New Live Release: BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL discussion thread

[OsMosis2259]

I use to not care too much for songs like The Shattered Fortress, Along for the Ride and Enigma Machine but they slay on this DVD 

The second verse for Along for the Ride sounds awesome.

[Grizz]

Atilator, have you checked on the bootleg to see how those notes were originally sung?

Someday sooooon I'll listen to one in one ear and the other in the other to hear discrepancies.

[TheGreatPretender]

Just listened to a few of the songs on the Blu-Ray, which came in today and is it just me, or is this the best sounding DT live album ever, in terms of the mix? I mean, everything just pops so perfectly. Haven't listened to the orchestral songs yet, but the band itself sounds fantastic. More than makes up for the mix of LALP, I'd say. Pure ear candy.

[Skeever]

Just listened to a few of the songs on the Blu-Ray, which came in today and is it just me, or is this the best sounding DT live album ever, in terms of the mix? I mean, everything just pops so perfectly. Haven't listened to the orchestral songs yet, but the band itself sounds fantastic. More than makes up for the mix of LALP, I'd say. Pure ear candy.

Doesn't even sound close to that for me. I would say it's one of the worst sounding, but nothing is as bad as Luna Park.

I still think the best sounding Budokan.

[TheGreatPretender]

Just listened to a few of the songs on the Blu-Ray, which came in today and is it just me, or is this the best sounding DT live album ever, in terms of the mix? I mean, everything just pops so perfectly. Haven't listened to the orchestral songs yet, but the band itself sounds fantastic. More than makes up for the mix of LALP, I'd say. Pure ear candy.

Doesn't even sound close to that for me. I would say it's one of the worst sounding, but nothing is as bad as Luna Park.

I still think the best sounding Budokan.

Well, on my sound system it sounds amazing.

[Ravenfoul]

It sounds really good to me but personally, and I don't know if that's how it was mixed or if that has something to do with the tone - but I was not getting a lot of clarity on JP's guitar at times.

Finally finished it today, FF sounded phenomenal as I had hoped. 

[TheGreatPretender]

Well, the instruments are all audible and clear on my end. I think JP's guitar sounds a bit muddy at times too, but that's how I remember it sounding when I was at the concert (not this one specifically, but one few days prior), so I'm pretty sure it's accurate.

[Ravenfoul]

Well, the instruments are all audible and clear on my end. I think JP's guitar sounds a bit muddy at times too, but that's how I remember it sounding when I was at the concert (not this one specifically, but one few days prior), so I'm pretty sure it's accurate.

Right on. What sound system / headphones are you using? I'm just playing it through my JVC RX700 and it sounds good.

[CrimsonSunrise]

Really well done recording.  I walked into Best Buy yesterday, saw the carts with all the new release stuff in the aisles and went straight for them.  Found the Blu-ray in 20 seconds    (not my first Best-Buy/DT new release rodeo!)  Frikken LOVED the  Awake and SFAM suite's. Even more than when I saw them on the last tour.  Highlights...  Mirror/Lie, phenominal.  THAT is the sound, power, and passion that got me into DT back after Awake was released.  Scarred was spectaular, except for the overlayed crap...I mean...WTF??  It really detracts from the song and is downright annoying.

I've tried over...and over...and over... to get into Illumination Theory, but no, it does absolutely zilch for me.  Easily the worst of DT's epics for me.  I did enjoy the intermission of the song with the orchestra, very beautiful.  TSF....meh.  It was good, but I remember it being better for me live at the show.  We'll see after more listens.  OTBOA was really good!  Best version yet.  Part of it is because MM is much more pronounced in the mix.  Especially his cymbal work...which is just crazy fuck great.  One bitch I have is the blu-ray chapter's.  It doesn't flow...like after the FAS segment it completely stops for 10 seconds while it "Loads" the next chapter.  It does the same after the bad larry show graphics on act 2.  Very frikken annoying and sloppy...definite buzz kill. 

JM...... once again was so low in the mix.  The years I've watched the guy, the millions of notes that I can barely, if even, hear...sigh.  Otherwise the mix is pretty decent for a DT project.  Enigma Machine kicked fucking balls!  Especially the solo, and the entry back into the song was seemless.  Overall, it will probably end up in the rankings in the #2 or 3 spot for live DT DVD/Blu'.   

[TheGreatPretender]

Right on. What sound system / headphones are you using? I'm just playing it through my JVC RX700 and it sounds good.

I have a Panasonic SC-HTB70 2.1 channel sound bar. Nothing too fancy, but sounds pretty great in my room.

[Skeever]

Well, the instruments are all audible and clear on my end. I think JP's guitar sounds a bit muddy at times too, but that's how I remember it sounding when I was at the concert (not this one specifically, but one few days prior), so I'm pretty sure it's accurate.

Biggest offenders are JP and MM for me. JP sounds muddy, nowhere near as awesome as he really did live. MM, same thing. Sounds like cardboard. No depth at all to the drums. I really dislike the guy who has mixed the last few DT releases (Rich Chyki), think he does a very underwhelmign job.

[erwinrafael]

I just listened to Illumination Theory, admittedly on Youtube, with a bad internet connection.










So. Fucking. Awesome. There are literally no words to describe the experience I just went through, other than those three.

Pretty awesome for a patchwork song supposedly made out of leftovers from the Systematic Chaos sessions. LOL

What? 

You should read discussion threads involving IT. That one always pops up. 

Well, I in fact do read threads on IT (and just about everythign else on this board), and I don't remember that ever coming up.  And if it did come up once or twice, I most likely ignored it since it is so obviously incorrect, given that we know parts of it were written on the ADTOE tour, and the rest was written later, largely as an outgrowth of those original parts.

I should have used the sarcasm font.  I think I am one of the biggest IT fans here, even posting that lengthy analysis about IT's mirror structure and such.

On another topic, I don't get how some people can not hear Myung's bass. He sounds pretty audible to me. I just had my fifth listen and I tried to follow JM in the fourth round. I heard him in all the songs. He's really audible especially if you are familiar with his parts from the studio versions of the songs. I find it pretty funny to read comments saying they have not heard JM at all in this recording. I mean, you did not hear anything in the Breaking All Illusions stanzas? You did not hear the rhythm section in the Trial of Tears solos? Come on.

[Rodni Demental]

Seen the whole thing now, utterly fantastic. JLB and MM own this. And sorry to look this far ahead, but it is shaping up to be a great group of songs on the next DVD if JP keeps putting songs on the setlist that don't have a previous proper non-bootleg DVD version:

The Glass Prison
Blind Faith
The Great Debate
Misunderstood
A Nightmare to Remember (sans RROOOAAARRRR)
Wither
The Count of Tuscany
The Bigger Picture
Behind the Veil
Surrender to Reason

Oh man, any live DVD containing those songs would be incredible.

Huge fan of every last one of them.

Agreed, I it'd be a near perfect setlist actually, wow. Too bad lots of people would complain that it it was a bit one sided and didn't explore enough of their albums. But personally I'd be stoked if a bunch of those songs were on the next tour. 

The band sounds fantastic as usual... but I can't hear the choir/orchestra 

I was hoping for something along the lines of Metallica's "S&M" where the orchestra really shines.

In fairness, the orchestra stood out a lot on S&M, mostly because it had a lot of treble range sounds coming through which isn't something that's necesarily very common with Metallica, so the orchestra shined through the music. With DT they're still competing with Jordan, and half the stuff we hear from Jordan can easily be confused with the orchestra and vice versa.

Edit: So a package just arrived in the mail... I knew what it would be! Just watched The Enemy Inside and The Shattered Fortress, very very rockin'. 

Nearly flawless version of The Enemy Inside i thought and great version that really breathes life into The Shattered Fortress, I'm just disappointed that I can't watch it all right now cause I gotta go to work! I also just ripped the CD to put on my phone and ipod and had a skim through some songs. Listened to some bits of The Mirror and Finally Free. Which I shouldn't be doing, I wanted to experience it all on the blu-ray first time but I'm very tempted to listen to some of the audio at work while I'm out. 

This can't be right but the CDs almost sound better than the HD track previews I heard the other day, but that was probably the terrible headset I was using where the compressed sound comes out more clearly.

Illumination Theory is off bounds for me, I'm not gonna listen to that one until I'm up to it on the blu-ray.  Anyway, I expect to have seen it by the end of the day! But man I bet work's gonna go slow...

[erwinrafael]

I am listening at work right now. Do it! LOL!

[Anguyen92]

All right, got the time to watch it and I shall watch it now.

[Anguyen92]

All right, on the intro of Trial of Tears.  So far, so good.  Enjoying it so far.  Band's playing well.  A bit of a problem in the Luna Park set is when I couldn't hear the crowd when call for, at times, but the crowd is very audible in this Boston DVD so that's another positive.

[connolla]

Since when did they get new Metropolis concept footage? It looks a lot better than the stuff from LSNY.

[erwinrafael]

What's your favorite JLB attempt to engage the audience in this album?

Mine is when he tried to stretch a joke but failed, at the end of Lie:

(Referring to SFAM) "John Petrucci was 15 years old when he recorded that. (Crowd laughs, joke successful! But then tries to stretch the joke) I don't know what I was at that point...(realizes he's going nowhere)..but anyways..." 

[Anguyen92]

Yes! Yes! Yes!. 



I enjoyed this DVD a lot better than Luna Park and Score.  My arm is so worn out from all of the air-guitaring and other crowd gestures, etc.  Great stuff.  Nothing that needs to be said that hasn't already been said before.

[gm5k]

How incredible is that 7 song run from Breaking All Illusions through Illumination Theory?  For someone who loves modern DT epics and Awake, well it's just pretty hard to beat   

Damn this Bluray is phenomenal 

[erwinrafael]

That's pretty much my most played portion as well.

[Kotowboy]

Better than Luna Park in almost every regard.

[EstyMaJ]

Well Im waiting for my copy it is actually in the friggen post office five minutes from my house why fedex could not have delivered it is beyond me , anyway I was at this show and was 4 rows back from JP ,, I have been to a lot of DT shows this was one of my favorites for sure but Never been in the crowd of a recorded released show I am very excited to finally get this !

[Bertielee]

Well, the instruments are all audible and clear on my end. I think JP's guitar sounds a bit muddy at times too, but that's how I remember it sounding when I was at the concert (not this one specifically, but one few days prior), so I'm pretty sure it's accurate.

Biggest offenders are JP and MM for me. JP sounds muddy, nowhere near as awesome as he really did live. MM, same thing. Sounds like cardboard. No depth at all to the drums. I really dislike the guy who has mixed the last few DT releases (Rich Chyki), think he does a very underwhelmign job.

Agree for JP, but MM? Sorry, mate, we're not hearing the same thing.

B.Lee

[Zydar]

I just realized that it's pretty unique for a DT live album/DVD not to have Images & Words represented with a track. But this one broke that wall.

[BlobVanDam]

I just realized that it's pretty unique for a DT live album/DVD not to have Images & Words represented with a track. But this one broke that wall.

Let's hope they repair the wall next time.

[Jinx]

I just realized that it's pretty unique for a DT live album/DVD not to have Images & Words represented with a track. But this one broke that wall.

Let's hope they repair the wall next time.

With SDOIT style bricks

[Kotowboy]

I just realized that it's pretty unique for a DT live album/DVD not to have Images & Words represented with a track. But this one broke that wall.

Instead they celebrated Awake - one of their worst albums





Seriously though - after the opening three songs - it loses me entirely.

[?]

I picked up my copy of the DVD today, will probably watch it tomorrow.

[erwinrafael]

I just realized that it's pretty unique for a DT live album/DVD not to have Images & Words represented with a track. But this one broke that wall.

And it's about time they broke that wall.

[BlobVanDam]

I just realized that it's pretty unique for a DT live album/DVD not to have Images & Words represented with a track. But this one broke that wall.

Let's hope they repair the wall next time.

With SDOIT style bricks

YES DANGIT

[Zydar]

I've seen them on two tours and they ignored Images & Words (my favourite DT album) both times

[Kotowboy]

New idea for Live DVD Boxset.

12 date tour. Play each of the studio albums in full each date. Two albums per night. Two dates for each "pair" to get the best performances.

Release as 6 - DVD Box set.

[Kotowboy]

Which "night" would you go to ?


1. When Dream & Day Unite AND Images and Words

2. Awake & Falling into Infinity

3. Scenes From A Memory & Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ( probably my pick )

4. Train Of Thought & Octavarium ( Or this )

5. Systematic Chaos & Black Clouds & Silver Linings ( lulz Nobody Applied rororo )

6. A Dramatic Turn Of Events & DT12.

[Zydar]

As much as I love Images, I'd have to choose SFAM/SDOIT. WDADU in its entirety would be a chore