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

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 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

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

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 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.

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.