MUSIC REVIEW: Dream Theater - Metropolis 2000, Scenes from New York (DVD)

"Astonishing live prog metal."

Dream Theater's concept album Scenes From A Memory is jaw-dropping on CD, but one gains a whole new level of appreciation for the work when one sees it performed. I mean, Dream Theater plays some really complex stuff here, and it's awesome to watch. "The Dance of Eternity" is insane, and the instrumental section of "Beyond this Life" has some really tough harmonization and unison lines. John Myung's dexterous bass playing is especially incredible to see because it's sometimes difficult to hear him in the mix on the CD. Jordan Rudess is truly a god among keyboardists, and I don't doubt that in a few years we'll regard him with the same deference as legends like Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson. It's almost uncanny how easily he plays everything. What's also interesting about him is that he doesn't use racks of keyboards; he controls everything from just one, and switches between sounds with a pedal. Very cool. For much of the show, I just sat there with my jaw constantly hitting the floor thinking, "How the freakin' heck do they do that?"

The band puts on an incredible show. The band usually has a sort of calm stage presence, but here they're gushing energy. LaBrie's vocals never miss their mark, and in some ways his performance is better here than on the CD. I hadn't realized he had this much live power (let's not forget that he's an operatically trained vocalist, too). The band recreates SFAM's story using images on the big screens, which is good for those who didn't quite grasp the plot. (I understood the story, but it was nice to finally see what the breaking glass was on "Finally Free.") The band also brings in the hypnotherapist, the gospel choir for "The Spirit Carries On," and Theresa Thomason to sing Victoria's lines on that same song. Here, they've essentially recreated the album better than I could have imagined.

The bonus material is great. Personally, I found the "Making Of" section very interesting, and the band's audio commentary for the concert is really quite funny. The "Deleted Scenes" are a dream come true. I never expected to see the band perform "A Mind Beside Itself" in its entirety, and the electric version of "The Silent Man" is an intense extension of the original song. "Learning to Live" is a great anthemic song, even better here because of LaBrie's vocal improvisation during Petrucci's heroic guitar solo (the one right after LaBrie's hits that high F). And the best of all... "A Change of Seasons" as an encore, with some fun embellishments during "IV. The Darkest of Winters.

What I'm getting at is...this DVD is incredible. If you're a DT fan, you absolutely need this.