Steadfast at the apex of the prog-metal heap, Dream Theater has reached the coveted position where it can do no wrong in the eyes and chops-hungry ears of its international fan base. LIVE AT BUDOKAN is the band's third full-length live offering, a mammoth three-CD affair with a set list that leans heavily towards the studio albums SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE (2002) and TRAIN OF THOUGHT (2003).
As with any Dream Theater concert, the crown jewel of LIVE AT BUDOKAN is its legendary "Instrumedley." The awe-inspiring epic puts the metallic virtuosos through a series of strung-together touchstone themes culled from both "Metropolis" pieces, "Erotomania," "A Change of Seasons," and "Ytse Jam," plus two excerpts drawn from Liquid Tension Experiment (an instrumental side-project featuring 3/5ths of Dream Theater). With this performance, there are notable upgrades in the group's live act. Vocalist James LaBrie gets better with each tour, and the background vocals have never sounded so spot-on. To top it all off, guitarist John Petrucci continues to push the six-string-shredding envelope to its furthest reaches with his rapid-fire soloing palette.
Captured live April 26, 2004, at the famed Budokan in Tokyo, Japan. This 3-CD set has over three hours of on-stage brilliance loaded with visionary Dream Theater original compositions! Produced by founding members John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy.
Audio Mixer: Kevin Shirley.
Liner Note Authors: James LaBrie; John Myung; Mike Portnoy ; Jordan Rudess.
Recording information: Budokan, Tokyo, Japan (04/26/2004); The Budoken, Tokyo, Japan (04/26/2004).
Dream Theater: James LaBrie, John Myung, John Petrucci, Jordan Rudess, Mike Portnoy .
Personnel: John Petrucci (vocals, guitar); Mike Portnoy (vocals, drums); James LaBrie (vocals, percussion); Jordan Rudess (keyboards); John Myung (bass guitar, Chapman stick); Bert Baldwin (keyboard programming).
Another Brilliant Live Performance Dream Theater continues their passion for live recordings with yet another release (another 3-disc set) that is expertly produced by two band members - Portnoy and Petrucci. This set was recorded live at Budokan in Tokyo and contains almost all of the material off of their latest studio effort, "Train of Thought". For those that remember back to the early '90's when DT actually got some FM airplay, "Pull Me Under" is dusted off and played with exuberance.
There is the usual pyrotechnics of incredible guitar playing and extraordinary drum fills from Petrucci and Portnoy, along with the fantastic keyboard embellishments and exquisite bass playing from Rudess and Myung that we have come to expect and admire from these gifted musicians. How James LaBrie's voice can continue to soar over this instrumental ensemble night after night is anyone's guess.
Just as the playing gets to be almost too much for the senses (listen to the incredible "Instrumedley" pieced together from two Liquid Tension Experiment pieces and you'll see what I mean), they soothe the soul with beautiful versions of "Trial of Tears", "Hollow Years" or "Goodnight Kiss".
This is a hard working group of professionals, and hats off to them for being so prolific, not only with their DT efforts, but also all of their side projects which allows us to hear even more of their music genius in different settings.
"Live at Budokan" is a must not only for DT fans, but for anyone who enjoys progressive music and likes to hear five guys really tear it up...Enjoy! Submitted by RickNlsn (Lakeville, MA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Simply the best musicians This Cd shows the real stellar musicianship of Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung. If you love intricate playing this is a must have Submitted by comtnbyker (Evergreen CO) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 1 found this helpful.
Great concert! I have owned this DVD for 2 years, and it still gives me chills; specially on the last song "In the Name of God".
Dream Theater fan must-have!!! Submitted by anayita7 (Guayama, Puerto Rico) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Masterpiece Like wine, Dream Theater turns better year to year. The Live At Budokan comes to consolidate the truth: a great studio band, and a giant live.
Submitted by PHSMONTE (Santos, SP, Brazil) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
"The best of the world" I can't find words to discribe this music because it's so amaising the sound the technic and quality of the songs, the dream theater at there best. Submitted by Aturbulence ("oporto, Portugal") Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
$12.69 TRAIN OF THOUGHT continues the legacy of the progressive metal legends, with all the requisite superhuman metallic musicianship that their fans have come to expect. This outing continues in the heavier mode that began with 2002's SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE, reaching even further into darker, personal lyrical themes.
Guitars are the dominant expressive voice here, with keyboards scaled considerably back from the signature Dream Theater sound. Band members Mike Portnoy (drums) and John Petrucci (guitar) continue their do-it-yourself production approach, opting for recording venues on their native Long Island (much of the band's album work has taken place in upstate New York at Bear Tracks and Little Bear Studios). "As I Am" and "This Dying Soul" at times borrow generously from Metallica, featuring that band's well-known use of tri-tones, and vocalist James LaBrie even tries his hat at some Hetfield-isms. Possibly due to Petrucci's tenure on the ...
$16.45 This release gathers together two previous outings in the visual medium from progressive metal band Dream Theater. A concert recorded live in Tokyo from 1993 is included, alongside highlights from shows in Rotterdam, London, and a selection of music videos. See individual titles for more details.
With their progressive metal style and exceptional musicianship (learned at the Berklee School of Music) Dream
Theater grew to prominence with their MTV hit "Pull Me Under" in 1992. During that time Dream Theater developed
a rabid fan base that remains with them today-especially when it comes to their mind-blowing live shows.
This 2 DVD set, Images And Words: Live In Tokyo/5 Years In A LIVEtime, is a must-own for any Dream Theater fan. The
2-DVD set is jam-packed with over 3 hours of footage: live performances along with 6 music videos and memorable
behind-the-scenes interviews.
Disc One: Images And Words: Live In Tokyo is a riveting live performance captured in Tokyo, Japan, during Dream
Theater's 1993 Music In Progress world tour. Also included are the videos for "Pull Me Under," "Take ...
$12.69 As the sole major-label progressive-metal act, Dream Theater invariably set the standard as the flagship band of the genre. With the numerically themed OCTAVARIUM (including eight tracks signifying the band's eighth release) the shred-rock quintet continues to challenge themselves creatively. Opening track "The Root Of All Evil" picks up the thread that began with "The Glass Prison" (SIX DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE) and carried forward to "This Dying Soul" (TRAIN OF THOUGHT). Drummer Mike Portnoy's lyrics for these songs read like a set of deeply personal journal entries documenting his painful recovery experience, further disclosed by a footnote nod to Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. OCTAVARIUM chiefly finds Dream Theater stepping back from elaborate fretboard acrobatics, focusing ...
$18.39 Sidestepping the glam and thrash obsessions of their peers, Dream Theater updates Rush's blueprint with a modern texture. The progressive metal touchstones are all here: changing time signatures, dizzyingly complicated tablature, tonsil-snapping lead vocals, lyrical bombast, and a healthy sense of self-importance. John Petrucci and Co. deftly combine all of these elements on SCORE: 20th ANNIVERSARY WORLD TOUR LIVE WITH THE OCTAVARIUM ORCHESTRA, their fourth (!) live record since 2001. While SCORE might not be the best start for neophytes, the three-disc opus will sate the appetites of serious devotees.
2006 commemoration of the group's 20th Anniversary World Tour on 3CD's, recorded live at Radio City Music Hall on April Fool's Day, ...
$12.49 Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys come from the Land of Retro, and it's a happening place. Their bag is small-combo Western swing, and the refreshing thing is their lack of irony, even with the matching yoke shirts, white scarves, and greasy kid stuff. The band's spartan instrumentation leaves nothing for a weak vocalist to hide behind; luckily, ...
$8.09 Also available in a 3-pack with BRITISH STEEL and POINT OF ENTRY.
In the early '80s, a new musical movement, dubbed "The New Wave of British Metal," swept across England. The conspirators include such heavy bands as Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Saxon, and Def Leppard, but Judas Priest is often credited as the originator and leader of the pack. Rob Halford's vocal histrionics and the dual guitar attack of K.K. Downing and Glen Tipton mesmerized metal-heads everywhere. While Priest had been together since the early-'70s, the band's big U.S. breakthrough came with 1982's SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE.
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