AYREON UNIVERSE : BEST OF AYREON LIVE

There are somehow no reviews for this yet, despite it now being out for a couple of weeks. I bought the signed, limited edition 'earbook' version of this set, which has already sold out. It comes with 2 CDs, 2 DVDs and a blu-ray of the concert, along with a nicely finished book full of photographs and information about all participants. Well worth the money.

As for the concert itself, it is apparently the first EVER 'official' live Ayreon concert. There was the 'Theater Equation' from a few years ago, but apparently that wasn't a true Ayreon concert. That's a technicality, but either way this is a wonderful set. No less than 16(!) singers and 8 instrumentalists - plus Arjen himself - perform dozens of tracks from various Ayreon albums with great enthusiasm and obvious joy. The singers act out the various parts, having conflicts on stage where the characters are fighting. This is not a rigid concert at all.

The production values are surprisingly high, with an enormous screen projecting animations to accompany the music. The sound balance is fantastic, and the editing and camera work far better than I had assumed they would be. Arjen even gives a heartfelt speech towards the end, where he confesses to being "scared shitless" by playing live - presumably the reason it has taken so long for them to get up and do this. I haven't watched the special features yet, but there's a documentary about putting the show together which looks great, along with interviews with everyone involved.

I've listened to this concert all the way through at least 10 times now, and it's fantastic, I wish I had been there. If you at all like Ayreon's music you can't fail to love this.