LIVE AT BUDOKAN

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The DVD is way better but the cd is still damn good too. The band play to their best abilities. The only flaws on this album are that the tracklist is split up into 3 discs which can be annoying, the DVD has em all on one disc and each individual disc loses some of its amazingness this way.

I have also noticed that sometimes there can be a little too much emphasis on the drums on a few tracks. probably on "As I Am", "This Dying Soul", "Pull Me Under" and "In the Name of God" where i noticed this most. Sometimes Petrrucci and Labrie can get drowned out a bit yet it is still very listenable and enjoyable. Those are about the only flaws on this 3 cd package.

The "Falling Into Infinity" tracks are much more enjoyable here. "Hollow Years" being the best yet i thought "New Millenium" sounded way better here. A lot darker sounding and heavier as well. I highly recommend this and the DVD as it is an essential Dream Theater purchase. I think even those who didnt like "Train of Thought" (i don't know why, it is just an incredible album!) will enjoy the live versions. The boys, once again, haven't failed to please.

As I have reviewed the DVD version, listening to the CD is for me another part of enjoyment as well. The beauty of live set CD after we've seen the video is that we can resonate the sound and associate with what sort of act the band played during the show through our mind. I don't think that I need to discuss into greater details about this live set package that contains 3 discs.Sometimes, I enjoy the DVD without turning my screen on so that I got the sound only. The only complaint I have with this CD package is its digipak package that does not provide a support to hold the disc. My experience with this kind of design has made some scratch on CD surface. This also happen with my Pink Floyd The Wall live. So, I packed the disks separately in other jewel.

Musically, it's an excellent live set! Keep on Progging! GW, Indonesia.

Live At Budokan CD

I really wanted to cry when I got this CD, because I just can listen and imagine how great the concert is. Thankfully, now I have them both and its really an amazing concert and I think is the best Dream Theater concert so far. Well, the best concert recorded though : ).

The best part is the Instrumedley, a giant medley taken from every single one Dream Theater albums, well, except Octavarium. The medley contains is about 11 minutes long and until now, I keep wondering how come they got enough stamina to play those unimaginable greatness instrumental songs. There are also three other songs which are amazing because at some part, they improvised the songs, which are Beyond This Life, Hollow Years and In The Name of God. Well in In the Name Of God, John Petrucci improvised the solo to give LaBrie a chance to say thanks to all of their Japanese fans, which is truly amazing.

I give 5 stars, because of the whole concert, not because of the CD and I gave 5 stars as well to the DVD. Now if you have the CD, but don't have the DVD, I strongly recommend you to buy the DVD, because for me it is Dream Theater best concert so far!!!

Timur Imam Nugroho - Indonesia

Live at Budokan was the third album that I got from Dream Theater (after Images and Words and Scenes From a Memory) and at the time I knew very few of the songs on here. In fact I was very new to prog as a whole so this had no trouble in surprising me at the level of musicianship that these guys displayed. But as my knowledge of Prog has grown (along with my CD collection) this has remained as one of my favourite live albums.

The show kicks of with the rousing As I Am and holds that feeling through the following song This Dying Soul and Beyond This Life. You notice pretty quick that each song flows from one to the next superbly, regardless of which album the song came from. I find that this gives the whole album an organic feel that works very well.

Extended instrumental's and improvisations seem to be the order of the day here, Beyond This Life has been fleshed out with 8 minutes of instrumental madness, Hollow Years has been transformed from a slow and boring song to something quite amazing, with one of Petrucci's most emotional solos set in the middle. On the second disc you get the awe inspiring Instrumedly (as you can guess its a medley of DT and Liquid Tension Experiment instrumental's) that contains one of the most impressive solos Myung has ever performed. Musicianship is something that isn't a problem for these guys throughout the album and they give a stunning performance.

There are a few bad points though, I'm not a huge fan of the added keyboard solos from Rudess in Beyond This Life and Keyboard Solo on the second disc, but that's only a few minutes of rhythmles showing off in nearly a 3 hour show. I would also have preferred it if they replaced This Dying Soul (my least favourite song from Train of Thought) with a couple of songs from Awake, an album that seems to have been overlooked on this performance and The Mirror/Lie could have fit in perfectly on this album.

Overall though, this was an amazing experience for me when I bought it and it remains one of my favourites, and most played, live albums. A must for fans of DT and Prog-metal in general, 4 stars.

This live album was recorded at the legendary Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan at the height of Dream Theater's Train of Thought tour. It was the final show they did in Japan for the tour. Now the audio presentation (and the video presentation for the dvd) is nothing short of impeccable, with a great overall mix and a nice balance of instruments (although sometimes the bass is very low). The set played encompasses a wide variety of the group's albums, with every album up to Train of Thought getting a song or two played from it (except Awake, which only gets Erotomania in the Instrumedley). Although all the songs are played perfectly, the only thing I dislike about this album is that although Beyond This Life and Hollow Years get some extensions, most of the show doesn't have that genuine live feel with a nice jam going or any little live additions that aren't originally in the studio version, which leaves a bit of a cold feeling. But other than that, though, this is a superb live album.

The first disc opens with As I Am, which segues into This Dying Soul. Both of these tracks are played note for note and have no real invention to them, but that doesn't mean they aren't fun songs. Petrucci shreds again and again while Myung and Portnoy lay a solid foundation and Rudess provides some solid work underneath (with his keyboard tone acting as another guitar). LaBrie's vocal performance here, while not as good as in the studio, is solid for him because he's often a hit/miss vocalist in live aspects. Beyond This Life is the first song that gets a major extension to it. In the middle, a nice instrumental jam proceeds, beginning with a nice guitar solo from Petrucci, and then a keyboard/drum duel between Portnoy and Rudess, who's keyboard tone on this section is remnicent of something Tommy Mars would play for Zappa. In fact, an excerpt from Baby Snakes is played during the instrumental section of this album.

Hollow Years follows with some more extensions thanks to a lengthy guitar introduction from Petrucci as well as a lengthy guitar solo towards the middle of the song. The next songs played are War Inside My Head/The Test That Stumped Them All, both played wonderfully and without any faults or mistakes. Disc two opens with Endless Sacrifice which is played the same as the studio counterpart, but I'm quite fond of the instrumental middle section in which everyone gets a chance to shine. Next is the Instrumedley, a 12 minute instrumental comprised of all the instrumentals Dream Theater has composed (minus Overture 1928 and Stream of Consciousness) all worked within the framework of The Dance of Eternity (which acts as a bridge between different sections). Trial of Tears is next. I've always been fond of this song because of the great playing on Myung and Petrucci's part, they are mesh well together on this song, especially during the instrumental middle section.

The second set of the show opens with New Millenium, which is played wonderfully. Kudos to Portnoy on this track, who offers a great backing vocal to LaBrie's lead. Only a Matter of Time follows, and I find this track to be better than the studio version (same goes with Hollow Years on disc one). Rudess's keyboard solo here is more dynamic than Moore's solo on When Dream and Day Unite and the song really sounds a lot better here than in the studio version. Following that is Rudess's keyboard solo, which ends the second disc. It's the only song I truly don't care for on this live set, all it is is him fiddling with the guitar type sound on his keyboard with a wah effect and then into a synthesizer ditty that goes nowhere. Disc three opens with two more songs from the Six Degrees suite, Goodnight Kiss and Solitary Shell. They are both played quite well and they don't really stray far from the studio version.

Stream of Consciousness follows with a 10 minute instrumental that goes through many motions, but is guided by a cool 5/4 motif. Petrucci's solo on this song is incredible and Myung's performance here is quite nice as well. Disappear follows with some heartfelt vocals from LaBrie, who sounds more solemn here than on the studio counterpart. It's cut short from the studio song though, because Petrucci's guitar outro doesn't last as long. It's a quite nice rendition. Pull Me Under is next, and you can expect this version to be no different than any other live version of Pull Me Under. The encore is In the Name of God, which gets the benefit of an extended guitar solo in the end from Petrucci. It's wonderfully played by all members and ends the show well.

In the end, Live at Budokan is a great live album, but not Dream Theater's best. There are some problems in my opinion with the songs being relatively unchanged from the studio counterparts and the lack of songs from Awake (The Mirror or Voices would have been nice). But all in all, this is a great sounding live set that fans of Dream Theater should love. 4/5.

One of their best live performances.

If you are here for enough time, you already knew that I'm a die hard fan of Dream Theater. But to be honest, I've never bought live DVD's and CD's of the same presentation. I love to put the DVD's and just hear them or actually watch them, so for me is a waste of money to buy both. But well, for those who are thinking on getting this album or for those who still don't have seen the DVD, I want to help you with a little guide.

Well, after the first three songs of this live album you will get what is all about. Metal and technical ability all the way. They were promoting their heaviest album Train of Thought and they were really into metal during that time. The extended instrumental section in the middle of Beyond this Life worth the experience on it's own. More than just soloing over and over (which is not necessary, we all know they are at the top of the league on their instruments) they share ideas and makes interesting answers in between the instruments. They have fun and the audience as well.

But the good things don't stop there. The songlist is rising to prepare you to the real focus of the presentation: the INSTRUMEDLEY. While I don't like medleys in general, because I always want to hear the complete songs and not just experts of it, this is really an impressive performance in a journey through all the instrumental songs of each album of the band. Technical ability and a collage of colors and emotions you will get in this "no resting" interpretation. The close part of the INSTRUMEDLEY is the moody and underrated Hell's Kitchen, which is in my opinion, the best instrumental song of them. You have to listen to it to believe it.

But the good things don't stop there yet! TRIAL OF TEARS, DISAPPEAR and ONLY A MATTER OF TIME are there to lift you up to the very best of their catalogue. I don't think there's a better set list really, and the interpretation of each is on the top level really.

The fact that I don't mention the rest of the material doesn't mean that it don't worth the listening. It's great really, but you have to hear it to believe it. In this gig they choose a lot of old and new songs, so you can have your favorites but I think you should not miss the above mentioned. Quality of sound at it's very best. Labrie sounds great with mic through wire, a lot better than wireless. His vocals sound with enough reverb and space. And the mix is only down of the Score album. It's all there, the best of the best. So...

I don't like the song by song description but just to help to guide new guys getting into the music. So, now you know it. Really heavy metal stuff with a lot of instrumental parts, soloing and medleys. High quality of interpretation and sound and enough music to be satisfied. Recommended to both fans and newbies. 4 stars is fair.