WHIRLD TOUR 2010 - LIVE FROM SHEPHERD'S BUSH EMPIRE, LONDON

It had been a few months since I watched this so I decided to take this one in again today. It was exactly as I remember it from my first viewing. Absolutely one of my favorite DVD concert experiences. Outside of the superb skills of those playing the music, I think the camera work was stunning along with the venue in which it was filmed in London. It was a perfect intimate setting to capture this tour and it was also filmed at the proper time, at the end of the tour so the band was very familiar with each other playing The Whirlwind in a live setting and had it down.

Onto the performance. The first song Whirlwind was done flawlessly and certain parts were really enhanced by the live version of this song. Neal Morse sounded great as did everyone else providing the backing vocals. Daniel Gildenlow is a great pick for touring member of this band. Compared to the Europe DVD they released after Bridge Across Forever, they give Gildenlow a lot more space and seem to encourage him to be more animated and even come out from the back into the spotlight. Mike Portnoy is fantastic like usual. His stage presence for a drummer is why I really enjoy watching him at live shows. And dude can play too. Roine Stolt is fantastic on the guitar and can really shred when he wants to, something the music in The Flower Kings doesn't always show. Pete Trewavas always looks to be so into the music and so excited to be in this band. You can tell that he is loving every moment of it. You put all of the elements of these 5 guys together and what you have is some serious and sustained high energy and passion that comes across very boldly and does not get stale during the 3 hours. I also really liked their new rendition of We All Need Some Light, allowing Stolt to take this lead. This was suggested by Portnoy which can be seen in the bonus footage that contains a great documentary of the tour. It's always fun to watch when Neal and company film behind the scenes.

The highlight for me was the "Is It Really Happening" section of the Whirlwind. It is so emotional and it kept building and sounds enhanced compared to the studio version. But in reality the whole thing is a highlight as Transatlantic plays their best material from the 2 previous albums. Not much else can be said about Duel With the Devil, All of the Above and Stranger In Your Soul that has not been already mentioned in previous reviews. Some of my favorite music ever. All in all this DVD concert experience is on the 5 star level. Crank it up and enjoy! Amazing stuff....