Customer Reviews

Chaos in Motion [2 DVD]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought Dream Theater's Chaos in Motion off another website and for some reason they shipped it early and I got it today. Here is what I think about it.

I have every Dream Theater DVD to date, but this one lacks the quality of Live at Budokan or Score. I didn't know that this was going to be raw footage until I read the back of the case. The video quality looks decent, but if your expecting the look or nice camera angles of the past concert DVDs, you might be disappointed.

There are plenty of extra features on disk two that run well over two hours. There is a 90 minute documentary about the band's 35 country tour, some music videos and Mike Portnoy takes us on and behind stage in two short, but enjoyable segments. I really loved the documentary. You get to know the band, the crew and what life on the road is like.

The main thing Dream Theater does well with these DVDs (and they put one out about every two years) is the fact that they all feature different songs. The songs on here won't be found on the previous releases, which is nice for the fans.

The concert footage is good, could be better, but with a whole disc of extras, this is a must for anyone who likes Dream Theater.

Disc one

Intro/Also sprach Zarathustra

Constant Motion

Panic Attack

Blind Faith

Surrounded

The Dark Eternal Night

Keyboard Solo

Lines in the Sand

Scarred

Forsaken

The Ministry of Lost Souls

Take the Time

In the Presence of Enemies

Medley:

I. Trial of Tears

II. Finally Free

III. Learning to Live

IV. In the Name of God

V. Octavarium

Disc two

"Behind The Chaos On The Road" 90 minute Documentary

Promo Videos: Constant Motion, Forsaken, Forsaken (In Studio), The Dark Eternal Night (In Studio)

Live Screen Projection Films:

The Dark Eternal Night (N.A.D.S)

The Ministry Of Lost Souls

In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 2

"Mike Portnoy Stage Tour"

"Mike Portnoy Backstage Tour"

Photo Gallery

I almost think that Portnoy wanted it this way, Because if you watch Score that is one of the best DVDs/Cds i have ever heard. Some people think i am nuts, but that DVD/CD is great. Chaos In Motion - Well They obviously couldn't record wih HD Camers , because of the expense and as far as the songs & performances - I think they are average at best Except Surrounded which i think is outstanding work especially Petrucci, and i think he shines on this DVD/CD..........But like i said it is average at Best. I was looking so forward to this and now that i have seen & listened to it ..mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Not so Good!

I am a died hard Dream Theater fan and I love the band and their music, but I must say that this DVD is a huge disappointment. The format is similar to the old "Five Years in a Livetime" video in that it intersperses various concert footage with interviews, backstage footage, etc. I have two serious problems with this. First, I find it highly annoying and distracting when I'm getting into the music and then it cuts away to something else. Music DVDs are best when they show a full concert from start to finish (without cheesy visual effects). Second, the sound and picture quality of the concert footage reminds me of a bad bootleg. I have literally seen bootleg concert videos from the 1970s that have much better sound and picture quality than this 2008 DVD. The bottom line: Dream Theater completists (like myself) don't need to be reading this review, but if you're a casual fan and you're on the fence then I would highly recommend starting with their older, better DVDs such as Score, Live at Budokan, Live Scenes from New York, Images & Words Live in Tokyo, or the official bootleg When Dream & Day Reunite from ytsejamrecords.com. Chaos in Motion is by far the weakest Dream Theater DVD to date, which is a shame because the music itself is great (especially "Surrounded", "Lines in the Sand", and "Scarred").

The live portion looks as if someone shot this with a camcorder from 1985. Compared to the Score and Budokan DVD's this is a bootleg. I have the Dark Side of the Moon and and Live in Bucharest bootleg DVD's and the video quality is similar. The audio on the DVD is good, which is why I can't understand why the video quality is so bad.

Buy this for the bonus stuff (videos of the singles off of Systematic Chaos) and the behind the scenes documentary. Not for the live section.

To the point, like has already been said, I had no idea this would be a raw footage DVD, which will require some adjusting to, especially since Budokan and Score spoiled me so thoroughly.

Also, James Labrie's singing was just...off! I totally loved Blind Faith (Six Degrees was my first DT album), but I found myself wincing every time he hit the high note in the hook. That's my main complaint really, he's great so long as he stays in the mid to low range. I'm really sorry about his throat injury from years past, but it seems like it's still plagues him. I sincerely hope he overcomes this.

Now for the good stuff: The muscianship! These guys are incredible! Right now I've just finished listening to Surrounded and the ad libs and embellishments are brilliant. They have set the bar pretty high and they continue to live up to it. I can't wait to hear the rest.

After seeing somewhat of a mix of reviews for this new title so far, I wasn't real sure what to expect when I put Disc 1 in the DVD player. In the end, this is one Dream Theater fan that is well pleased with the release. An important note out of the gate though, as a couple of reviewers have pointed out, this is -not- another Score or Budokan. The production of this is run and gun, raw video footage both onstage and backstage.

But... that is the best part. This is closer to "5 Years in a Livetime" or one of the official bootlegs, in that it is a collection of footage that captures the essence of the band. Yes, you see that even prog-rock demigods are human. Small mistakes, personalities worn from the road, vocals off from a bad monitor mix or fatigue. If you want polished and perfect then buy Score. But to this former sound engineer, perfect isn't reality and sometimes I like the "uncut" version as is presented here.

The great part about this too is that it shows how hard working and talented these guys are. It is one thing to see the killer performances of a big show like the Score DVD captures. It is another too see the unrelenting energy these guys bring to show after show on the road across North American and Europe. I've not yet been able to make it to a live DT show, but given what I see on DVD you can count me in on the next tour.

As another review also points out, these guys are -great- at releasing live material with little overlap to prior DVD/CD releases. Each subsequent Rush show on DVD is getting more and more redundant, but each DT video is another piece of the big puzzle of their live career.

Now... throw in the second DVD with documentary and supporting material, and it makes this whole package a no-brainer for any real DT fan. For those of you that are fair-weather friends, well, buy it anyway. It will bring you closer to complete understanding and acceptance <grin>.

As for the one reviewer that says maybe this isn't so great for hard-core DT fans, well, he's not speaking for this one. Again, another thread in the incredible tapestry of Dream Theater!

OK, as a Dream Theater fan, musicianship on this DVD is fantastic. But we all know that. I really don't have a problem with the format per se, just the execution of it and the cost of the DVD. Video quality is, at best, a very good SD videocam. But with consumer HD videocams at under $600, couldn't we use those? Heck, even the interviews video quality is sub par. And the 5.1 sound is not the best, sometimes has weird sounds coming from the rear speakers and has little or no subwoofer action going. Could be better. If the price were say $10 less I would give it four stars because of the value, but at $24...... And before I get slammed like anyone here who dares to say something bad, 3 stars is still "good" and I'm still enjoying the DVD. Just wishing for better.

This DVD would have been fine if it were released on Mike Portnoy's YtseJam Bootlegs, but as a follow up to Live at Budokan and Score it's an embarrassingly huge letdown. I know Mike Portnoy (who pretty much wears the pants in Dream Theater) has lots of pride in the products he puts out under the Dream Theater name, so it surprises me that he would put out such an embarrassing product.

Live at Budokan is arguably the greatest concert DVD ever. I would love to see it released on BluRay. The next DVD they released was Score which was a great DVD even though the quality was a notch below Budokan. After seeing Budokan though, I realized that it would be a lot to ask for to see a DVD that looked as beautiful as Budokan. These two DVD's should be your essential Dream Theater DVD's.

I really hope that the reason for this subpar DVD doesn't have anything to do with the fact that Road Runner doesn't have the $$$ or resources to finance a product like Live at Budokan. Dream Theater needs to release a 3 hour concert in Blu Ray to make up for this crap.

I've seen bootlegs that were shot in the audience and then transferred to VHS that look a hell of a lot better than this. There is no excuse for putting out a product like this. They spoil us DT fans with Budokan, and then they put this garbage out. I don't know how anybody who had purchased the last few DT DVD's could watch this and not be disappointed.

I'm going to give this DVD two stars instead of one because the performance on this DVD is incredible. Dream Theater is the best at what they do. The setlist is also awesome featuring new stuff and classics that have never been on a DVD before like "Scarred" and "Lines in the Sand". The medley at the end is my favorite Dream Theater medley of all the Dream Theater medley's. I have no problem with the music, my problem is with the quality.

If your a diehard you probably have this already, but if you are looking to pick up a Dream Theater DVD, this would be my last choice.

The standards for a concert DVD are much higher now. This feels like several steps backwards. I think Mike Portnoy is out of touch with what people want. People who buy concert DVD's want DVD's that make you feel like your sitting in the front row, not DVD's that make you feel like your holding a camera in the back row.

I'm a collector of DT. This tour saw DT at the best of their Careers so far. So here's what I think of the picks on this collection as compared to other versions on the tour.

Constant Motion

Great take. Totally cool choice. Play it loud. I liked Calgary better.

Panic Attack

This was taken from my least favorite show on the tour that I've heard.

I don't really like it here any more than I did in Buenos Ares. Blah. It's okay, but DT played so many better takes of this song I don't know why they chose this one. It might have something to do with a line following on the DVD by a band member 'It becomes kind of routine. You reflect and you say, you know we're the same guys that we started this when we were really young goin to college for the first time. ... You kinda look at each other and go I can't believe we're still doin this.' I find it curious that things were so crazy and chaotic among the band the day of the Toronto show, which was one of the best on the Tour.

Blind Faith

James might piss you off here. And it's true he can sing this better, but he's also singing it with character. He's strongly weak. He needs to sing this song softer to bring it out beautifully. lol. The band is on. I heard this in Toronto and will say I thought it was the weak song of the set. Scarred was incredible that night. Either way, the song is strong and it's worth having. The band is rockin it. I'll keep coming back to it on my stereo. Plus, we need this song on an official Live release.

Surrounded

This song was beautiful so many times on the tour. I've heard a better take than this one from the tour. Calgary and Japan come to mind but I don't feel let down by this. James is awake. I love it. You'll probably love it. This is a good example of how awesome the band was on this tour.

The Toronto show was incredible.

The Dark Eternal Night

Another song that from this tour, has shaken my walls, house and car. I just don't like this take. As a writer I know that hundredths of seconds can mean the difference between alight and serious head banging awesomeness. That's the case here. It just seems off by a very slight margin as compared to some other versions I love so much. When I heard the solo I got it. They're playing the song a little faster than normal, and that bit of speed is rushing them into a beat that's just not as strong as usual. Unfortunate.

Jordan Rudess Keyboard Solo

If you dig the solo from this tour, you'll dig this.

This rocks.

Lines in the Sand

DT plays this album so well. I'm also a fan of Derek Sherinian. This song was no letdown on the tour. This is not a bad take. I sort of enjoyed it. The trouble is, again, there are better takes out there. More fluid takes. The band doesn't sound cohesive here. The timing is a little off. The energy is not on par with the awesomeness of this tour. James belts out a couple of cool notes. If you know him badly, you'll be impressed. If you know him strong, you'll know he's been better all across this tour.

Scarred

One of my favorite songs by DT. My favorite take was Italy 2002. I believe this one may take that throne. Oh dear sweet lord of all. Buy the set for this song. :) I was hoping, expecting the whole thing to be as incredible as this based on the strength of their tour. Regardless, this live album tells a story. This is an important part of that story.

Enter Progressive Nation.

If you've heard any of it... you know.

The repentance clip is very... very... interesting.

DT is holding the song for their next tour. >,>

Forsaken

I love this song. I was always a little disappointed with James' singing of it over the tour. James is asking why on some songs. Maybe we'll find out why. It's just a bad display of vocals. Add the short fall offs from some of the notes. The truth is, I don't know a better take. So rock it if you're not embarrassed to blast the song when James adds W's to his words. I won't play this take again.

The Ministry of Lost Souls

Yes please. The album version was lacking, but live this is a masterpiece on the level of Metropolis. As beautiful as this take is, it's lacking compared to what I've heard from the tour. Don't misread, the song is beautiful here. You can play this loud. I'll go to another take though.

Okay, a really hillarious thing about a comment saying Detroit can get stale on the 25th time. I was at that show. I think it's the best show DT has ever played. A fun fact. No known recording exists. James also changed the lyrics to voices. The word Voices was replaced by Life.

Take the Time

January 15th show? Truth be told, the song was incredible that night, but the audience, eliminated from these recordings played a big part that night. Why think it's time for a change>? Why makes sense here. The way James follows. Cool take. Is James really trying though>? I know for a fact he's been better. Better in 95.. for this track. I just sung along... nope, he's not putting out. Rock it though, if you want '95 or earlier take the time, I don't think you'll quite find it. At least, I haven't. Good thing we can find a better from '96 on for any other DT track. My point? James can sing. And if you think the end of '94 was his end (there are some of you out there). DT might not be the right band for you. Example, I got a cough, hacking, snotting, and my voice got stronger. James too, has had a similar experience. Christmas '94 I believe. Weird world.

In the presence of Enemies

There are heavy breaths and a W phrase here. The band also doesn't seem to be rocking quite as well as I know them to on this song. Still, I'm being critical. Take this over the album version for sure. The song turns around. The beginning of pt 2 is incredibly beautiful. I haven't heard it this wonderful on the tour. This is my thesis. Is DT only as good as we believe they are on our stereo? Suddenly the song is incredible. Set your speakers on fire with volume. 5 bucks says I listen to all this again believing they're the best takes and they are. Is this your memory Langden? This is my dream. This sonic beauty I'm hearing right now.

Shmedly Wilcox

Chill. I've never heard Wilcox sound this beautiful.

There's enough here to be worth having. I'm not throwing it away. There's a story to be told. There's emotion. Heart. Love.

I have been listening to and tracking the development of the band since When Dream and Day Unite. Although this DVD/CD collection is good, it does not encompass the best performances by the band. Although the melody players--Rudess and Petrucci--hit all of the notes, I'm not sure they still listen to each other anymore. On most of the songs, the band does not sound as tight as they did in past tours. No comments are necessary for Portnoy, who has the biggest ego of any drummer I've seen, or Myung, who as always is the quiet, most skilled anchor of this band. (Lifting Shadows off a Dream, one of the few songs Myung wrote, remains one of their best songs.) Finally, the most disappointing aspect of the performances was LaBrie's voice. With his range seemingly more limited than in the past, he is clearly not able to hit many of the high notes of the studio versions of the songs. LaBrie sounded more like he did on the Awake tour, when he had voice problems due to illness. Instead of feeding his ego with more sonically ambitious songs, Portnoy needs to do a better job of set list selection. The band's sound is only as good as the lead singer. The band needs to do a much better job of gauging LaBrie's current vocal abilities before embarking on huge world tours where he is screeching and screaming rather than singing.