Rating: 
Summary: THE GREATEST CONCERT EVER
Review: Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Dream Theater is the greatest progressive metal band ever to record, with Rush being their only competition. The Scenes From a Memory album was brilliant, and this DVD reflects that. The extras, such as Change of Seasons, are great. I will buy everything that DT ever puts out, and you should too. They are truly artists.
Rating:
Summary: This is a MUST for the Dream Theater fan
Review: The complaints about the audio/video not being state of the art to take advantage of home theater systems and giant TV's, in my opinion, though valid, are pretty small complaints. If you have volume control on your TV and the screen is larger than 12inches, you are not going to miss out on anything. I have my DVD hooked up to my stereo and the sound is crisp and plenty loud (even without going through the stereo, TV speakers do just fine. Again, I refer to that old fashion volume control button). The stage is not very large, so any advantage of having the video in widescreen or 16x9 is minimal at best. As for the DVD content (which I think should be the emphasis here) it is fantastic. If you own the "5 Years In a Livetime" video, you will notice a considerable difference in the quality of the show. In a matter of two years, one of the best live bands around has managed to increase their live prowse further. Those who complained that Rudess and Myung were underused on "Scenes Of A Memory" CD should take note of this DVD. Not only is that assessment grossly inaccurate, both Rudess and Myung are intricate to the essence of the "Memory" sound. Rudess's keyboard work is consistently married with Petrucci's guitar, adding depth and texture to every note. Though I could tell this marriage had taken place on the CD, the DVD helps to show to those critics that Rudess was indeed sufficiently present on the album. Also, Myung's excellent bass work is imperative to the depth and richness of the more emotional notes. His bass licks, just as Rudess keyboard, was interwoven in with the guitar and keyboard to give us that Dream Theater power. Portnoy is his usual, masterful self and Petrucci continues to show he is the most technically proficient and talented guitarist in the prog-rock arena. James Labre has never sounded better. I thought of all the players, his performance has markedly improved from the 5 years video. He has pipes that are the envy of every arena rocker out there. I could go on and on, but I think the point is made. Get this DVD as soon as you can!!
Rating:
Summary: The best DVD ever made...
Review: ...by the best band God ever created. Critics can EMA&B.
Rating:
Summary: overall, a great disc--
Review: Although it doesn't employ the most advanced DVD technology, this disc does the band justice. The camera work is good. The disc contains thematic elements that tell the story. They are appropriate, imo, b/c DT is a progressive band and SFAM is a *concept* album. The split-screen harmonized solos at blistering speeds makes this dvd recommended for fans of technical rock music.
Rating:
Summary: A summary of all good music done
Review: Simply awesome !! It was very well produced (thanks Portnoy) and give us a chance to see those guys playing very difficult arrangements with a incredible high precision and synchronism. Thank God we can notice 2 or 3 mistakes each one ...
Rating:
Summary: Forget the 5 stars. Let's go with 10!
Review: I sat here thinking of what I should say about this DVD. I read all of the other posts so far and saw what all everyone else was saying. I thought about going in depth of how long I have been a fan and what not, but that would get uninteresting. So let me tell you about this work of art. "Scenes From New York" is by certainly the bar by which all other "concerts" will have to strive to reach from here on to a very, very long time. In this concert, DT shows what one can only attempt to measure as being their dedication to their fans. With unimaginable reserves of energy and emotion, DT accomplishes in reproducing a studio quality performance in a live atmosphere, without stopping! All while their fans and audience listen and look on in amazement. This DVD managed to captivate and immerse my wife and I to such depths that it very nearly felt as though we were actually present at the concert in New York. And though the DVD performance did come to an end, we were still looking for more. And it seems that perhaps DT anticipated this, and thus was sure to include the rest of the concert in bonus footage. Over 3 hours passed from the moment we started watching and we nearly watched it again (and would have, had not been very late). Still the DVD left our musical hunger extremely satisfied. For anyone that has been searching for the sound that they could listen to over and over again "Scenes" is definately that sound. If you also happen to be looking for an experience that you wish you could immerse yourself into over and over again, then "Scenes From New York" is definately that experience. I dare not say much else except that this is a must have in any true DT fan's collection. I would recommend this DVD to just about anyone. On a musicianship level, I just wanted to mention the following. The articulation and raw musical talent and emotion brought into such incredible order in this concert demands extensive study by up and coming students of music. If there were to be a new modern day renaissance, then Dream Theater would define the standard by which music would be rediscovered. We have today the very priviledge to enjoy history in the making as these musicians rightfully deserve to join the ranks of the greatest performers and composers of all time. This DVD manages to reflect this truth and present an extensive amount of evidence to these facts. Professors and directors of music and musical study should consider this DVD and album for use as reference material for their students to learn from. It certainly provides valuable perspective and insight into musical discipline and precision combined with raw talent and dedicated musicianship. If only there were more talent discovered like this. The world would be enticed to take music more noticably.
Rating:
Summary: the story is now complete!
Review: First things first - welcome Jordan Rudess!! He initially auditioned for DT after Kevin Moore left, but ultimately had to choose between them or Dixie Dregs. I can't blame anyone for wanting to work with Steve Morse, can you? But, he's finally in the ranks, with a more 'Images and Words' keyboard style. So that's good. I was intrigued by the CD, as it was the long-awaited sequel to Metropolis pt 1 from '92. Some elements of the story didn't make sense at first, even with repeated listens. But the video presentation clears thing up considerably, even more so with the band commentary track. The ending of the CD was strange, to say the least. I was racking my brain trying to figure out why the hypnotherapist was there in Nicholas' house. Now I know. (For those who still haven't seen the video (WHAT!!) I won't say anymore, for fear of spoiling the ending.) The bonus tracks (DVD only) are a plus. A live version of the entire Change Of Seasons? Great!! Overall, the pinnacle of Dream Theater's career. I'm looking forward to what they do next.
Rating:
Summary: Dream Theater: The Gurus of Prog Rock in an Awesome Concert
Review: This DVD features Dream Theater performing ALL the songs non-stop from their concept album, "Scenes from a Memory." As bonuses, they also added some 55 mins of performances of songs from past albums like "Voices", "A Change of Seasons", and more. Also features another half hour-long documentary of behind-the-scenes footages, some band and crew info. The performances were awesome. Very jaw-dropping! A must for all musicians, whether you are a guitarist, bassist, keyboardist, singer or drummer. Dream Theater fans should have a copy of this, or maybe two of them!
Rating: 
Summary: Great content, LOUSY DVD....
Review: I rate the content: 5 stars. I rate the technical aspects of the disc itself: 2 stars (read below). I'm not going to write about how great Dream Theater is, or how great an album SfaM is...we all know know and agree on those points. Instead I've got a few things to say about this substandard DVD. I've got no complaints about the content...plenty of great stuff and great songs including an audio track by band members which is cool. But tell my why someone wasted their time an effort putting analog VHS type media on a digital disc? They really should have filmed the concert in widescreen (anamorphic) and created a cropped pan and scan version for the VHS version. That way those of us with widescreen TVs could actually get some use out of owning digital equipment. Instead we're treated to a disc that is simply a clearer version of the VHS version. I was fully expecting DD 5.1. Instead we get Pro Logic (2.0). Ahhh....plain old stereo based on 60s technology. Sure it's digital, but who give's a rats if 4 of my speakers aren't even being used?!! Want to hear how a real DD 5.1 music DVD should sound? Put in TOOLs Salival DVD that has all their videos. OMG! O...M...G!! Shame on Dream Theater for allowing such a substandard piece of digital craftsmanship be released with their names on it. SHAME!!! If you're buying this disc just for the music an know nothing about DVDs and digital home theaters, you'll be in heaven. If you're expecting all the bells and whistles that you think you're gonna get in a disc released in the year 2000 (!!!), you'll be pretty disappointed. I feel like my home theater system is being wasted everytime I put this disc in.
Rating:
Summary: awesome
Review: I'm not a huge dream theater fan, but i picked up the DVD becuase John Petrucci will be playing w/ Satriani and Vai this summer. God this concert is friggin amazing, buy this now if you like progressive rock. The commentary by the band is top notch and very informative/amusing. BUY THIS NOW DO NOT HESITATE!
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