream Theater, get this dvd, it's amazing! Best songs are: 'The Spirit Carries On', 'Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence', 'Octavarium' and 'Metropolis pt 1'.

Finally, I must say, the best DT live album ever released, and on DVD, with an orchestra, this makes it the best. Everything sounds absolutely beautiful! I love this group, they are my favorite, and this is their tightest and most effecient albums. LaBrie sounds incredible, perfect, and angelic, while the great four musicians are playing with great talent. The bonus features are good too, a documentary of their entire career and a couple of live demos from Train of Thought, Six Degrees, and others, they've spaced my mind. Plus a cool cartoon played during the solo of Octavarium. At twenty years this band hasn't died. This live album, is proof! Plus, if your new to DT, this is a good demo to take plus a good complitation. They play the whole Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence song, and play a little bit of everything. Only regret, was that from Train of Thought they could've picked a song like Stream of Consciousness or something, vacant was to short, good, but short. Anywho, all together this album is a 5/5 star live album. Listen away my friends.

I was really anticipated this new DT dvd, especially since they've anounced it's release for a long time. I'm not disappointed at all, except that i've seen them live in Montreal during their 20th Anniversary Tour, and there's a couple of songs they played that night that are not on that DVD, that would've been nice to add on the DVD (Endless Sacrifice, Take The Time, Caught in aWeb), but any way...It's still an amazing DVD. This show is a nice retrospective of their whole carreer, starting from the time they were called Majesty until now. There is also an interesting documentary relating their carreer from the very beginning when John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy met at the Berklee College Of Music, how they've met James LaBrie, how Jordan Rudess joined the band. It's a really complete DVD. The live show is great, but it is not as good as their Live At Budokan DVD, which was for me, the cream of the crop for a DT fans, but i still consider it a must for Dream Theater fans.

I was lucky having this DVD just two days (September 1, 2006) after its official release date of August 29, 2006. Thanks to Amazon.com who has always sent the package on time and I never regret to pre-order this DVD 14 days before official release date. Having seen the band on its Octavarium tour in Singapore (January 27, 2006), of course I expected the band would deliver something BIG in their 20th anniversary at radio City Hall. This is because my ultimate satisfaction watching the band live at a very near distant (very close to the stage) where the band played great performance of their music. I still remember how great the nuance when all lights turned off and the ambient music brings the opening of "The Root of All Evil" to the crowd. I scream to death when the show started off ! (even though it was late by one hour - how can a great band like DT tolerates such 60 minutes late in one of their first show in Singapore? I cannot believe it!). It's OK then the dissatisfaction due to late show time was totally cured by wonderful performance these five gentlemen played. I watched the show with other 20 friends of mine from Indonesia who came to Singapore just to watch the band plays live. All of us were wearing the uniform T-shirt with mind provoking words When Dream Theater and Indonesia Unite?" in response to the cancellation of Indonesia's concert (scheduled for January 29, 2006). The crowd who flocked into the stadium were watching us because we came in a uniform and most of them gave high five to us. Oh, what a memorable event!

As LaBrie said at this show that this concert was attended by 6,000 Dream Theater fans at Radio City Hall. With all of HIGH expectation I had in mind considering that this show was accompanied with orchestra, I played this DVD at my laptop because it arrived during office hour. I then continued watching it at my decent sound system at home. As far as first impression concern I was much more impressed with the beginning part of "Live At Budokan" than this "SCORE". Well, it's probably I have been watching many DT videos. Oh yes, the opening part of "The Root of All Evil" is definitely an excellent part and it's very important to cast the tone of the overall show. It reminds me to the day when I watched the band in Singapore. No question, the band members do their best to perform this show excellently - nothing to complain about it! Everything went well and so perfect, I think. When "I Walk Beside You" was played I think it's clear that this band is truly an excellent band with brilliant musicians.

The film rolls on and on, delivering excellently whilst a critical question pondered into my mind: Why am I not so excited about this DVD? This is an important question for me as I have a proposition that music is emotion. So whenever I find a music that does not stir my emotion, I'd consider to drop enjoying the music for such period of time after it's cooling down again. So after I completed all the DVD show time on Disc One plus some scanning of Disc Two, I dropped this DVD to my shelf for future. Once I dropped that I explored further on my central question with following questions: Is the performance so lousy? No, not at all. Is there something wrong with production? No. What about songs selection? It might be, because I'm a bit disappointed that "Stream of Consciousness" was not performed. And also some unfamiliar song like "Another Won" is a bit boring song to me.

Having gone through a long contemplation process, I ended up with this conclusion: First, Dream Theater is too much in producing live albums! Yeah .. I have watched a lot of live videos (officials and official bootlegs) so by this time I'm quite "full" to digest further any performance of Dream Theater. There is no surprise any more. I can project how Portnoy would perform, how Petrucci would play his guitar and Jordan moving his keyboard and monitor in static place and how Myung plays his bass. Everything is so predictable! There is no room for curiosity anymore.

Second, the use of orchestra does not produce something remarkable. It's excellent but it's predictable like what I heard in studio version. It seems to me that the orchestra is just like an "add on" to the Dream Theater music, nothing more. Please compare this with how YES (Yesymphonic) where the orchestration plays much more significant role. Observe how "Close To The Edge" with orchestra was performed differently than the original studio version? You might compare with Metallica S&M where the music had totally changed as compared to studio version. In this Score DVD I cannot feel that the orchestra is remarkable - it's just good, nothing more. Take an example of my favorite track "Sacrificed Sons" where I was ultimately satisfied with this song as it has tight composition and wonderful (memorable) melody. I cannot see significant difference between orchestra and electric equipment. It's probably DT music is too loud?

To summarize my view about Score DVD, let me put it this way: This DVD might serve excellent for the beginners - those who've just fallen in love with DT music and they might consider this as "masterpiece". Unfortunately, this album does not truly stir my emotion even though it's not a bad DVD at all. Just to be fair - as there is no such review is an "objective" review and there is no "true value" of everything in life, I stand my position with just three stars for this album. This should not be treated as I'm no longer a BIG fan of Dream Theater - yes, I AM! But.. good fans must be critical as well to help the band moves forward with their music. Keep on proggin' ..!

We'll meet again my friend, someday soon .!!! - GW

This is not a concert this is simply a dream.... Dream Theater Live with the Octavarium orchestra.

The day I saw the DVD on the shelf in the music store I just couldn't believe it! I was just telling my friends around me:"what?.... hell...this cannot be...do you realize what I'm holding in my hands?" they looked at me as if I had gone crazy............but guess what? I was right!

Man, this is not a gig, this is THE gig, truly incredible, pure musical ecstasy in one disc of real bliss.Excellent the previously unrealesed songs especially "Raising the knife" which has a very epic chorus, somewhat similar to "Misunderstood" (from the six degrees of inner turbulence album)...not to mention The Spirit Carries On...simply one of the most well arranged tracks of all times.

But the best has yet to come: I'm talking about the Orchestra section

Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence: STUNNING....featuring the first section "Overture" rearranged only for orchestra, this song goes on developing trough great musical moments (think about "Goodnight Kiss" and "Solitary Shell") and ends up with the INCREDIBLE movement number eight "Losing Time/Grand Finale" which recalls in the title the closing of the famous 2112 rush suite, and in the very end the "endless chord" reminds so much of "A day in the life" by The Beatles (loved very deeply by Portnoy). The gig goes on with beautiful tracks like "The Answer Lies Within" and the very short "Vacant"

Sacrificed Sons: Background noises, voices dealing with terrorism while images of ground zero appears on the screen...sounds like Pink Floyd, and then this beautiful epic song come in with an excellent orchestra work, perfectly arranged as usual.

Octavarium: what can I say about this one? Not only it's the most beautiful Dream Theater song, because it shows you the real essence of the band, but one of the most, if not the most, beautiful song of all times....It was expected to be good and it was GREAT, every part of it; I could even give way to the possibility that this version could be even better than the album one, in fact it's slightly different (the orchestra parts in the end of the "Someone Like Him" and in the whole "Medicate" movement is simply genius.(try listening to the precise moment when LaBrie sings: "So suddenly, the only thing I wanted to become, to be someone just like him").Not to mention the leggendary "Razor's Edge" section, with the incredibly moving Petrucci solo and the awesome, gorgeous, amazing orchestra arrangement: sends shivers down your spine.

This is the best concert I ever saw in my whole life, it's simply incredible... This confirms Dream Theater as today's most interesting band in the world, the long expected heirs to 70 prog leader bands, with a twist of Metal, of course.

5 stars all the way, this is a masterpiece for every prog lover.

This is the best DVD concert of 2006 (the year is not over but this video is unbeatable) great songs, great performance, and playing with a orchestra.

The beginning of the concert is a good classic DT rock concert,with two unknow songs (Another Won and Raise The Knife) wich are really good.But since the orchestra enter in Six degrees of inner turbulence,the concert turns into a magic and fantastic travel of music. Octavarium is the highlight song in the whole DVD that performance is beautiful, only beautiful....

The second disc have the story of Dream Theater like behind the music but without drugs, girls and dead people is a documentary of the music and members of DT.And have 3 bonus live songs "Another Day" with Kevin Moore back in 1993,"The Great Debate" in 2002 and the boring "Honor Thy Father" in 2005 (i don't know why they put that song in this fantastic DVD, but is a bonus song arter all).

Buy this DVD (and CD, why not?) is a concert of great music.

Mission's completed!!!!!

Yeah! When I wrote the review for SCORE album last Friday, I never had any guest that I would get the DVD version on the next day. And once again, my father became a hero for me. The chronology is simply the same. Same day to search, same day to buy, and mysteriously, it's such a strange déjà vu for me.

Well, I lived in Sukabumi, and the distance with Jakarta is far enough. My father used to spend the weekend to go to Jakarta to meet my sister who worked in one of a giant company in Indonesia. Beside that habit, my father also loved shopping and he always visited some music store around there. So, I never met any trouble to request him to buy me some albums. However, I also often went to Jakarta for about once a month just for cutting my hair (and also, for searching some albums too).

One day, the day when I got the SCORE CD, I was calling some music stores around Jakarta and I found it in a music store but I had to be disappointed and patient because they said that there's only one album and it just sold out a few minutes ago. Fortunately, the man who bought it was my father.

The same story was happened again the week after. I called some music stores to make me sure if I would have to get the SCORE DVD as soon as possible and again, I had to hear that there's only a single DVD (again!!!) and someone has moved faster than me. So I just prayed that I'll gonna get it but suddenly, the magic things happened again when my father brought me the DVD on the evening!!! Finally, it's all over now.

Well, now let's take a look to the DVD. The DVD is divided into two DVDs. The first one captured all scenes from their live show in Radio City Music Hall, New York City in 1st April, 2006. The second one is a bonus material contained with "The Score So Far", the Dream Theater's journey from the first day under the name of Majesty until today with their latest released album, "Octavarium". You also can see "The Octavarium Animation", a 3 minutes length animation which appeared on the video screen during the instrumental part from "Octavarium" on the third part, "Full Circle".

One more bonus material was available. Some live tracks from Portnoy Archives, including "Another Day" live in Tokyo in 1993, "The Great Debate" live in Bucharest in 2002, and "Honor Thy Father" live in Chicago in 2005. Personally, I felt disappointed because nothing of all tracks were become my favorites. I preferred "Overture 1928" as a bonus track ("Overture 1928" intro was appeared in "The Score So Far" but it was cut!!!). Because of that, I thought that the bonus material from their previous DVD, "Live At Budokan" was still a little better than SCORE's bonus material.

Okay, now I'll review the first DVD. The video started with a raising curtain with a radio tape version of "In The Name Of God" outro. After the cool beginning, they instantly played "The Root Of All Evil". The intro of this song reminds me when I watched them live in Singapore in January and for the first time I met my most inspirational guy, Mike Portnoy. That moment always touched my heart. The differences between the two moments were only in his customs and drum kit. He wore a blue New York Knicks kit no. 3 (I didn't see his back but perhaps he wore Stephon Marbury's kit) in Singapore, and he wore the same kit but this time was a blue one with no. 1 and "Portnoy" as the back name. About drum kit, he just used a single drum kit with two bass pedals only in Singapore (it may be caused by an inappropriate venue), but tonight he used a double drum kits with three bass pedals as usual.

"I Walk Beside You" was the next song. This song was also played in Singapore but it didn't touch my heart enough. So I'll better continue with the next song. From now until the last song on the second set ("Octavarium"), we did a journey from their "Majesty" days until 20 years later. Before it all began, there's a countdown from their tour opening video (you can find it in "Live At Budokan") and the screen showed us the "1985" year. It's a "Majesty" years and so the song was "Another Won". This song is a rare collection and fortunately, you still can find it in Dream Theater Official Bootleg "The Majesty Demos" of course with Chris Collins as the vocalist. An important point from this song was John Myung's magnificent bass from the intro until the end.

"Afterlife" came from "When Dream And Day Unite" and I always loved the superb combination between Mike Portnoy's drum and John Petrucci's guitar, and also the vocalist in the album wasn't James LaBrie, but Charlie Dominici (it was their worst studio album so far for me). "Under A Glass Moon" from "Images & Words" showed the typical structural drum from Mike Portnoy because since they released the darker album "Awake" until now, the typical drum from Mike was always changing with his improvisation.

"Innocence Faded", as the next song, came from "Awake" and it hasn't played for about 10 years!!! James LaBrie's vocals was so terrific and John Petrucci's guitar in the end of the song was melodic. "Raise The Knife" continued the journey and it's surprised me a lot. I mean surprise, because it has never appeared in "Falling Into Infinity" album and it was only done during their "Falling Into Infinity" session. I never heard the song before and it's really hard to get the studio version of this song so it's such a new album for me.

"The Spirit Carries On" was taken from their best album until the day, "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory". The song was inspired by Pink Floyd's "Us And Them" and DT played it with John Petrucci's guitar solo in the intro (basically used for "Through Her Eyes"). Unfortunately, there's no backing vocals like in "Live Scenes From New York" (performed by Theresa Tomasson).

That's the first set of the concert. When the intermission time, some audiences tried to guess what would happen on the second set because DT just used some of the stage and the rest of the area was closed by a black curtain. If you have ever watched their previous DVD, "Live At Budokan" and had strong analysis, you surely ever remembered what was DT's dream which have never fulfilled yet at that moment. Yes, you're right. The second set was begun with the appearance of The Octavarium Orchestra played the first part ("Overture") of the epic, "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence". As we know, this song was DT's longest song so far and now there's no more doubt that DT could play the song not only in the studio but of course they could do that in front of 6.000 audiences in Radio City Music Hall, even to us, who could enjoy the show via DVD.

After the orchestration of "Overture", the band constantly appeared and played "About To Crash" until "Losing Time/Grand Finale". One action that we haven't missed was in the end of "About To Crash (Reprise) where Mike Portnoy hit his drum stick to the drum until the stick was flying in the air and then he caught it again brilliantly. Basically, I loved all the part from "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence", but my most favorite part is "Losing Time/Grand Finale" (luckily, the last three parts of this song were played by DT in Singapore!!!).

"Vacant" from "Train Of Thought" was the next song. This song was such an intermission for some of DT personnel after they did a fantastic epic, "Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence". And finally, we reached the latest album, "Octavarium". It started with "The Answer Lies Within". LaBrie's voice was pretty well. Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci as a backing vocal also support James LaBrie with their great sound. It's surely the most melancholic song in this show and it could reflect DT's history since they faced many problems (Mike Portnoy almost left the band in 1997) until they experienced a successful era and celebrated the 20 years of their music.

"Sacrificed Sons" began with the video from the WTC tragedy in 11th September 2001. It reminded us when they released "Live Scenes From New York" the same time when the tragedy happened. Ironically, the album's cover looked like describing the whole tragedy (there's two towers burned on the big apple). The song reflected the tragedy and again, James LaBrie succeeded to sing the song sentimentally. One tune I loved so much was in "06:17" when John Petrucci did a stunning guitar solo combined with John Myung's elegant bass and Mike Portnoy's fantastic drum.

It's time to listen to their recent epic nowadays, "Octavarium". This song became the pinnacle of the show. This is also one of my most favorite song in Progressive World. It's the perfect epic with the nearly perfect musical instrument and vocals. There's many highlights from this song. Jordan Rudess started the song with continuum and lap steel guitar solo. Then, you could hear the flute solo that could blow away your heart in "07:39" (unfortunately, the solo in the studio album is still better). You also could enjoy LaBrie's soft voice in the second part, "Medicate/Awakening".

Was it enough? No, because DT still offered you a more than 3 minutes excellent instrumental part in the end of the third part, "Full Circle" (or you can enjoy it via the "Octavarium Animation" in the second DVD). Don't forget to listen the perfect vocals again (yes, again!!!) from James LaBrie (but now it's truly rocking and metal!!!) in the fourth part "Intervals". This part showed us that James could sing soft vocals as well as metal vocals.

Thus things surely have made you impressed, haven't they? But again, the highlight hasn't over yet because there's still the last part of the song, "Razor's Edge" and crazily, it's the best part of the song (especially for me. It's OK if you had another favorite)!!! "Razor's Edge" reflected the perfect goodbye as the ending when James sang "This story ends where it began". Oh..my heart was blown away!!! And finally, John Petrucci ended the song with the superb solo guitar. How perfect this song was (you can find a better version in studio album)!!!

The show finally ended with the legendary, "Metropolis Pt. 1" as the single encore. Personally, I didn't feel satisfied enough because I thought that DT could play one more song for us (may be the fans' most favorite song, "A Change Of Seasons" that would complete all of DT's epics). There were three highlights on this song. The instrumental part in the middle was so terrific, especially, John Myung's solo bass. The second was when they stopped the song in "07:28" for 10 seconds (may be you wondered why I loved this "useless" action? Well, for me it was DT's classic styles). The last one was the final riff of this song. I liked LaBrie's voices in the end of the song. Well, for overall, I had to give five star (the same rating as the CD version!!!).

The final words, I have some information for you (I hope it really help you). I was really happy to have ever watched them live and I won't miss every chance I have to watch them, even if I need to go abroad for watching them as the sacrifice (by the way, I'd rather watch them not in my country, Indonesia). Unfortunately, I've read the issue that was sent to my home and Mike Portnoy said that they will probably go back to have an opening act around 2007 and 2008 (Please don't do that, Mike!!! Just think about it some time as you've ever asked for to all DT fans around the world!!!). Well, I just hope that they came to Asia as soon as possible. The next information is about the album. I think most of people feel bored with Dream Theater because they have released 3 DVD's around 5-6 years. As a loyal fan, I don't mind even if they release hundreds of DVD's. And, for you who need some advice, you may collect this DVD as one of the best DVD ever in the prog music history (that's why I'm so enthusiastic to search and collect it).

WARNING: If you have any recordings, videos or photos from DT's concert on Octavarium Tour in Singapore or Bangkok, and recordings and videos only in Sao Paulo (I was incorrect when I wrote Rio de Janeiro in the CD's review and now it's my correction) and Buenos Aires where they covered all songs from "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory", and also great interest to sell or to trade it with me, you can find me at [email protected]. May be someone would seriously help me???

Dream Theater closed an era with this DVD, and...it was the perfect end.

No, the band will keep playing, but with Octavarium, many things have finished. Now, they've capitalized that into this DVD, Score.

Basically, it's consists on 2 DVDs, one with the show in the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City in 1st April, 2006, and the other with extra features, like the story of Score and Dream Theater, and some adittional tracks (Another Day, Honor thy Father and The Great Debate) from other shows.

But, let's talk about the show indeed.

Opening with the ending theme from "In the Name of God", the Score starts with "The Root of all Evil" (Opening track from Octavarium). Nice way to start a show, a track with a lot of violence and potence, and a nice show off for Petrucci and Rudess as an Introduction.

After this, "I walk Beside You" starts..nice track, very nice played, even better than the CD's one, I really enjoyed this track.

And then...the regression starts. In this tour, and conmemorating the 20 years of Dream Theater, the band was playing a lot of tracks not only of their last CDs, but also of the first ones..and this starts with Majesty, and Another Won. If you didn't heard this before, you must notice that the guys have their potential since the first days of Dream Theater...excellent track!

And now we're into the first Long Play from them, "When Dream and Day Unite" with "Afterlife".
Very nice track, and the live quality is really good.

After this, we have the first "epic moment" of the DVD, "Under a Glass Moon" (from "Images & Words") it's simply a masterpiece. This track resumes the roots from Dream Theater...and it's simply incredible. The "mini solo" from Mike Portnoy is amazing!

Images and Words have passed, and now, in the timeline, we have "Awake" with "Innocence Faded". My personal opinion is that this tracks maybe it isn't the most "Awake Like", tracks like "The Mirror / Lie" or "Caught in a Web" maybe could be better, but, in fact, I really enjoyed this. The Instrumental part was very interesting, as always, and, it's good to see "new faces" on the DVDs and not only the popular tracks.

When "Falling into Infinity" comes, we have the first surprise of the night, "Raise the Knife" (Available only in the Fan Club's CD - Cleaning Out the closet) comes to the stage. Another epic moment. This track is just amazing, from the beggining to end.

And to close the first part, we have from "Scenes from a Memory", "The Spirit Carries on", with a nice solo from Petrucci.

Closing the first act, the second act starts...and with the second surprise (if we can call it in that way).

Six Deegrees of Inner Turbulence started with "Overture" (The first part from this track) played only by the orchestra.
Really nice adaptation, another great moment from the DVD.

The track "Six Deegrees of Inner Turbulence" was played from start to end, with all the tracks it have, and with an excellent performance. Just some things to point out. First, it's a bit accelerated in tempo due to the Orchestra. The low part was (in my opinion) "Goodnight Kiss" due to the Orchestra Introduction (It's not so good) and the Drum sound. But, withouth this, this part is just a big "kick-ass!"...what a potential, what a band..this is Dream Theater! Third epic moment.

From "Train of Thought" all we were waiting for ones of the "hard ones"...but they surprised us again with "Vacant"..only Orchestra, Rudess and Labrie.
I just have one word: Amazing.

And then the last part from "Octavarium" starts with "The Answer Lies within". I really like Dream Theater's balads, and this is not the exception.

And now we have the end, and this is the best part of the DVD in my opinion.

It starts with "Sacrificed Sons". This track is just awesome... The Instrumental section (with another "mini solo" from Portnoy which is just amazing) is simply excellent.

And now, we have "Octavarium" with a nice Continuum Solo from Jordan Rudess. I really can't talk about this, I don't have any words to describe this...you have to see this to believe this.

And the big end..."Metropolis Pt. 1".
If you like the CD Version, then you gonna love this one. Is just incredible.

The Sound and Image quality are outstanding, the camera distribution is really nice.

I don't have any low point for this DVD...just a 10.
Thanks Dream Theater again for this masterpiece, and keep on with the work!

SCORE

From the moment I heard about the DVD until now, I still don't know whether I should use all capital letters or just the first letter. Oh well, I will refer it as SCORE will all capital letters. A four stars for the DVD, because I was a bit disappointed by the setlist. They seemed to prioritised more on the "musical career" of their 8 albums than the songs that their fans love more. But it's all about progressive isn't it?

First of all, I want to tell a story of my experience with Dream Theater's 20th anniversary concert in Singapore on February 27, 2006. Actually, they were going to Indonesia on the 29th, but because some political maniacs governed a country, the show was cancelled. So I logged on to the internet and bought two tickets to Singapore with my father because he loves Dream Theater as much as I do. Also, we met many Indonesians in Singapore, wearing the same shirt as I did, "When Dream Theater and Indonesia Unite?". Probably we screamed very loud there, and maybe we were the loudest during the gig. And it was all worth it.

Back to the DVD. It is actually a really good concert, with usual Dream Theater's aspects, virtuosity, feeling and great-composed songs. Plus, LaBrie sang very beautifully during the concert, unlike the concerts in the previous years. He has improved really well in his live performances. John Petrucci also displayed very cool guitar skills, with an incredible sound of guitar and technique; there is no doubt about it. Mike The Camel Portnoy also showed a great performance, with his new drum kit, which I forgot the name of it. I am not a bassist, but I can really see John Myung's improvements in stage performances, plus, his speed has doubled from the previous concerts :P. Lastly, Jordan Rudess, which I reckon the best member of Dream Theater in terms of technical proficiency. Imagine, if all of them play the same musical instrument, I reckon Jordan topped them all. With his new toys, which I think is really cool, the continuum fingerboard. I thought the sound on the intro of Octavarium was a guitar sound, but I was wrong. Behind them all, the Octavarium orchestra, conducted by Jamshied Sharifi. There is nothing special about the orchestra, actually, it is just an orchestra like other orchestra. What makes it special is, they were playing with a progressive metal band.

Several modifications to the songs were made, like Under A Glass Moon, which is really cool, probably too cool. The songs I enjoyed the most in this DVD set were Spirit Carries On, Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence, Sacrificed Sons and Octavariums. Why? Because they all fit well with the orchestra, and improved the feeling of the songs. Honestly, I almost cried when I heard the ending solo of Octavarium. Still about the songs, again, I was quite disappointed with the setlist. Dream Theater clearly wanted to reflect their 20 years of musical career journey, and played the songs from 1985 to 2005. However, some of the older songs are just "not-that-great", and that is why I mostly skipped these songs.

As a comparison to the DVD, you can watch Live At Budokan. There was not much of visual effects like in Live Scenes From New York. The power of the DVD comes more from the technical skills and the feeling of the songs, and of course the musicianship of the personnel.

The second DVD is also very cool. This is probably the longest Dream Theater's documentary yet, because they were talking about their 20 years of musical career, and that couldn't be done in just 10 minutes. However, we can know much more about them and how it all started. The Octavarium Animation is very cool too, pretty funny actually. A cartoon showing a part of Octavarium (part 3 if I'm not mistaken).

In the end, maybe 4.3 stars. I wanted to give 4.5 (minus 0.5 because of the "less-incredible" setlist. But then if I give 4.5, it will round to 5. So I gave 4.3. Also, this DVD is not very different from the previous concert, apart from the orchestra, of course.

This story ends where it began - Imoeng

Easily the band's best live album, featuring songs expertly performed from across their career with few lulls in the intensity or set list. The orchestra, while gimmicky, is used to effectiveness for the songs they are included on, but the band itself clearly demonstrates here what they are best at: playing very powerful, dynamic rock music.

The extras are almost as good, with an extended documentary on the formation of the group as well as their experiences recording various albums. I especially enjoyed seeing the portrait-style promotion picture used in James LaBrie's audition (he looks more like David Lee Roth than David Lee Roth ever did).

Great for casual and serious fans.

Setlist 4 Instrumental Performances 4 Stage Energy 4 Live Experience 4

What words come to mind when I think of Score?

First of all, what a difference from Live at Budokan! I can tolerate James LaBrie's voice here!

Second of all, why are people complaining about the setlist? The songs from Octavarium are (almost) all of the best and I'm perfectly fine with all the rest (I should be a poet). The Root of All Evil was done flawlessly and I Walk Beside You was, well, I Walk Beside You. Going back in time, Another Won is an excellent song, though not truly what you tend to expect from Dream Theater (I guess it's just as important that you see their progression). Afterlife follows in a similar vein, but successful makes the transition from prehistory to history. After LaBrie's little explanation for why these two unfamiliar track have been played, Petrucci and Rudess kick off a flawless rendition of my favorite Dream Theater song ever and follow with Innocence Faded, a perfectly fine representative from the world of Awake. From what I hear, a lot of people don't like the songs from Falling Into Infinity, so I have no idea why they wouldn't prefer the excellent Raise the Knife any day (plus, I think they really wanted to make their thoughts about Kevin Moore more clear). The Spirit Carries On is done fairly well, but I think the mid-show highlight is easily Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, played in it's entireity, top to bottom, excellently. The orchestra definitely enhances the performances (and honestly, who doesn't like gimmicks every so often?). I don't always listen to the next half hour or so and usually skip straight to the original attraction; the incredible and epic Octavarium. Then, just when you think the show is over, they come back with one of their original hits, the excellent Metropolis. To anyone out there with the question in mind, the answer is yes, this IS the Dream Theater live album to get.

This is a very high quality live DVD experience that was especially nice for a relative DT newcomer because it features a wide sampling of material from their entire career.

The presentation was great on many fronts. First, they took some time to show or introduce the time frame or album title that their songs came from, to give the uninitiated an idea what was going on. Second, they didn't use the annoying grainy visual effects that plague the live videos of many other bands. You get to see the DT in beautifully clear and concise shots and edits. And third, they actually realize that we want to see their hands too, not just their face!! Prog fans especially would like to see what the players are doing with their instruments. If we just wanted to see a light show and lots of jumping around we can watch thousands of other live videos. I wish other bands could figure that out.

The playing is monster of course with the band in top form. I had two complaints about the sound. First, I can never hear the bass player as well as I'd like. He has a muddy sound which makes his playing sound more like thump/thump percussion than expressive bass where you can hear all the notes like a guitar. I realize he's good but I never can discern what he's doing with much clarity. Second, I don't feel the Orchestra works all that well in this show. It was a distraction and momentum killer for me in the midst of all these great scorchers they were blasting forth. Sometimes the classical thing works in rock shows but here I was never convinced by it. The music was so exciting up to that point that they just didn't need it.

But all things considered this was a ton of fun to watch and very good. The climactic epic Octivarium was just about perfect, from Rudess' killer opening section to Labrie's big scream. A good introduction to live DT and a must for fans.

This is probably one of the best live recordings of all time. Score perfectly encapsulates the bands music over the course of their career, with at least on song from each album.

Normally with live albums the quality can suffer, yet here some of tracks sound as good, if not better than their studio counterparts. LaBrie's voice is flawless throughout, bar the odd missed word.

When rock bands team up with a full orchestra there can only be two results, chaos or perfection. Dream Theater achieved the latter. The songs with the orchestra are really transformed, especially six degrees and Metropolis 1. If your wary, though, of this transformation fret not, many classics like UaGM and IF are played by the band alone.

This brings me on to another point. Metropolis 1, Under a Glass Moon, the full Six Degrees and Octavarium... What a setlist!! And that's not all of them! Raise the Knife, Another Won, Sacrificed Sons... I could go on. I bought this DVD on that alone.

Closing comments are that this is an amazing live video, with enough blemishes to make it real yet enough strengths to make it masterful. 4/5!!!!

This may very well be the best music DVD I have ever seen. Anyone who has seen Dream Theater live knows what an awesome experience it is, and this DVD possibly captures the wonder of a DT show better than any other. Fantastic production in general - great camera angles, sound, etc. - make this a great investment for a Dream Theater fan who wants to watch them whenever they want. It's also a great DVD to show your friends who are missing out on one of the greatest bands of all time. The song selection is great! Those who went to a show on the 20th Anniversary tour know that the band went through their history and played one song from each album, a song from the Majesty days and some extra material from Octavarium. So some forgotten gems have been remembered! Majesty track "Another Won" sounds awesome, as does "Afterlife" from the band's debut. If only this lineup could have recorded those albums with today's technology! "Under a Glass Moon" was another great choice. Often forgotton among the epic pieces, this song is actually one of the band's best, with one of the coolest Petrucci solos ever. "Innocence Faded" may have been a surprising choice from Awake, but it proves to be a fantastic performance, and LaBrie nails the high notes that he has been struggling with for the past few years. Good to have him back! Next is another surprise. Instead of playing a track from Falling into Infinity, they played a track from the sessions that was left off of the album. "Raise the Knife" may not be as good as "Trial of Tears" or "Lines in the Sand," but it definitely could have replaced some of the weak tracks on the disc. Another rather surprising choice, "The Spirit Carries On" reminds us of how good that song is. So touching! Yet another surprise! The band plays the entire "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" with a full orchestra! the orchestra stays for the rest of the performance to play yet another surprise, "Vacant." Certainly of all the tracks on Train of Thought, that one works best with an orchestra, but I'm sure the band also had to save some time after whipping out that 42-minute song. The band closes the set where it began, with Octavarium (yes that was a reference to the lyric). They opened with two songs, they close with three. The obvious highlight is the title track in all its splendor. Rudess' continuum solo r00lz as does everything else. "Metropolia" makes for a great encore to bring this amazing performance to a close.

Amazing DVD from an amazing band! The song selection is full of surprises and vastly different from the previous DVDs, which is nice. That makes all of them worth getting. Do yourself a favor and pick this up. And never miss an opportunity to see them live!

Dream Theater - Score 2.5 stars

I did not really enjoy going to this concert.

This DVD is more of a celebration then a concert of 'Dream Theater History', which really isn't that special. It is also strange that they came out with a 5 years in a Livetime DVD 10 years ago and now this one is a 20 years anniversary. Can you say time travel? I wasn't all impressed by the sound considering their 93' DVD and Live at Budokan was much better. All the stage presence is completely gone and there is just no emotions going on at the stage, people tend to exaggerate but on this one I can humbly agree. This is only getting two and a half stars because besides very few nice selections we get 'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence' (song) in its entirety and 'Octavarium' which is an ok song, with an orchestra accompaniment. The highlight of the album, believe it or not, is James LaBrie. His vocals on this album are spot on which is a nice response to his criticism. After 'I Walk Beside You' there is a track taken off each album consecutively. I'll do track by track on this one.

'The Root of all Evil' - Not a really nice song to start with. This is also the worst of the 'AA' saga.

'I Walk Beside You - Did you read my Octavarium review? This song is plagiarized so there is no use to discuss it really. A terrible track anyway.

'Another Won' - This was a Majesty song. It isn't too shabby but it is nothing exceptional.

'Afterlife' - This is one of the better tracks on the debut. It's not a bad song and LaBrie does a great job singing.

'Under a Glass Moon' - An excellent track from their best album. I prefer the Live in Tokyo version. They were younger chaps and had more stage presence.

'Innocence Faded' - I don't understand why you would take this track to celebrate on of the bands most 'tightest' albums musically. There is so many better jammin' songs they could have played.

'Raise the Knife' - Why did they choose this one as well? This wasn't on 'Falling Into Infinity' for a reason.it just wasn't good enough. Very boring track, by this time I kind of wanted to leave.

'The Spirit Carries On' - Trash.utter trash. The band's most hailed masterpiece by many fans and considered largely a prog-metal opus.is summed up by this track? Why culminate with a soft track that fails to deliver any emotion or is not moving in the slightest bit? This is the weak focal point on the album and DVD.

'Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence' - Much better. The band decides to play the near 40-minute piece in its entirety without any breaks. This was truly stunning.

'Vacant' - I like this track. Why would you put this on an album that is full of epic tracks in length with some of the most demanding technicality that made them who they were? This is a kind retreat. Poorest track listing on this DVD I say.

'The Answers Lie Within/Sacrificed Sons' - I'm combining these two pieces because they are largely just typical Octavarium tracks. Truly boring as hell with no direction and flavor.

'Octavarium' - I am not too fond of this track myself, I mean it's decent but sad to be called an epic. It was nice to see it preformed with an orchestra.

'Metropolis' - This is another nice track from 'Images and Words'. It has been played out to oblivion, but it has just become a standard regardless.

The documentary is a waste of time. It was very over dramatized and seemed like Portnoy just wanted to be part of 'screwing the music industry'. They definitely made things sound so much worse then they were. If you take the early DVDs, everyone was cheery and happy, even during the dark times in the 'Falling Into Infinity' period. John Petrucci also said that he feels like 'Octavarium' is his favorite. Well he said on the Images DVD that Images is his favorite and then 'Falling Into Infinity' was his favorite on 5 Years. I think he's being a bit of a pre-teen with these new albums. There is some bonus track footage, which is really terrible in quality being 'Another Day', 'The Great Debate' and 'Honor Thy Father'.

Ultimately, this is a terrible track listing. The only things that stood out on the performance were 'Six Degrees' and 'Octavarium'.less then half of the performance. Less then half = less then half rating. 2.5 stars.

Me and my brother got known Dream Theater in early 2007, and some weeks before Christmas we had the opportunity to go to a shop and choose something which we would like to get. There were three DVDs of the band and we succeeded to persuade our mother to buy all of them.

The first one I watched was Score. And yes, I was immediately blown away after listening to Octavarium. As the days went by, I discovered the whole first disc with the amazing amount of music (nearly 150 minutes) performed on one occasion.

Everything is near to perfect here: the quality of the sound and the film (the members are equally shown, okay, John Myung a bit less), the performance of the five musicians (what else would you expect?) and the tracklist.

Which one consists of songs mostly representing the softer side of DT. The opener The Root of All Evil is one of the few exceptions: this song is heavy, but establishes the frenetic mood during the gig very well.

The second is I Walk Beside You, another song from Octavarium, their last album at that time. And then the journey into the time begins with the energetic and awesome Majesty-era Another Won, it flows into Afterlife from the only album without LaBrie - and he sings this song much better, then Dominici did! Under a Glass Moon from Images & Words: although this is not my favourite off of that masterpiece, I admit that it was the best choice here. Why? Well, Pull Me Under and Take the Time would be to heavy, and Learning to Live would be too long - don't forget, they planned to perform two epics - and Metropolis...let's wait a bit. From Awake, we get Innocence, from Falling, we get nothing! This hole is filled by Raise the Knife, a formerly officially unreleased song from the sessions.

While the band plays The Spirit Carries On, the crowd lights some candles or lighters, Petrucci's slow but beautiful solo fascinates every people in the impressive Radio City Music Hall. After that the five musicians leave the stage...and the orchestra in the background (not seen earlier) surprises the fans. They start playing Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence! When Overture ends, Dream Theater join in and they do it all the way - 42 minutes of continuous music! Excellent.

What shows their greatness the best is the fact, that when they finish it, they don't even let the fans clapping too long, don't let themselves be praised...the lights go out, and the long epic is followed by the two-minute-long, beautiful Vacant, arranged for the full orchestra. And they reached the Octavarium days again, another ballad comes, called The Answer Lies Within. Wonderous.

The must-have song is Sacrified Sons (about 9/11), as their hometown is New York City. The tension heightens, but decreases again when Rudess starts Octavarium with an extended Continuum solo. The whole song is fantastic, however, the show must end after that. But DT is not going hom without an encore, and Metropolis completes this unforgettable night.

The bonus disc offers us an enjoyable documentary dealing with the history of the band (Myung also speaks there a lot, what a pleasant surprise!), a funny animation, which was done for one of the instrumental parts of Octavarium (during the concert, that's running as the background film, and sometimes it's shown us on the full screen), plus 3 bonus tracks: Another Day filmed in Tokyo, '93, The Great Debate (Bucharest, '02) and Honor Thy Father (Chicago, '05). The first two are good, the third is not so interesting (honestly, I dislike the song). So, it is worth to have included the bonus disc.

Score is the ultimate live experience, a real masterpiece, Dream Theater on their peak - not just for fans, for everybody, who enjoys prog.

Again, album where I listen/watch this dvd while I'm with friends (I remember that about two years ago, I was impressing girls on a first date with this dvd (notebook) and so I show it to my girl year ago (she was impressed too and still is, thanks to this [and The Wall]). This DVD is simply one of the best I've ever heard. Not only showing their best songs to date (so for me, it's everything good, except 2009 album "Black Clouds" that of course can't be here). Being here, enjoying this gig must have been perfect, life-lasting experience that you wouldn't forget. Never. They even played in my country half a year ago, but I wasn't there. I will be, next time.

5(+), nothing here is bad. I know, I'm repeating myself today, but what can I do when it's right, as every song here I can listen to, they're perfectly performed (it's Dream Theater - I even hear bass), as I said, they choose their best arsenal with SDoIT being far better than album version and Octavarium pure beauty. Orchestra here helps a lot, even it's not used at all times (or are my senses confusing me ?). Sound is very good (can it be better ? Just asking) and camera is mostly targeting the right person (with few errors while orchestra is on, they sometimes get wrong one).

As a combination of music + video, it can be beaten only by Live in Pompeii. And of course, live CD's of these songs are what get me into this whole prog business, so thank you Dream Theater.

Unique experience... The highest quality you can ask for...

I don't like the live modifications to songs. I never thought that's good for a song, if you go to a concert is because you want to hear some studio songs played live, not hearing extended things or modification. DT has always been very stuck to the original tracks and change very little on their live material. With this one they arrange a lot the material to fit an Orchestra to play with them for one a half hour plus some "regular material" completing 3 hours from all their cathalogue...

This is the best DVD I have seen in many many years... everything is perfect, even James Labrie's voice. Incredible... the sound, the production, the arrangements of the orchestra... Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance played complitely with the orchestra was amazing and over the top, but when you think you cannot be more pleased, you get Octavarium completely as well as Metropolis part 1... If you are a Dream Theater or prog metal fan, you HAVE TO SEE THIS VERSION... Is just perfect and is incredible that this amazing song could reach that level of quality and pass the original version... Is just perfect...

The material is more comercial and accesible than Live At Budokan... so This is a good place to start digging the music of the masters... these is a total live masterpiece... don't miss it... you'll regret it...

What live should always be.

Dream Theater really hit a home run with this DVD. Recorded on the last show of the band's 20th anniversary tour along with an entire orchestra (named the "Octavarium Orchestra" and led by well known conductor Jamsheid Sharifi), the concert, lasting for over 2 hours, was shot in Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The band opened with a couple of their hits of the new album before going through each and every studio album and playing one track from each, and most of them not the ones you would think they would play (No Pull me Under!!). The band is at their complete best, with extreme energy, chemistry, and great stage presence. Even in the massive Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence the band keeps going and going and going and going with the same energy as the first track-- which is highly impressive! The whole DVD is a blast to watch, especially watching each member do his part and the whole band functioning as a whole. A great buy! 5 stars.

I always look forward to putting this DVD on as I know I am going to get the best of both worlds; symphonic orchestrated music and full on Dream Theater prog. I agree with some reviewers that the setlist is not exactly mind blowing but it nevertheless spans the 5 year history. It is interesting the way the orchestra blends into the metal sound, similar to the Metallica S&M concert, or indeed Kiss Alive IV. It is always of interest when metal meets symphony. The DVD "Score" is very well produced, sharp editing throughout and excellent sound quality. There is nothing wrong with the visuals at all, with the band members sharing the spotlight, but the problem lies in the setlist itself. There are too many omissions and some opportunities wasted in the early part of the concert.

It opens with some deadset oddities such as The root of all evil, I walk beside you, Another won and Afterlife. It isn't until Under A Glass Moon that it really takes off showing the power of that brilliant track and Petrucci's amazing guitar solo. Later we are treated with The spirit carries on and the entire suite of Six degrees of inner turbulence; absolutely flawless and indispensable on the live stage. After an ovation the band belt out Vacant, The answer lies within, Sacrificed Sons and the masterpiece epic Octavarium that is quintessential to the band. The Encore: Metropolis Pt. 1 is a brilliant way of ending the concert to a rapturous crowd.

Disc 2 is packed with some hit and miss Bonus material including a mammoth 20th Anniversary Documentary, that has some fascinating info on the band and the way that not everything goes to plan on a tour. Portnoy has too much to say and now it is a bitter taste now he has scarpered and been replaced. The Octavarium Animation is terrific, and the live performances are always a treat including Another Day (Tokyo - 1993), The Great Debate (Bucharest, Romania - 2002) and Honor Thy Father (Chicago - 2005).

The DVD comes with high recommendations due to the visual quality, and overall package. Ignore the early part of the set and just enjoy DT at their absolute best in the middle half of the concert accompanied by masterful orchestration. A must for all DT fans and one of the best DT DVDs available to this point in time.