LIVE AT THE MARQUEE

This album starts out with a bang. "Metropolis - Pt. 1" is a great piece, and is played well here. "A Fortune In Lies" is also a very good song. And "Bombay Vindaloo", an eastern flavored jam, show some dynamics rarely heard from Dream Theater. The rest of the album, too me sounds like a metal version of Journey or Styx. But that seems to be the story of this band. They are extremely talented musicians, but they seem to be lacking something in the creativity department. Once you've heard their tricks, it gets tiring to hear them repeated throughout a concert.

At least on this recording, the mix is more of a whole band mix, rather than Portnoy and Petrucci drowning out everything else.

But half of the album is still worthwhile.

2.5 stars. More tham a collectors item, but not quite good.