Blu Ray / DVD of The Astonishing tour

[rumborak]

You kid, but Heima for example has half their songs during the day, the other half at night. TA would be perfect in that regard.

[Adami]

You kid, but Heima for example has half their songs during the day, the other half at night. TA would be perfect in that regard.

Totally.

Why no audience though?

[KevShmev]

Why no audience though?

Because the audience couldn't handle something that astonishing.

[rumborak]

Why no audience though?

No strong reason, but I have this "Slash in November Rain" mental image of DT standing alone in some awesome place

I think it's partially also because an audience would distract from the surrounding. It all depends on the surrounding though. If they played in the narrow streets of some medieval European town, a crowd would totally work. If they played at the Cliffs of Moher, it should be them alone.

[nikatapi]

I think it would be exceedingly cool if DT recorded the album open air, at a place that fits with the album theme. No audience, just them playing, with a steadycam going between them.
The way it looks it will likely just be another dark indoor DVD though.

I know a certain place that JP has said was one of his favorites to perform, and i just made that image in my head. Lycabettus Theater in Greece.


Shame it's not going to happen though.

[Chino]

I saw DT play here on Gigantour. It was awesome.

[cramx3]

Playing a spot that looks like Heaven's Cove would be pretty fitting

[rumborak]

Random comment, I have the LTE Live in LA video running in the background. Damn what a good DVD.

[Architeuthis]

Random comment, I have the LTE Live in LA video running in the background. Damn what a good DVD.

What what what?!?!
I did not know there was a LTE live dvd. Where the Heck have I been?

[gzarruk]

Random comment, I have the LTE Live in LA video running in the background. Damn what a good DVD.

What what what?!?!
I did not know there was a LTE live dvd. Where the Heck have I been?

There's actually 2! 

[devieira73]

https://www.ytsejamrecords.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=38
https://www.ytsejamrecords.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=40

Interesting description of the 2 releases by MP: https://www.ytsejamrecords.com/default.asp

[BlobVanDam]

Random comment, I have the LTE Live in LA video running in the background. Damn what a good DVD.

I have that one, and the other show on CD. It's been too long since I've seen it, but I've been listening to LTE a lot more since TA came out, so I'll have to rewatch it.
Fun fact - I made the menu animation and intro for those DVDs.

[rumborak]

In my personal opinion, it's the last best live DVD of theirs. Everything since I have had no desire to rewatch after the first watch. I feel there's a chemistry on stage of the LTE DVD that doesn't exist in their normal concerts.

[BlobVanDam]

I've only watched the more recent DVDs once, and mostly bought them for the sake of completion, so I can't disagree.

[devieira73]

Well, I guess that chemistry from Portnoy/Petrucci/Rudess is still hard to surpass (and I still love DT nowadays). Anyway, that 2 DVDs from LTE are really awesome!

[rumborak]

Well, I guess that chemistry from Portnoy/Petrucci/Rudess is still hard to surpass

And Tony Levin. I find myself looking at him a lot on that DVD. Truth be told, I don't do that with JM.

[Fritzinger]

A friend of mine doubted that The Similitude Of A Dream could be better than The Astonishing. Hearing MPs big announcements, he said "MP isn't seriously comparing Gillette with Petrucci, Hubauer with Rudess and George with Myung???". In the end, you can hear much more Randy George on Similitude than you can hear Myung on The Astonishing. Myung is an insane player and he has my deepest  , but he could be a little more creative and present in the band. I know he's a quiet guy, and that's cool. But why play the greatest lines and freakiest shit if nobody hears it? We haven't had a bass solo in years, no chapman stick, no double bass (not the drum). Levin is more present imho. His groove and tone is amazing.

[gzarruk]

A friend of mine doubted that The Similitude Of A Dream could be better than The Astonishing. Hearing MPs big announcements, he said "MP isn't seriously comparing Gillette with Petrucci, Hubauer with Rudess and George with Myung???". In the end, you can hear much more Randy George on Similitude than you can hear Myung on The Astonishing. Myung is an insane player and he has my deepest  , but he could be a little more creative and present in the band. I know he's a quiet guy, and that's cool. But why play the greatest lines and freakiest shit if nobody hears it? We haven't had a bass solo in years, no chapman stick, no double bass (not the drum). Levin is more present imho. His groove and tone is amazing.

As a bass player myself, anyone would thing I listen to DT because of the bass lines and all JM does, but when I was first introduced to the band, what hooked me was the amazing job JP, JR and MP were doing.All the complexity and writing. With the years, I can appreciate much more what JM does, but he is often buried on the mix, and that sucks for him, because he's playing AMAZING stuff.


On TA he's almost inaudible, while on DT12 he was very prominent and you could notice his bass lines are unreal (Surrender to Reason, anyone?)

All he needs is to be higher on the mix and bettee production for his sound. Also, he sounded much better with his old Yamaha from FII and SFAM, I never really liked the tone of his Bongo basses 

+1 on him using more his Chapman Stick. Also, he hasn't used a fretless on a DT song since Through Her Eyes

[ToT-147]

Well, I guess that chemistry from Portnoy/Petrucci/Rudess is still hard to surpass

And Tony Levin. I find myself looking at him a lot on that DVD. Truth be told, I don't do that with JM.

But that's probably because JM's no so much pointed by the camera in DT's DVDs as Tony in LTE's..

[goo-goo]

6 more shows until the TA tour ends and looks like we are not getting a DVD of this tour unless DT plays a one-off show during next year's European tour. 

[Another_Won]

and the shows left are not the full Astonishing, there are songs missing.  I wouldn't think they would put out "The Astonishing" on DVD if it didn't have all the songs.

[ErHaO]

I hope they will do a special series of concerts in the future with (dressed?) guest vocalists and record that. If Arjen Lucassen or, hell, even Clive Nolan can arrange a good line up of vocalists for a rock opera/theater show, surely DT can arrange something. There is no need to go all Broadway on TA, but there are plenty of (rock) operas out there that work without eloborate dancing/stages/orchestra's.

I think the tour as is maybe relies a bit too much on the visuals, which cannot be captured well on dvd/br and the album can drag with only Labrie on the vocals (I do enjoy TA a lot, however, especially disc one).

That said, I would buy a TA dvd/br without a doubt, seen and enjoyed the show twice and can only assume the performances got better over time.

[cfmoran13]

Even as a DT completist, I don't think I would buy a TA Blu-ray or live CD.  I can't wait for DT to put this album behind them and move on!

[MirrorMask]

Well, stating the obvious - that they have every darmn artistic, logistic, personal and financial right to do or do not whatever pleases them the most, it will be kinda ironic if it will go down like this...

Tour with the new drummer and a classic selection of songs = DVD / Blu Ray
Tour with the Evening With format and an orchestra only in the final part of the show = DVD / Blu Ray
Massive concept album played in its entirety with full production and visuals = Nah, whatever

[rumborak]

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

[Ben_Jamin]

Even as a DT completist, I don't think I would buy a TA Blu-ray or live CD.  I can't wait for DT to put this album behind them and move on!

This album is the best thing they've ever done.

[BlobVanDam]

Insert Nefaryus laugh here.

[ToT-147]

Tour with the new drummer and a classic selection of songs = DVD / Blu Ray
Tour with the Evening With format and an orchestra only in the final part of the show = DVD / Blu Ray
Massive concept album played in its entirety with full production and visuals = Nah, whatever

This exactly..

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

Sorry, what section are you talking about?..

[BlobVanDam]

Maybe it wasn't practical to release a DVD this time. They've already released DVDs for the previous two tours, and this concert might have been more expensive to produce a DVD how they wanted it given the nature of the rock opera thing (or maybe not), plus the lower ticket sales may have indicated less demand for it. Live releases probably don't sell as much today as they did a decade ago.
Did this fit with that weird music theory someone had about the live releases a while back?

[rumborak]

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

Sorry, what section are you talking about?..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLu0ClOcNQs&feature=youtu.be&t=85

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YShCks2GfFo&feature=youtu.be&t=1180

(copied from the Tour dates thread)

[ToT-147]

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

Sorry, what section are you talking about?..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLu0ClOcNQs&feature=youtu.be&t=85

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YShCks2GfFo&feature=youtu.be&t=1180

(copied from the Tour dates thread)

Ok.. Now I'm not following..

Why would they overdub that section?..

Maybe it wasn't practical to release a DVD this time. They've already released DVDs for the previous two tours, and this concert might have been more expensive to produce a DVD how they wanted it given the nature of the rock opera thing (or maybe not), plus the lower ticket sales may have indicated less demand for it. Live releases probably don't sell as much today as they did a decade ago.
Did this fit with that weird music theory someone had about the live releases a while back?

I was just thinking about that as I was reading your post.. I think it does..

[rumborak]

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

Sorry, what section are you talking about?..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLu0ClOcNQs&feature=youtu.be&t=85

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YShCks2GfFo&feature=youtu.be&t=1180

(copied from the Tour dates thread)

Ok.. Now I'm not following..

Why would they overdub that section?..

Because ... it is atrocious? Whatever James is doing there, you obviously can't put that on DVD.

[Ben_Jamin]

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

Sorry, what section are you talking about?..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLu0ClOcNQs&feature=youtu.be&t=85

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YShCks2GfFo&feature=youtu.be&t=1180

(copied from the Tour dates thread)

Ok.. Now I'm not following..

Why would they overdub that section?..

Because ... it is atrocious? Whatever James is doing there, you obviously can't put that on DVD.

Those vids don't sound too good to begin with. So how can you dictate how good or bad the vocals were.

[rumborak]

o_O?

I'm sorry, but do you guys just seriously not hear this?

James is pushing his vocals, but hitting a hard ceiling, with the result that he essentially hovers around one (wrong) note the whole time. At the end, when he should go even higher, he resorts to this ... bark thing.

[gzarruk]

If they make a live DVD, it will be very interesting to see what they do about the Lord Nafaryus section. Will they entirely overdub it?

Sorry, what section are you talking about?..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLu0ClOcNQs&feature=youtu.be&t=85

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YShCks2GfFo&feature=youtu.be&t=1180

(copied from the Tour dates thread)

Ok.. Now I'm not following..

Why would they overdub that section?..

Because ... it is atrocious? Whatever James is doing there, you obviously can't put that on DVD.

Those vids don't sound too good to begin with. So how can you dictate how good or bad the vocals were.

Most videos from the IAW tour were recorded with much lower quality for both audio and video and James sounded perfectly. Just saying...