METROPOLIS 2000: SCENES FROM NEW YORK

Dream Theater - Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York 4 stars

There are very little mistakes on this DVD and then I'll point out why it is an excellent addition to any prog-metal collection. First, is the master volume. For some reason, this needs to be twice as loud as any other DVD I own to even make it out, including movie and music DVD's. It needs to be considerably loud and ordinary TV set with built in speakers will not suffice and thus diminish the sound quality of the performance. This is definitely something to consider when purchasing any DVD. Secondly, there is a little problem with the performance. Dream Theater does not really do anything outside of what you would hear on the album, the stage presence and excitement of performing is completely gone, but perhaps acceptable because the music is more challenging then it previously has been. Jordan Rudess on this DVD does however bring some presence. Lastly, is the vocal work of LaBrie. While not terrible, he did mess up on the moments where he was supposed to shine. This can be seen on the bonus track 'Learning to Live'.

Scenes From A Memory: The album was played in its entirety from start to finish. There were no mistakes and the entire performance of the album was spot-on on for everybody except LaBrie in a very few moments. There is also a decent amount of visuals to explain the nicely thought out concept of the album. They're a bit low-budget but what can you expect from a prog band? The camera angles are also pretty nice too, if you can't really picture what they are doing when you listen to the album, you will get a great idea on the DVD.

Bonus Material: This is basically the reason for the high rating, they picked a great second set. From the Awake album we get the 'Mind Beside Itself' suite which includes the instrumental 'Erotomania', 'Voices' and ''The Silent Man'. 'Learning to Live' is a classic from Images and Words and a masterpiece in itself. The act is closed with their most progressive song in their library, the 23 minute 'A Change of Seasons'. These were also preformed very nicely, with Portnoy messing up on his drum solo on 'Erotomania' (!!!) and James Labrie decides to go down an octave on 'Learning To Live', which left me very disappointed.

In conclusion, you are going to get exactly what you read. Studio quality versions of 'Scenes From A Memory', 'Erotomania', 'Voices', 'The Silent Man', 'Learning to Live' and 'A Change of Seasons'. No five star because the lack of excitement, stage presence and no hooks or twists. Even with these minor qualms, Dream Theater shows that they are one of the best live acts around today.