New Live Release: BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL discussion thread

[TAC]

Till your bleeeeeeding!

[Tis BOOLsheet]

Something tells me I'm going to enjoy this DVD a lot more than I did Luna Park...which is a lot.

[OsMosis2259]

Much better than LALP.
The audio sounds mono here though. Hopefully it won't be like this on the official release.

[JiM-Xtreme]

I already like this a lot more than Luna Park.

By the way, does anyone know what those pedals do that JM's hitting towards the end? I've never noticed those before.

[fadetoblackdude7]

Extremely excited for this, great title/artwork!

Nothing said about the tracklisting though....I assume they're keeping the whole setlist, but I just wanna be sure cuz some bands cut songs out of the dvd that were played for the filming. Why, I don't know cuz it's really aggravating.

[Mosh]

I have no idea why DT would do that. There's plenty of room on the blu ray.

A lot of concert videos with cut songs seem to be ones recorded in the VHS era that had to be cut down to fit on a tape. It's completely arbitrary now and not as common. And DT hasn't done that since Scenes From New York (a VHS release) so that shouldn't be an issue.

[TheGreatPretender]

Considering how adamant they were about this particular set being this whole, "Complete" experience, I highly doubt they'd do that. Especially since LALP ended up including EXTRA songs from the second set.

[rumborak]

I already like this a lot more than Luna Park.

By the way, does anyone know what those pedals do that JM's hitting towards the end? I've never noticed those before.

He's been using those for quite a while. I think he took the idea from Geddy Lee, who needed them to do the bass lines when he was playing keyboards. Whether JM actually needs to double his own bass is a different question, but maybe he just bought it at some point and gets a kick out of using it.

[Randaran]

I like the sound, though Jordan is nowhere near loud enough. I do like the drums better than on DT12; there were a few things, such as the cymbals during JP's solo, that I had not heard on the record.

Edit: Ooh, September 30. That is the same day as the BTBAM Bluray. I am even more excited now.

[Kotowboy]

I already like this a lot more than Luna Park.

By the way, does anyone know what those pedals do that JM's hitting towards the end? I've never noticed those before.

Either bass notes or synth notes.

[hefdaddy42]

FWIW, I doubt there is a commentary.  They are still on the tour that this is a chronicle from, so I doubt they took any time to sit down and record a commentary.

But I hope I'm wrong.

[Mosh]

That was such an MP thing anyway. From listening to those commentaries I always felt like JLB was the only other guy who was very into it. Everyone else was kinda just along for the ride (). Would love to be proven wrong though.

How about an album doc though? We know they filmed the recording sessions, it'd be so awesome to get a full length making of doc.

[Sycsa]

This is shaping up to be the perfect remedy for the disappointment which was LALP. Great looks & sound, couldn't be happier. 

[TheGreatPretender]

I'm just wondering what kinds of other special features it'll have. I'm betting on something or other being done multi-angle. But I'm hoping for another documentary as well. And a stand alone animation of the intro, that thing was godly!

[Mosh]

Oh man yea. I'm usually not too interested in the standalone intros but this one is a must.

[BlobVanDam]

FWIW, I doubt there is a commentary.  They are still on the tour that this is a chronicle from, so I doubt they took any time to sit down and record a commentary.

But I hope I'm wrong.

That's what I was thinking. I don't know that they would have been able to squeeze in time for it, and without MP, I don't see them doing it. Would love to eventually hear a commentary with the current lineup though!

[adastra]

Whoa!  What a cool cover art!

It looks and sounds great Totally waiting for this shit!

[erwinrafael]

can they rerecord DT12 with this drum sound? the metals sound glorious.

the comments section of the YT video is very annoying. Totally hijacked by fans who just can not get over the fact that MP has already gone.

[RaiseTheKnife]

THIS is why i love Dream Theater.  Wow, what a fascinatingly original title for a live release.  When you think about it, the Blu Ray title ties in the DT12 self titled theme:  the concept of an artist addressing the audience, and  the artist addressing themselves.  Metaphorically speaking, it is continuation (or an extension) of the dialogue between artist and listener. 

Artwork brainteaser is a nice a wink to the MC Escher fans out there.

Folks - this is an accurate representation of what I heard that night at the opera house - it really captures that raw energy and not a lot of fiddling of the dynamics or tone here.

However, I did hear whispers that JP overdubbed a new tag at the end of his solo for Looking Glass.  Anyone with a boot recording notice this?  Not that I care, just curious is all.

EDIT:  How killer is that transition into Trial of Tears?  Quite killer.  The answer is quite killer.

[CodyWanKenobi]

 Is this the first time since 8VM where they didn't use Hugh Syme for their artwork? Or at least since SC? (cause for some reason, I doubt Score was Syme) Or maybe this is Syme's work and just very different from the stuff he's been doing for DT?

[Jinx]

I am enjoying the fact that there is at least some crowd noise. JLB was getting more audience participation this time. And I dont know about Boston but when I saw them and they played Strange De Ja Vu I think we singing it as loud as James! I hope that comes across compared to the 'nothing' that ended up on LALP (due to editing)

[RaiseTheKnife]

Seems to me that JP is actually singing in the video. I was right! 

Yes and no.   From my front row vantage point beneath JP's mic stand, I agreed with you - he sings on The Looking Glass (although there are backing tracks on the word "gravity") and that settles it.  Then they played the Mirror where he is abjectly lip syncing and it quickly unsettled it.    


By the way, Looking Glass features some amazing video "graphics", especially the intro riff.   It worked so well in sync with the live performance that it changed my mind on the song itself. Thought i should give it some props since its not prominently featured in the final cut.

[Polarbear]

I wasn't able to attend the show in Helsinki this year, so i am totally getting this.
Set list is pretty legit as well, and the new songs sound better live than they do on the record!

[YtseJamittaja]

I wasn't able to attend the show in Helsinki this year, so i am totally getting this.

Well hello fellow Finn! I too wasn't at the show so this is a must-buy-release.

[Smartiejj]

I like this so much more than the Luna Park video and audio editing. I think I have seen Myung more in this 5 minute clip than on the complete Luna Park DVD.

[Jinx]

Has anyone preordered and received their download of TLG to compare the quality yet?

[nikatapi]

Has anyone preordered and received their download of TLG to compare the quality yet?

Yes, it sounds much better, especially keyboards. Much more audible. Also this is MM's best drum sound in my opinion, and at last you can hear the cymbals more clearly.

[Xenon]

I don't understand how Petrucci has that awful tone with all that Amazing gear.

[bosk1]

FWIW, I doubt there is a commentary.  They are still on the tour that this is a chronicle from, so I doubt they took any time to sit down and record a commentary.

I am inclined to agree with you.  But on the flipside, if you really think about it, it does not seem like doing a commentary is a lot of extra work or big time commitment.  It basically entails maybe six hours or so total:  Watching the show through once to get a feel for how it looks and what went on (which at least some of the members probably did anyway as part of vetting it for release), and then setting through the whole thing in one shot to comment on it as it is playing.  In that respect, it is different from, say, filming a scene where you can spend hours and hours doing a 15 minute shoot.  In this context, it is just "play the concert and start spontaneously talking about it."

[nikatapi]

If you think about it, commentary with Mike would be awesome, he is very enthusiastic and funny, so it would be very interesting.

[Grizz]

Then they played the Mirror where he is abjectly lip syncing and it quickly unsettled it.   

I'm pretty sure this is an artifact of the horrible live sound, as JP was overtaken by backing track and likewise the ragtime was overtaken by JP.

I don't understand how Petrucci has that awful tone with all that Amazing gear.

He's trying to imitate a Royal Atlantic that's trying to imitate Lifeson.

[a51502112]

Again, JP with the lip synching. 

He even makes the "screaming face" as if he's singing the high part.

[bosk1]

Again, JP with the lip synching. 

He even makes the "screaming face" as if he's singing the high part.

Yeah, my guess is that he's making that face because he's actually singing the notes.  You might want to check your facts before you make silly accusations.

[KevShmev]

I think some are still under the foolish impression that just because we can't hear him singing that that he means he isn't singing, rather than the obvious, which is that he singing, but very low in the mix at times or singing along to a pre-recorded backing vocal that is higher in the mix.

[hefdaddy42]

Again, JP with the lip synching. 

He even makes the "screaming face" as if he's singing the high part.

Yeah, my guess is that he's making that face because he's actually singing the notes.

GTFO