Customer Reviews

Dream Theater - Score: 20th Anniversary World Tour Live with the Octavarium Orchestra

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As the previous reviewers have stated, this particular show was absolutely amazing! As a fan of the band since 1989 and having seen 37 DT shows to date, this show tops them all and I am proud to say that I was there!

However, unlike those previous reviewers, I've actually managed to get a copy of this DVD ahead of time, and after watching it, I can say for certain that this DVD *is* DT's best yet! Mike Portnoy pulls out all the stops in making sure that this DVD tops everything else they've done thus far. The picture quality is gorgeous - better than Live at Budokan, if that can be believed. I was told by someone who worked on the project that extra attention was put in the details to ensure that every single frame was perfect, and it shows! The sound itself is also a thing of beauty - even the stereo mix is not the traditional AC3 encoding, but rather the superior PCM encoding. The actual mix is very well done by Michael Brauer and is balanced nicely, allowing each of the musicians to shine throughout. It is quite evident that every bit of space on the DVD was used.

I won't go on about the actual songs themselves, as you can read many reviews of the actual show to learn about them. However, I would like to point out that while the song selection is not to everyone's taste (as is evident from the other reviews), Mike Portnoy continues to give the fans the most bang for their buck by not having the same songs on every DVD like many other bands do - the only "overlapping" songs on this DVD compared to their previous DVDs are some parts of the song Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (as found on Live at Budokan), The Spirit Carries On and Metropolis pt. 1 (found on Scenes From New York) and Under a Glass Moon (on Live in Tokyo).

One other thing to add is that seeing the orchestra perform with the band is absolutely stunning - something to behold and the final song (Metropolis pt. 1) proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The second DVD showcases 3 bonus tracks (Another Day, The Great Debate and Honor Thy Father) which are taken from older shows; they are nice to have to round out the collection, but it should be noted that the picture and sound quality are not to the same standards as on the first DVD. Still their inclusion is worth having seeing as live performances of these songs have previously been unavailable on DVD. Also on the second DVD is the animation that was played during the song Octavarium, so if you happened to miss watching it during the show you were at, now you'll have the chance to watch it in full.

The best part of the second DVD has to be the documentary showing the history of the band from the days of being at Berklee School of Music up to the present day. Definitely a good look into DT's history, and a great companion to the book that Rich Wilson is writing on DT (www.dreamtheaterbook.com). My only real complaint on the documentary is that it isn't long enough, but surely Rich's book will fill in many of the stories and details missing in the documentary.

All in all, this release is definitely a labor love for the fans. No DT fan's collection will be complete without it. Also, both the show itself and the documentary serve as a great way to introduce DT to those who are just beginning to learn about them. I give this DVD the highest recommendation I possibly can! Stop reading these reviews and buy this thing - you won't regret it!!!

I was not bowled over by "Octavarium", and knowing that "Score" has five songs from that disc I didn't rush to the store the day it came out like I usually do when DT releases something new. I waited two days. Well, after listening to it several times I'm impressed. How could musicians of this caliber not impress? Anyway, the gem on this DVD is the entire forty-one minute version (with full orchestra) of one of the greatest DT songs ever, "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence". Wow! This song alone is worth the asking price, but fans get two hours and forty minutes of music, clear video and professional editing, ear pleasing audio options (stereo and DD 5.1), and some outstanding bonus features on disc two that include - an hour long band documentary, three bonus tracks, and a three minute animated short.

Overall, this is an amazing DVD from one of the best prog-metal bands ever, and if you favor DT's latest release over previous works, this will be a treasure.

For the all Dream Theater Fans, here is the token that the all band had reunited in order for us to enjoy. This DVD contains the whole concert they played on the Radio City Music Hall (NY) April 1st 2006. This was the final show of the Octavarium 20th Anniversary World Tour, and it a real special Dream Theater show since they played, not all of the show, 90 min, with an Orchestra. According to Mike Portnoy he said: "I truly believe last night (April 1st) was the PINNACLE of our 20 year career, thus far and an incredible ending to the latest chapter in DT history." This DVD also includes a 1 hour Documentary tracking the entire career of the band from the very beginnings at the Berklee College Of Music in 1985 all the way to the Radio City Music Hall grand finale. Including rare never before seen footage and interviews with current and previous members of the band. So for you all fans and non-fans this DVD promises to be a great master piece earned to be collected by you all. I know that we are still one month away to be finally released, but still you deserved to know what's up with this DVD and why it is so special.
Long Live DT!

First off, I wasn't a fan of the tracklisting when I first saw it. Then I began to thing about it and realized that I didn't want the same songs on every DVD. If I want to see and hear my favorite songs I can always put on Budokan or Scenes From New York. I really loved the fact that they played "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence" and "Octavarium" all the way through. Those two songs alone ate up 1/3 of the show. The band was as amazing and tight as always, no more discussion needed on that subject. The Orchestra really added to the second half of the show, but more importantly, they didn't drown out the band the fans paid to see.

The picture and sound quality are as great as Budokan and the venue isn't as dark, which I prefer. The special features contain an informative (although rather short for my tastes) documentary on Dream Theater's history, and three live performances that lack the picture and sound quality of the first disc. I'm not complaining though, because they are nice to have.

20 years and 8 albums down...
here's to hoping for many more to come.

"Score" marks the 5th offical live DVD from Dream Theater & just when you think they can't top themselves ... they do it again. Foregt the complaints about the set-list, this disc ROCKS.

The first act quickly covers the span of DT's career, and the guys do a great job picking songs that aren't what you'd expect. I especially liked hearing "Another Won" from the Majesty Demos (there's a cool edit of this version with an original video of the band doing it with Chris Collins before they had a record deal at the end of the documentarty on disc two.) and "Raise The Knife" from the FII sessions.

The second act is even more impressive. They open with the orchestra playing the overture from 6DOIT. This sounds great, but I think they extended it a bit, and it gets to be a little too much by the time it's done. But this is a minor complaint. The rest of this awesome epic sounds phenomenal. "Vacant" sounds even eerier with James singing over just the symphony before the rest of the guys join in. And "Octavarium" ... what can I say, it's just INCREDIBLE. But the best is yet to come. They play "Metropolis" for an encore, and I don't think it's ever sounded BETTER ! The horns add so much to the overall instrumentation - it gave me chills at first listen.

The secod disc is great too. The Documentary gives a really great peek into the history of the band, but it tends to focus on the early stuff before the current lineup was solidified. I would have liked to hear more regarding the recording of the last 4 albums, but again that's really just nit-picking.

Overall an AWESOME disc, and a must-have for DT fans.

This is THE best Dream Theater DVD put out to date. Where there was not a lot of room for improvement over the Budokan DVD as it was fantastic, the guys managed to raise the bar even higher with "Score"!

With everything a DT fan could ask for and more, "Score" hits on highlights from the last 20 years without repeating, for the most part, other DVD collections and absolutely kills with every song. The inclusion of the orchestra for the whole Six Degrees of Inner Turbulance was mind blowing and an event unto itself.

The documentary is a fantastic history. It would have been great to hear from Kevin Moore, he and the first lead singer, Chris, from the Majesty days, are the only folks not heard from. The three bonus tracks are a great glimpse at the history of the band while representing songs not heard or seen live on DVD (though the "Another Day" video is part of their first live concert).

The biggest improvement with this DVD from the last is the sound. The new PCM stereo option is THE choice you need to make when listening to this DVD. On the 5.1 track, James LeBrie is lost in the mix. But the PCM track is a perfect mix and fixes what was the Budokan's only flaw.

I have looked forward to this DVD since it was announced and it was everything and more that I hoped for!

As usual,this new Dream Theater DVD release won't let you down. As has been pointed already by others, the image and quality sound is excellent (but I won't dare to say that quality is better that their previos DVD concert, Live in Budokan).
The band shows such energy and vitality, their enthusiasm is contagious. For those who might question "why a new DVD concert?" there's your answer: all the members seem happier to play than ever. Their motivation is still there. And they're still in the peak of their skills.
I was particularly impressed by James La Brie's vocals. He's singing better than ever.
The set with the band and the orchestra (songs 9 to 14) is a good example of how that combination has to be done. There's a perfect integration of both. You never loose the feeling that the band is the most important thing, but the orchestra provides a very powerful and beutiful enhacement in each song. I was particularly impressed by the performance of "Six deegres of inner turbulence". To complete such a long piece without flaws, is a very difficult task. But Dream Theater and orchestra carry it out perfectly.
Some may question the choice of songs for a 20th year celebration, but in the end I think the most important thing is that the group celebrates the STYLE that they have been cultivating during all these years. And for 2 and a half hours, they do it through their whole performance, not through specific songs.

THE EXTRAS
The highlight of the "Bonus" DVD is the documentary about the story of the band, using archive footage and interviews with all the band members (yes folks, John Myung talks more than ever!), including guests Charle Dominici and Derek Sherinian (no Kevin Moore though). To cover 20 years in only 55 minutes is somehow incomplete, but I'm happy they put main focus in the very origins of the band.
There are also 3 songs from different concerts that are far from being fillers, because they have very good quality of sound and image. One of them, ANOTHER DAY, was evidently left out of the "Images and Words-Live in Tokyo" concert, while the others (The great debate and Honor Thy Father) come from unreleased concerts of 2002 and 2005.
And finally, there's a brief, funny, Beavis and Butthead-type animation snippet that in the main concert is shown in the background of the "Octavarium" performance.

With each new live DVD from DT I have wondered how they can maintain the momentum, excitement and interest. This brief review outlines why I believe that 'Score' matches 'Live in Budokan' in excellence and excitement.

Live in Budokan' is one of my top 5 live rock DVDs in a collection of over 40 concert DVDs. (See my review 'Brilliant concert and certainly a Mike Portnoy showcase') 'Score' is immediatley added to my top 5 DVD concerts. Not only is the sound and video quality the same but the players show new aspects to their vast range of musical skills. Portnoy adds fills in places that other mortal drummers just smile, whilst Petrucci shows a melodic side not as apparent in 'Live in Budokan' which tended towards being a shredfest. Some of the soloing over the orchestra and band in the second set was majestic progressive rock at its best - so beautiful that I found it an emotional experience.

The 'Six degrees of inner turbulence' composition is covered in its entirety. This alone is worthy of an accolade. The controversial set list is great in that it covers material not already covered on previous DT DVD concerts. I find this thoughtful of the band rather than overplaying some classics to death. (I think of all the Deep Purple DVD concerts with 'Smoke on the water' played without fail.)

Radio City Music Hall, NY, was the perfect venue and of course we have the addition of the 'Octavarium' orchestra. Before purchasing I wondered how this would work and hesitated thinking of some wishy-washy soft version with an orchestra. I was impressed how well this worked - in no way do DT play quietly - there is no compromise. DT rock as hard as ever. The orchestra complement and add to the power and beauty of the arrangements.

Any weaknesses? If anything the orchestra by themselves in the overture did not seem as cohesive or as sure of the score. Certainly the playing worked better together with the band. I am sure this would have been stretching for both orchestra members and DT. A real achievement that this worked so well.

Yes, there is a dead spot in the DVD - and my heart missed a beat. But really in the bigger scheme of things, so what. 3 hours plus of material and you have a 1 second pause.

There is no hesitation in giving this DVD top score (pardon the pun!)

DT fans will have bought this already. For newcomers - where have you been for the last 20 years? This will be an excellent addition to anyone's collection who loves progressive rock with a hard edge. Uncompromising musicianship that will enthrall for the entire concert and then again and again...

This is yet another in a series of brilliant live performances by Dream Theater. Each member sounds fantastic doing their thing. It sounds like James LaBrie has put a lot of work into his live performances. He sounds much more like studio James LaBrie than live James LaBrie. Of course, everyone else is oozing skill and musicianship as usual. John Myung and John Petrucci are spectacular and inspiring, even when playing each other's instruments. I especially enjoyed watching Jordan Rudess play. He looks like a kid at six o'clock on a Christmas morning when he plays his keyboards (no DT reference intended!). Oh yes, and I love Mike Portnoy's tuxedo t-shirt. Formal and casual all in one. Now all he needs is a mullet :)

There are two negatives that cause me to give this four stars rather than five.
1. The quality of the orchestra is somewhat disappointing. I was really looking forward to the orchestra part since so much of Dream Theater's music is written with orchestral sounds in mind. However, the intro to Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence kind of upset me. The problems seem to lie mostly with the strings. They sound horribly out of tune and the faster passages sound like a sloppy jumble of notes. The orchestra sounds fine on the documentary when it shows them rehearsing, so I think it could have been nerves. I mean, imagine being a middle-aged woman trying to play a violin at a metal concert. I'd be freaked out, too! To their credit though, the horns and trumpets hit all their notes flawlessly and the flute solo was superb. I liked the E flat clarinet, too. Somewhat unusual but very cool.
2. I was hoping for more extended solos like the eight minutes of solo insanity in Beyond This Life on the Live at Budokan album or the one in To Live Forever on Images and Words Live in Tokyo. However, That's not to say that they didn't give us a few gems of cool stuff. John Petrucci's solo at the beginning of The Spirit Carries on is gorgeous and Jordan Rudess' extended keyboard solo in Octavarium is fun to listen to. They also gave us two unreleased songs, Another Won and Raise the Knife, both of which seriously rock and make me scratch my head wondering why they ended up on the cutting floor previously(darn those labels!).

There are So many things to enjoy, appreciate and admire in this concert. All of the members of the band are higher than the tops of their games and the semmingly odd tracklist is absolutely perfect for the show.
In short, Octavarium will blow your mind then Metropolis will blow your load...figuratively and literally.