Dream Theater - Live at Budokan

Starring:Dream Theater
Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt.
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A treasure-trove for Dream Theater fans, Live at Budokan presents an entire three-hour performance at Tokyo's famed Budokan arena on April 26, 2004, along with a bonus disc rich in supplementary material. Disc 1 finds the metallic progressive-rock quintet at its awe-inspiring best, plowing through its catalog of dramatic epics and jack-hammer instrumentals, including five of the seven songs from 2003's Train of Thought. Disc 2 features an extended drum solo from percussionist extraordinaire Mike Portnoy; gear tours from guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess (fascinating for lay people and downright revelatory for musicians); and a half-hour documentary on DT's 2004 stint in Japan punctuated by tantalizing snippets of band rehearsals. The shooting and editing for the concert are a music lover's dream, with lengthy shots that linger on the performances of individual band members. Disc 2 takes this even further with a multi-angle sequence of the 12-minute "Instrumedley."

Amazon.com

A treasure-trove for Dream Theater fans, Live at Budokan presents an entire three-hour performance at Tokyo's famed Budokan arena on April 26, 2004, along with a bonus disc rich in supplementary material. Disc 1 finds the metallic progressive-rock quintet at its awe-inspiring best, plowing through its catalog of dramatic epics and jack-hammer instrumentals, including five of the seven songs from 2003's Train of Thought. Disc 2 features an extended drum solo from percussionist extraordinaire Mike Portnoy; gear tours from guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess (fascinating for lay people and downright revelatory for musicians); and a half-hour documentary on DT's 2004 stint in Japan punctuated by tantalizing snippets of band rehearsals. The shooting and editing for the concert are a music lover's dream, with lengthy shots that linger on the performances of individual band members. Disc 2 takes this even further with a multi-angle sequence of the 12-minute "Instrumedley."

Description

This 2-DVD set features a concert taped on April 26, 2004, at the Budoken in Tokyo, Japan. Track selections span the band's entire career, including songs from 2003's Train of Thought. And, as fans expect, the footage showcases the group's technical expertise with extended solos. Disc One is the complete live concert. Disc Two is packed with special features, including a Japanese tour documentary, guitar/keyboard/drum solos.

Customer Reviews:

Love this DVD..........2007-02-15

The 1st time I watched this show was on Rave HD at 330am and I could go to sleep. I stayed up 'till about 6am having to work in the morning. I'm saying this was Phenomenal. I loved it!!! Great Sound and Awsome Show. Next day I went searching for this DVD because I had to have it. I have watched it a couple of times, already!

Worth 10 Stars!.......2006-11-11

Great performance! Great video and audio quality! Great bonus features! Excellent concert!

awesome.......2006-11-10

Overall, this is an extremely awesome concert. I am a big fan of DT, and like pretty much all their stuff. The performance itself is pretty good, although the only truly special thing they do is the instrumedley and Jordan's keyboard solo. Other than that they pretty much just play their songs as you hear them on the album. If they had done more special things, it would have gotten a 5 star rating instead of 4. Other people complain about how the band really doesnt get into their music during the performance, but would say they did okay as far as that goes. Sure the singer doesnt get out from behind the mic stand, thats because half the time he is dragging it along with him, although i will say the band overall doesnt really get into it as much as most other metal bands, and thats probably why they have the video show up on the screens behind them. The special features are also pretty good, but i would not buy this concert just for those, backstage footage and things of that nature are cool but do not make a dvd good by themselves. Overall, i did think it was pretty cool, and i would recommend buying it if you like Dream Theater or just their genre of music in general.

Jaw Dropping........2006-06-22

Simply amazing... the multi-angle view of Instrumedley on the bonus disc is worth nearly the price of admission... but there are hidden pieces of astounding talent on display throughout the entire DVD... I don't think Dream Theater knows how to play something that's just nice, short, sweet, and simple. They pride themselves on pushing the boundaries, and they do so brilliantly in nearly every tune they compose! Overall this is a MUST OWN for any prog rock fan, any shred fan, any musician who plays guitar, bass, drums, or keyboard, or fan of those instruments.

My only complaint is that the guys aren't the most entertaining in the world. To some that's a complement: "shut up and play." But if I have to fish around for a complaint, that would be it. Otherwise this DVD is simply mind boggling.

In one word: "Amazing".......2006-06-19

I think this DVD is fantastic. This live performance is one the best i've seen. The music turns from heavy and angry to soft and melodic. The production is superb, the audio is great and the songs are played without a mistake. Once again these guys prove that they are amazing players. Petrucci, Portnoy, Rudess and Myung are awesome with their instruments. LaBrie is singing better and more controlled than in previous tours. I give a 4 star rating because the song list it's a bit disapointing, it could have been better. But, if you are a die hard fan, get this DVD! It's a must.

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