Search - Dream Theater :: Live Scenes From New York

Classic Dream Theater, on top of their game, Live in 2000 ..

Duke | New Zealand | 09/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I remember buying this album late in 2001. It seemed to take forever which was all to do with the unfortunate events of September 11 and the one in a million chance of a band releasing an album on the same day with a cover showing fire streaming out of the World Trade Centre and the New York sky line! A desperate attempt to retract the already shipped copies so they could be replaced with a more "sensitive" cover. The wait was all worth it though for Dream Theater deliver a live album in support of their masterpiece "Scenes from a memory". For me bands typically have up to 3 great live albums in them. 1. When they are new / fresh / energetic / confident. 2. Normally when they are at their creative peak, fully confident and feel on top of the world normally touring on the back of a great album. 3. The last is normally an anniversary type event (eg 20 years, a farewell concert etc). Example of these would be Rush (1. All the worlds a stage, 2. Exit Stage Left and 3. R30) and Dream Theater (1. Live at the Marquee, 2. Live Scenes from New York and 3. Score.



For me "Live Scenes from New York" is Dream Theater's equivalent of Rush's "Exit Stage Left" (1981). It is a the band at the most confident with an album ("Scenes") which like Rush ("Moving Pictures") they were just so proud of.



James LaBrie gives a great performance on vocals (have to admit though his best live vocal performance is on "Score" (2006). John Petrucci is stunning on guitar (it's a close call between his performance here an that displayed on the stunning riffamania shown on "Live @ Budokhan" (2004). John Myung is awesome on Bass (as he always is - also check out his work on Score, stunning). Jordan Rudess really shines on this set, he really is in full flite, his solo has to be heard to be believed. (His performance on "Budokhan" is also top notch and on "Score", well let's just say I'd say the Orchestra would have appreciated his keyboard work, it's is almost unearthly - the "Rick Wakeman / Keith Emerson" of current times, unbelievably good. And last but not least, Mike Portnoy who gives a fantastically energetic performance on drums. This is a 3 hour show (has more material on it than the corresponding DVD) and Mike never lets up. Along with Chester Thompson (Genesis) and Neil Peart (Rush) Mike is in my top three drummers and his display here is awesome. (Also check out "The test that stumped them all" on "Budokhan" or "Score" - awesome performance).



The set list is phenomenal. As with Rush's Exit Stage left there is heaps of material to chose from and it's all top notch. We get the whole of "Scenes from a memory" complete with Choir for the "Sprit carries on" section (this section is totally over the top, exceeded all my expectations - fantastic job). "Metropolis I", "Another Day" and "Learning to live" (yes than can play it live!) from "Images and Words" (1992). From Awake (1994) we get "Mirror", and the whole of "A mind besides itself" ("Erotomania / Voices / Silent Man"). Also included is the whole of "Change of Seasons" from 1995.



It's really a great show, one of those that you can just feel the confidence oozing out of every note / beat / riff.

I can't speak highly enough of this set, it's one of my favourite Live albums over the past 20 years (refer list below ***). If you do decide to get this one I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 10 out of 10.



*** Some of my favourite Live albums over the past 35 years ...

- "How the West was won" from Led Zeppelin (1972)

- "Made in Japan" from Deep Purple (1972)

- "Yessongs" from Yes (1973)

- "Welcome back my friends" from ELP (1973)

- "Too late to stop now" from Van Morrison (1974)

- "On your feet or on your knees" from Blue Oyster Cult (1975)

- "Live in London" from Bruce Springsteen (1975)

- "One more from the Road" from Lynyrd Skynrd (1976)

- "Frampton comes alive" from Peter Frampton (1976)

- "Live Bullet" from Bob Seger (1976)

- "Seconds Out" from Genesis (1977)

- "A Live Record" from Camel (1978)

- "Bursting Out Live" from Jethro Tull (1978)

- "Two for the Show" from Kansas (1978)

- "Playing the fool" Gentle Giant (1978)

- "Waiting fro Columbus" from Little Feat (1978)

- "Strangers in the Night" from UFO (1979)

- "Live Rust" from Neil Young (1979).

- "Paris" from Supertramp (1980).

- "Exit...Stage left" from Rush (1981)

- "Under a blood red sky" from U2 (1983)

- "Stop making sense" from Talking Heads (1984)

- "Live in the city of Light" from Simple Minds (1986)

- "Live adventures of the Waterboys" from the Waterboys (1986)

- "Operation Livecrime" from Queensryche (1991)

- "Without a safety Net" from Big Country (1992)

- "Secret World Live" from Peter Gabriel (1994)

- "Together in Concert" from Tim Finn, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga (2000)

- "Live Scenes from New York" from Dream Theater (2000)

- "Hullabaloo" from Muse (2002)

- "Out West" from Gomez (2005)

- "Instant Delivery" from Flower Kings (2006).

- "Okonokos" from My Morning Jacket (2006)



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