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Dream Theater => Dream Theater => Topic started by: Spacebar. on September 19, 2013, 08:50:34 AM

Title: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Spacebar. on September 19, 2013, 08:50:34 AM
Just got home from watching Live in Luna Park in Australia's only location of screening - Avoca Beach Theatre. Below is my purely subjective opinions and review. Naturally, a warning for those who have yet to see this or are awaiting the blu-ray/DVD, that spoilers are contained within.

So finally, the day arrived. DT on the big screen. One of the best bands in the world, in one of Sydney's most obscure theatres, an hour and a bit north of the city, on the Central Coast. Not a bad way to end what could be called an unprecedented 'DT week' with a live stream of the new album and the cinematic release of a concert shot in South America, home to some of DT's most passionate fans, all within a space of a few days.

Due to the distance of the venue and being a school night, it was not unexpected to see less than 30 people at the screening. What was unexpected, was to see a baby amongst the attendees - quite possibly DT's youngest fan?

The session started with a trailer of Woody Allen's new film and a new Audrey Tautou french flick.

Then the Shaman called...

And thus began what can only be described as an awesome, mind-blowing and superlative documentation of the band we have grown to know and love.

Footage: Holy-forearm-muscles-of-JMX-and-individual-arm-hairs-of-JP, the HD footage is amazing. It reminded me a lot of the Vancouver footage from CiM but with a bigger crowd and more sweeping crane shots and more close-ups of all members of the band. The Director of Photography should be applauded for being able to capture the energy of the band members and the crowd. There were some camera hiccups at times, but overall, I felt they captured the important players at the right times and even highlighted other members during solos and the like. 

Sound: I know a lot of you were concerned with this aspect of the DVD. I will have to reserve my final judgement on this until I view the blu-ray on my own system. I felt JLB and JP were too loud in the mix and the others were being drowned out. This was especially evident in the unisons. However, I cannot say whether this was the fault of the mixing by Chycki or Avoca Beach's sound setup. BUT, with that being said, this DVD will easily go down as being the best recording of JLB live. He easily outshone the rest of the band  :yarr Forget Budokan, CiM or any other DVD from the past, JLB is back and easily proves it on LiLP. JLB's soaring vocalisations made the night for me - I got shivers and goosebumps at multiple times.

Band members: JLB - as aforementioned, at the top of his game. "What vocal injury?" Coincidentally, today was also Talk like a Pirate day in Australia.
JP - brilliant as usual - lots of interacting with the crowd and the other members of the band. His vocals, on the other hand, were too soft on most songs apart from the acoustic set.
JR - his low mix made me miss his presence especially in the unisons, but he still held his own especially in his piano solo.
JMX - definitely a more energetic and involved JMX, but again, he was missing in the mix.
MM - this man is truly a machine. Not only is his playing prowess unmatched, his facial expressions really show his connection to the songs. His drum solo was bombastic and incredible and will make anyone want to quit the drums.

Setlist:
- Bridges in the Sky
- 6:00
- The Dark Eternal Night - a much better recording than on CiM. Please delete previous versions.
- This is the Life
- The Root of all Evil
- Lost Not Forgotten - I was a bit letdown by the unison in this but perhaps I was expecting too much?
- Drum Solo - what a way to record this beast of a man. Another nod to the directors for capturing this solo perfectly.
- A Fortune in Lies
- Acoustic set: The Silent Man, beneath the Surface - the string quartet sounded amazing for this part of the screening. I cannot wait to see them return for future concerts. They really brought out another side to these songs.
- Outcry
- JR Solo - another amazing piano improvisation from the Keyboard Wizard. Straight from the heart. Unbelievable.
- Surrounded
- On The Backs of Angels/War Inside My Head/The Test that Stumped Them All
- JP Solo (with JR atmosphere) - an amazing duet from the two.
- The Spirit Carries On - as some of you suspected, we finally see our infamous crying girl.
- Breaking All Illusions - my favourite song of the screening with all members showing their prowess to full potential.
- Metropolis pt. 1 w/extended jam - another great recording of a classic DT song with an interesting jam after JLB thanks the crowd at the final break.

Crowd: Present and engaging. They could be heard for most parts of the songs but weren't overpowering. I feel not having seats on the main floor would have made for a very different concert.

Overall: Live at Luna Park is the perfect reward for us DT fans in Australia who never got to welcome Mike Mangini to the family in person. This blu-ray/DVD was easily worth the wait and to see it on a big screen with fellow fans around was the ideal way to end a perfect week for DT fans. I should also mention, that at least two other girls (apart from the crying one) are highlighted by the cameras through the concert and are shown singing along to JLB  :metal

Mods, please merge this thread with other reviews as you see fit. I also apologise for what may seem like an illogical flow to this write-up but I thought that I might as well get this all out before I forget it by tomorrow morning.

And as always, thanks to Over the Edge for the facts.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 08:56:34 AM
Interesting. So they completely eliminated the intro music and went straight to Bridges in the Sky?

It makes sense I suppose, considering it has an intro fit for opening a show.

Thanks for the impressions and review!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 19, 2013, 08:56:49 AM
Thanks to Spacebar for the facts!


Did they have the intro cartoon before the Shaman intro? We've been wonder what music they subbed in.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: wasteland on September 19, 2013, 08:58:03 AM
But more than that, I would say Thanks to Over The Spacebar for the facts!

Great review, great to hear that the greatness of James's great performance was greatly conveyed on tape.

Ok, now that I've exhausted my daily ration of "great", I will just say that my already high excitement for this recording has increased a bit!  :laugh:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: MoraWintersoul on September 19, 2013, 08:58:54 AM
Great review, great to hear that the greatness of James's great performance was greatly conveyed on tape.
Also, at DTF: MARCO AND I TOLD YOU SO :xbones
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Tomislav95 on September 19, 2013, 09:00:43 AM
Thank you very much! Can't wait to see it myself (in November :\)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Spacebar. on September 19, 2013, 09:02:31 AM
Yep, the intro animation was completely skipped over. I hope this will be a bonus feature? My friend was postulating that this may have been the reason for the initial delay in the DVD's release with issues of copyright with the song used?

Also great to see you in the credits, Blob!

Also, MoraWintersoul - this is purely my subjective views on the sound. Others may judge it to be contrary to my beliefs.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 09:03:44 AM
I'm 99% positive that it is on the Bluray/DVD as an extra.

From Blabbermouth:

Quote
The bonus features offer live versions of six great tracks: "These Walls"; "Build Me Up, Break Me Down"; "Caught In A Web"; "Wait For Sleep"; "Far From Heaven"; and "Pull Me Under". Also on "Live At Luna Park" is a documentary, the trailer for the cinema release of the film, a "behind-the-scenes" feature and the cartoon intro that ran on big screens prior to the band taking to the stage in Buenos Aires. The Blu-ray additionally features six multi-angle options on "Outcry".
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: wasteland on September 19, 2013, 09:04:37 AM
Great review, great to hear that the greatness of James's great performance was greatly conveyed on tape.
Also, at DTF: MARCO AND I TOLD YOU SO :xbones

Oh, if we did. More than one year of saying so  :metal

Also, MoraWintersoul - this is purely my subjective views on the sound. Others may judge it to be contrary to my beliefs.

Nah, it's definitely not subjective, I would say :D
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Whatsername on September 19, 2013, 09:08:56 AM
Interesting. So they completely eliminated the intro music and went straight to Bridges in the Sky?

It makes sense I suppose, considering it has an intro fit for opening a show.

Thanks for the impressions and review!

I thought the screening for LaLP was a shortened version anyway? If so it's quite possible they still have an intro on the actual blu-ray.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 09:11:29 AM
Interesting. So they completely eliminated the intro music and went straight to Bridges in the Sky?

It makes sense I suppose, considering it has an intro fit for opening a show.

Thanks for the impressions and review!

I thought the screening for LaLP was a shortened version anyway? If so it's quite possible they still have an intro on the actual blu-ray.

Maybe, but I don't think so. It is the full first night from the concert according to the press release. The only thing not being shown are the tracks from the second night (and the bonus features, of course).
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 19, 2013, 09:13:15 AM
Also great to see you in the credits, Blob!

Double thanks to Spacebar for the facts! :D
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 19, 2013, 09:19:45 AM
Thanks to Spacebar. for the opinions!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 09:29:57 AM
Also, is this really JLB at his best? Better than Score?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 19, 2013, 09:33:29 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Progmetty on September 19, 2013, 09:37:12 AM
Thanks for the review but bull fuckin shit that they skipped over Dream is Collapsing and the intro animation, that was one of the things I was looking forward to most, attached to BiTS.
I am worried to ask if they at least left in the unicyclist journey footage.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 19, 2013, 09:38:25 AM
Wow..I'm getting goosebumps. I can't wait to see this damn thing!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 19, 2013, 09:45:06 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Really?? I liked those vocals even better than Score. Nowadays he uses so much more distortion and emotion. As long as they don't use tuning on his voice, I have no doubt this will be one of his best recordings.

Let it all GOOOOoooOOOOAHOhaooOoHHAOOOOOOOo
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: goo-goo on September 19, 2013, 09:47:41 AM
Thanks for the review but bull fuckin shit that they skipped over Dream is Collapsing and the intro animation, that was one of the things I was looking forward to most, attached to BiTS.
I am worried to ask if they at least left in the unicyclist journey footage.

I think it was a matter of paying and licensing Dream of Collapsing, why it wasnt included. Too expensive I would think
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 19, 2013, 09:49:58 AM
I thought this was already solved? The cartoon intro is not at the beginning of the show because it's in the bonus features, and we were told it's gonna have a different song behind it.

(https://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a619/styxkyd/70e5f593-c4da-4349-bb5f-67acce441bcf_zps53ffaf48.jpg) (https://s1286.photobucket.com/user/styxkyd/media/70e5f593-c4da-4349-bb5f-67acce441bcf_zps53ffaf48.jpg.html)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 10:24:10 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Yeah, I kind of have to agree, at least compared to some of his better performances. That's why I'm surprised to hear that it sounds better than even Score.

Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Bertielee on September 19, 2013, 10:40:25 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Yeah, I kind of have to agree, at least compared to some of his better performances. That's why I'm surprised to hear that it sounds better than even Score.

Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all.

We haven't heard it and you're already hinting at possible overdubbing? ::)

B.Lee
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 10:45:13 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Yeah, I kind of have to agree, at least compared to some of his better performances. That's why I'm surprised to hear that it sounds better than even Score.

Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all.

We haven't heard it and you're already hinting at possible overdubbing? ::)

B.Lee

"Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all."

I simply said I was curious. I am not insulting JLB. Isn't this the place where we over-analyze and speculate on everything?

Not once in my post did I insinuate that there is overdubbing. I simply asked a question and voiced a thought.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: aprilethereal on September 19, 2013, 10:45:35 AM
Okay, I seriously need to preorder this :caffeine:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Bertielee on September 19, 2013, 10:55:38 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Yeah, I kind of have to agree, at least compared to some of his better performances. That's why I'm surprised to hear that it sounds better than even Score.

Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all.

We haven't heard it and you're already hinting at possible overdubbing? ::)

B.Lee

"Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all."

I simply said I was curious. I am not insulting JLB. Isn't this the place where we over-analyze and speculate on everything?

Not once in my post did I insinuate that there is overdubbing. I simply asked a question and voiced a thought.

Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Bertielee on September 19, 2013, 10:59:18 AM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Yeah, I kind of have to agree, at least compared to some of his better performances. That's why I'm surprised to hear that it sounds better than even Score.

Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all.

We haven't heard it and you're already hinting at possible overdubbing? ::)

B.Lee

"Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all."

I simply said I was curious. I am not insulting JLB. Isn't this the place where we over-analyze and speculate on everything?

Not once in my post did I insinuate that there is overdubbing. I simply asked a question and voiced a thought.

I didn't take it as an insult against JLB. At all. Hence my using hint and possible. Let's say we misunderstood each other. If that makes sense whatsoever. Friends? ;D

B.Lee

EDIT : sorry! Double post.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Dream Team on September 19, 2013, 11:03:01 AM
Also, is this really JLB at his best? Better than Score?

Yeah, curious why Spacebar would cite LAB and CIM but not Score when comparing JLB's performance??
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: SeRoX on September 19, 2013, 11:31:48 AM
I hope your opinion about James' performance happens to be general fact. Can't wait.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 19, 2013, 11:38:08 AM
Also, is this really JLB at his best? Better than Score?

Yeah, curious why Spacebar would cite LAB and CIM but not Score when comparing JLB's performance??

I was wondering the same thing.  LAB was clearly not his best performance. I think I even remember reading somewhere that he felt out of all the dates for that leg of the tour, his voice was off the most that night.  Score trumps them all as far as I'm concerned.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 19, 2013, 11:45:30 AM
@BertlieLee Yeah, we're cool  :hat     :D
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Bertielee on September 19, 2013, 01:56:55 PM
@BertlieLee Yeah, we're cool  :hat     :D

 :metal

B.Lee
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Spacebar. on September 19, 2013, 02:44:34 PM
Also, is this really JLB at his best? Better than Score?

Yeah, curious why Spacebar would cite LAB and CIM but not Score when comparing JLB's performance??

I personally feel James is miles ahead of his performance on Score. That performance, though good, was quite shrill in parts and sounded a bit jarring and strained, whereas, on Luna Park he has really come a long way and is more emotive and more aware of his register and range.

Not too sure about the overdubbing. Obviously, multiple viewings will be needed to confirm that for not only James, but the others in the band too. Perhaps a question for their DTF hangout?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: jonnybaxy on September 19, 2013, 03:46:44 PM
I thought this was already solved? The cartoon intro is not at the beginning of the show because it's in the bonus features, and we were told it's gonna have a different song behind it.

(https://i1286.photobucket.com/albums/a619/styxkyd/70e5f593-c4da-4349-bb5f-67acce441bcf_zps53ffaf48.jpg) (https://s1286.photobucket.com/user/styxkyd/media/70e5f593-c4da-4349-bb5f-67acce441bcf_zps53ffaf48.jpg.html)

Ok who was in charge of the art on this.. I bet it was syme... Can't even put a capital 'W' In 'Caught In A web'
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: chaotic_ripper on September 19, 2013, 04:06:34 PM
About how long is the theater version?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Progmetty on September 19, 2013, 04:08:31 PM
Thanks for the review but bull fuckin shit that they skipped over Dream is Collapsing and the intro animation, that was one of the things I was looking forward to most, attached to BiTS.
I am worried to ask if they at least left in the unicyclist journey footage.

I think it was a matter of paying and licensing Dream of Collapsing, why it wasnt included. Too expensive I would think

I thought so but ffs if that's the problem then just make the product more expensive, this was really epic and one of the biggest highlights of the ADoTE tour stage production.
It reminds me of Fox being too cheap to buy the right to Married With Children's intro song Love & Marriage by Frank Sinatra on the DVDs and instead replacing it with a lame piece. Obscure reference heh
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bugsyoz on September 19, 2013, 05:09:44 PM
Folks

I too attended the screening at Avoca last night.  Great sounds, and great picture quality.  For what it's worth, I was the bloke in the office attire...shirt/tie and all that bs :) Lobbed straight off the train from Woy Woy.  Yes international folks...the suburb is 'Woy Woy'.

Talking to the theatre staff, they said for some strange reason the second screening this coming Monday has sold more tickets.  I suggested school holidays, some folk will probably be on leave from work.

Perhaps it was me, long day and all that...and I'm reluctant to say it....I noticed the sound/vision were not in sync as the show went on.  Very very annoying.  Like being at ar$e end of an outdoor show or something what you see is not what you hear.  It was half a bar out.  Anyway, I'll check it out again Monday night.

MM's solo is amazing, the cinema audience clapped at its conclusion!

Bugs
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: adamack on September 19, 2013, 05:10:53 PM

BUT, with that being said, this DVD will easily go down as being the best recording of JLB live. He easily outshone the rest of the band  :yarr Forget Budokan, CiM or any other DVD from the past, JLB is back and easily proves it on LiLP. JLB's soaring vocalisations made the night for me - I got shivers and goosebumps at multiple times.


Is it...is it possible that I am just as excited for Luna Park as I was for DT12?

Maybe that would be taking things just a tiny bit too far, but thanks Spacebar, you just made my year!

It's obviously important for everyone to be on their A game, but it is absolutely detrimental for JLB to be in top form on a DVD release for my personal taste. I'm so glad to hear that this could be considered his best.

Now for the hard part...waiting.  :-\
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: me7 on September 19, 2013, 05:12:54 PM
I just got back from the show and I'm somewhat disappointed with the mix. The keyboard was barely audible at times and the guitar dominated everything. A good example is Breaking all Illusions at 9:06: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UhQKol7PFzA#t=547 . Here, the keyboard is hardly present at all, all you hear is JP chugging. Most keyboard solos were fine though.
The cinema also cranked the volume up way too high. I would have preferred it quieter, with less noise from the overdriven speakers, but several headbangers surrounding me didn't seem to mind. It will probably be different at different venues, depending on the mood of the projectionist.

The editing was very good. As a hardcore fan, I would have preferred more shots of MM going crazy and more closeups of JMX, but I understand that they have to keep commercial appeal in mind. The only real gripe I have is the unison in Lost not forgotten. It practically begs for a long splitscreen shot of JP and JR, but they only show them in splitscreen for ~2 seconds and cut to other band members too much. These are 20 seconds when I don't care for JLB, JMX and MM at all, I just want the insanity of that unison.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Spacebar. on September 19, 2013, 09:13:09 PM
Bugs, that was the other segment I forgot to talk about! There were a couple of shots with JR playing a key and half a second later the sound would come through.

I was the guy with MP designed DT t-shirt. I noticed another guy had worn his Black Clouds t-shirt. Not surprising given it was showing at 7 and it takes at least an hour to get to Avoca. I was lucky I had the day off, but then had to race home because I had ward rounds starting at 8. Did you talk to the staff about how they were able to get the screening and not somewhere like Dendy? Also, I was quite tempted to clap in a lot of segments but didn't know how the crowd or the baby would react!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: ImNewDontKillMe on September 19, 2013, 09:32:55 PM
Just got back from the chicago viewing myself. For the most part I agree pretty much with everything that was said in the review at the top of the thread. Jordan is a little lost in the mix but holy cow, JLB is up front and shining and this man's performance is absolutley amazing. It's nice to hear James in 2013 (2012 at the time) absolutly killing it on the harder passages in songs like surrounded and metropolis.

The only thing not so great about viewing this in a theater is that the show was shot in 1080p for home video release. Movies are filmed in much higher resolutions (4k) so when they are shown on gigantic screens you get to expierence all of the great picture detail. 1080p on a 400" screen can make the image look very soft and sometimes even out of focus and I noticed this a lot with the Luna Park screening, especially on the sweeping crane shots.  There was also a ton of noise and visible compression on some of the darker shots where most of the lights were off. I wonder what version of this was sent for the screenings? Should look more crisp on smaller home tvs. Still just a minor gripe.

Was definetly worth the trip and november 5th cant come soon enough!

Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 19, 2013, 10:00:50 PM
I'd like to know how the audio compared to what we say on that 360 vision performance of 6:00. Because I think that sounded pretty questionable in the vocals department.

Yeah, I kind of have to agree, at least compared to some of his better performances. That's why I'm surprised to hear that it sounds better than even Score.

Of course it's subjective, but if that ends up being the generally agreed upon opinion, I'm curious if it was overdubbed at all.

We haven't heard it and you're already hinting at possible overdubbing? ::)

B.Lee

If anything that's a compliment to how JLB sounds on this, so I'm happy if he's sounding that good that people are questioning it. The same thing happened with Score, and we all know how good JLB sounded on that.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Mikeyd on September 19, 2013, 10:18:36 PM
Just getting back from the New York show. I have to agree with everyone here. Incredibly well shot, James is MVP, and Jordan is a bit too low. The drums sound very powerful which is something I felt was missing on the last few DVDs. I feel that the songs they played will replace the studio versions on my current rotation. James' added vocal flourishes in each song really elevated the whole performance.  Some of his banter is incredibly awkward but I enjoyed it : ). Everyone in the theater was really into it and one guy was air drumming like crazy. I would say that this is the dt concert footage that you show people to get them into the band.  Definitely had a great night.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: fadetoblackdude7 on September 19, 2013, 10:54:11 PM
I just got back from the Barrington, IL showing. My thoughts:

- AMAZING concert, definitely tied with Score, if not better
- JP was indeed too loud in the mix, leaving JR and JMX buried
- JLB was PHENOMENAL! His best live dvd performance yet!
- MM's solo was one of the best parts, absolutely outrageous
- The string quartet definitely added more color to TSM and BTS

...And we were at a high-end movie theater and we paid extra for recliner seats with a blanket and pillow  :biggrin:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bairrock on September 19, 2013, 11:05:36 PM
I too just returned home from the New York Screening.
The DVD is amazing!
It visually looks great...some really great shots of all the band members rocking out...and the crowd shots as well really show the size of the venue.
The sound was good...couldn't hear Jordan very well...BUT, JP's guitar sound was amazing...MM drums sound loud and tasty...JM's bass was there...this could all be the theatre sound also, so who knows...I did notice in the middle of Breaking All Illusions til the end, the visual was behind the sound a millisecond...little annoying...hopefully just the theatre's fault.
Performance-wise, everyone is shining!
Set list flowed well...I really enjoyed every song...it felt like this is (and was) a damn good solid show to record and capture for a DVD performance!
Favorite moments...
Man, the ADTOE material really shines well in a "live" setting!  This is the Life was amazing!  I had some tears building up.
Honestly, every song just had its place.  Song after song (like I said before) they just moved to the next and the flow of the show never got dull and boring.
Great job DT!  Definitely be picking this up when released!!

Oh yeah...I was sitting in the same aisle as air-drummer guy!  He had a blast! :metal
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: YtseJamittaja on September 19, 2013, 11:29:26 PM
Anyone spotted that crying girl?  :D
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bairrock on September 19, 2013, 11:43:21 PM
yeah...she's doing her thing in The Spirit Carries On...
honestly....it was funny to catch at first, but then they show her again and you actually feel what she's feeling at that particular moment...then you start tearing up..lol!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: slycordinator on September 19, 2013, 11:51:01 PM
About how long is the theater version?
Show itself was about 2 hrs 45 minutes. There were about 15 minutes of trailers/previews where I saw it but I'm sure that depends on the cinema. Good thing too, because my buddy from work was running late... :)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Madman Shepherd on September 19, 2013, 11:56:28 PM
I just got back from the Bolingbrook, IL show and need to be to work in 8 hours but am restless from my 2 1/2 hour drive back to Iowa. 

First of all, iPic theatres are pretty nice.  Not a bad deal at all.

Second, the length was about 2:30 long.  Definitely got our moneys worth. 

The sound was pretty loud but I liked it.  The speakers seemed to handle it just fine although I agree that the keyboards were a little low at times so I was wondering if that is the final mix or if it is the speaker setup in the theatre.  I also wish the drums were a little louder.  Some of the low end drums hardly picked up at all. 

Overall, it was amazing.  Excellent performances all around.  Tons of energy.  I felt like I had a much bigger review mapped out in my mind, but my mind is kind of gone right now.  Since I could talk about how much it ruled a lot more I will just skip to a few more negatives.

Although James sounded amazing throughout most of the night, during the quieter parts it seemed like his mic picked up a lot of his breathing in the distorted windy way, ya know, the sound of wind going into a microphone.  For me, it was pretty distracting.  Obviously they use the best equipment but the thing i kept thinking was, "Shit, why are you using cheap ass mics."  So, I dont know what the deal was. 

James also had some awkward stage banter or jibba jabba as I coined it several years ago.  After JPs guitar solo (which I thought was kind of boring) he talks about how JP brings out so much emotion and that men have tears running down their face.  He quickly follows it up with something about how it goes for women too but they are better about showing their emotion.  WTF dude?!  Awwwwkward. 

On the flip side, at the tale end of JR's piano solo, James comes out and says some incredible things about JR while he finishes the last few notes and then James finally says, Mr. Joran Rudess and the place erupts.  Quite a moment and while JR's keyboard/piano solos often bore me, this was pretty awesome. 

MM's drum solo was FUCKING INSANE.  This actually got applause from the people in the theatre.  I have seen DT twice with MM and I have seen him one time at a clinic where he did some kickass stuff on drums and the drum solo on this film blew me the fuck away.  I remember somebody noting that he did a one handed rhythm and somebody commented on this board, "What a dick!"  There are several moments like that where you are just thinking, "Ok we get it, you are the greatest drummer in the world.....please don't stop" :hefdaddy

Other than that there is some funny interaction between James and JP during Surrounded.  Nothing major but it'll be worth a few gifs.  Also, for what its worth, I think that the best versions of Surrounded and Fortune and Lies are probably found on Live in Luna Park. 

Ok, I'm gonna finish up my M&Ms and sleep. 

The completely stupid drive to the Chicago area was totally worth it...but I'm sure I'm going to change my tune when my alarm goes off. 
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: slycordinator on September 20, 2013, 12:25:39 AM
The only thing not so great about viewing this in a theater is that the show was shot in 1080p for home video release. Movies are filmed in much higher resolutions (4k) so when they are shown on gigantic screens you get to expierence all of the great picture detail. 1080p on a 400" screen can make the image look very soft and sometimes even out of focus and I noticed this a lot with the Luna Park screening, especially on the sweeping crane shots.  There was also a ton of noise and visible compression on some of the darker shots where most of the lights were off. I wonder what version of this was sent for the screenings? Should look more crisp on smaller home tvs. Still just a minor gripe.
Actually, plenty of movies are shot in 2K which is only practically identical in resolution to 1080p (difference being 128 more pixels in width) and there are a few movies shot in 1080p. The difference is the level and type of compression. And it wouldn't be shocking if the cameras used were ones that wouldn't cut it for cinematic usage. Also, even some cameras used for digital cinema don't handle dark shots extremely well.

I bet the screenings were taken from the final source used to duplicate the blu-rays (just minus all the extras and stuff and converted to a Digital Cinema Package).




And I thought JMX was higher in the mix than I'd remembered from Budokan at least but I seem to have the minority opinion on that. But yes, Jordan was too quiet. Not like when I saw them in Seattle many moons ago, where he was at 11 compared to everyone else at a 3. lol
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 20, 2013, 04:59:59 AM
OK, what with just watching once and not having it on hand to refer to while typing, I'm not sure how detailed I can be, so here are my impressions.

It is very, very good.

It is loud as crap, especially JP.

I thought all of the ADTOE songs translated very well to the live setting, except for This Is The Life.  I love that song, but I don't think it translated as well.

All of the uptempo aggressive metal songs were friggin' MASSIVE.  Especially The Dark Eternal Night.  Holy crap.

James LaBrie was on FIRE.  He sounded incredible.

Mike Mangini is a puzzle in a way.  He plays with an incredible passion that is infectious and great to see.  And he is seemingly superhuman.  I mean, I play drums, but he and I aren't doing the same thing.  It's like a little kid who knows addition and subtraction watching someone perform a differential equation.  I mean, wow.

But he has such efficiency of movement that some of the real hard things he is doing don't look as hard as they really are.  It's weird.  But cool!

6:00 had a great groove, Mangini nailed that.

A Fortune In Lies was probably the best I've ever heard it.

The Spirit Carries On was good, but it is by default the least of the recorded versions.

I absolutely loved the acoustic set (The Silent Man and Beneath The Surface), the string quartet really added a lot.  Fantastic.

I also, unexpectedly, loved all three solo spots (although JR accompanied JP, so not sure if it's technically a "solo" lol).  JR's was an improvised piece on piano; JP's was really all over the place regarding style and technique, but still cohesive; and Mangini's was, without a doubt, the best drum solo I've ever seen.  It wasn't just a collection of drum tricks like most solos are.  It seemed to be an actual composed piece of music, that was complete of itself, not needing any other instruments.  I mean, of course he showed off his impressive skills, but it was extremely musical, and not just wanking.

The jam at the end of Metropolis was a lot of fun.  Didn't expect that.

Overall, at the beginning of the concert, there seemed to be fairly equal coverage of the different band members, but the farther it went, it seemed to gravitate toward mostly JR and JP.

Also, JP seemed to get louder as the show went on, oftentimes to the detriment of the other members (especially JM :( )

I'm sure there was something else I wanted to mention, but it is escaping me now.

Overall, it was fantastic.  Can't wait until it is released on Blu-Ray in November.  Great to see it with old friends and new.  Great to meet vtgrad, really classy guy and fellow longtime fan!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: me7 on September 20, 2013, 06:23:31 AM
I thought all of the ADTOE songs translated very well to the live setting, except for This Is The Life.  I love that song, but I don't think it translated as well.

All of the uptempo aggressive metal songs were friggin' MASSIVE.  Especially The Dark Eternal Night.  Holy crap.

Same here. I love This is the Life on the album, but the live version was boring. The dark eternal Night on the other hand I find boring on the album, but live it rocks.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: adamack on September 20, 2013, 06:48:32 AM
So far, the general consensus seems to be:

- JLB is at his best

- MM is amazing, and his drum solo is absolutely ridiculous

- The songs from ADToE translated very well in a live setting

- The string quartet added a very nice touch to the songs it was involved with

- JR is a bit too low in the mix, while JP was very loud

Jesus Christ this is going to be awesome!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: teclas on September 20, 2013, 07:17:18 AM
So here's my two cents from last night:

1-  I love MP but I do believe that having MM is the best thing that has happened to DT in a while.   Having watched LALP last night, just a couple of days after having heard DT12, only confirmed, strongly, that the band is living a great inspired, moment. 

 During the whole concert I could see great camaraderie; the way this dvd is edited, you can get a glimpse of the rest of the band jamming and joking around when there's a keyboard or guitar solo.  MM never stops smiling and doing this crazy metal faces.  This of course becomes contagious on the rest of the band members.

2- Really cool areal shots on JR (where you can even  see in great detail his synth screen and ipad) and MM.

3- JLB seems more relaxed and in control, his performance is stunning.  He finally became this great frontman for the band.

4- I was able to attend a show from this tour last year, but everything happened too fast from me.  There's great production detail where you don't miss a thing of everything happening, band/crowd.  I truly believe this is their most ambitious and most achieved concert on film.

5- Like everybody else is mentioning, the mix has the guitar too loud but I hope that this is more of a Movie Theater setup that the actual mixing of the BR/dvd.  Will see in the near future.

6- MM playing Metropolis is crazy good.  Way faster that they used to play it and more detailed drums on the last bit of instrumental section.

Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: me7 on September 20, 2013, 09:02:59 AM
JR is not just a bit too low, he is barely there. He is as low as JMX is on a studio album, seriously. If the mix for the BluRay isn't better, I'll pass. I enjoyed watching the show once but I have no intention  to listen to it again with this mix.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 20, 2013, 09:07:06 AM
I'm disappointed to hear about the JR mix. I was hoping it was just a problem for one particular venue that showed it, but it seems that most people heard the same issue.
I assume everyone was hearing the surround mix, so maybe the stereo mix will be better?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 20, 2013, 09:22:45 AM
Man I am so freakin excites for this DVD, but the missing keyboard is really going to bug me BAD. If they took THIS LONG with the DVD it really should have a mix that reflects it.

 I always feel like Jordan is being turned down too low, and the million incredible notes he is playing at any time get interpreted by most listeners as 3 notes. If that makes sense.

Could you hear the bass solo in Metropolis????
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 20, 2013, 09:37:29 AM
Could you hear the bass solo in Metropolis????
Yes.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 20, 2013, 09:39:23 AM
YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;D  :biggrin: ;D :biggrin:

hopefully really loudly and way up front..
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: teclas on September 20, 2013, 10:00:08 AM
JMX also sounds awesome on Breaking All Illusions.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Spacebar. on September 21, 2013, 10:36:30 AM
Not only can you hear the solo but you see almost all of JMX's forearm muscles that are used to play it  :corn
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: MoraWintersoul on September 21, 2013, 10:57:27 AM
Not only can you hear the solo but you see almost all of JMX's forearm muscles that are used to play it  :corn
Jump to homoerotic drooling DTFers in 3,2... :lol


(also heteroerotic/various-erotic :blush)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Zydar on September 21, 2013, 11:03:22 AM
JMX also sounds awesome on Breaking All Illusions.

 :hefdaddy   :heart
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: ? on September 21, 2013, 11:17:39 AM
Are there any close-up shots where we can see some member's nose hair? :neverusethis:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 21, 2013, 11:42:08 AM
I don't remember, but JR's hat was pretty cool.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: daykrush on September 21, 2013, 04:24:48 PM
Back home from the Amsterdam screening.....what a great dvd! Never seen the band playing this tight! I went to 4 dates on the Dramatic tour but this one beats em all.
There's not a lot to add with what already been said here on the forum.
Petrucci is indeed way to loud in the mix...
LaBrie is on top of his game, all the song from ADTOE are way better live than on de cd.
Mangini is from an other planet and need to be locked in a cage....still reading here on the forum that some people want MP back....WTF? Are they deaf or what?

I'm going to give DT2013 another spin and hope to wake up the 9th of November......so I can watch it again and all the extra's ....

Thanks DT for the music! The spirit does carry on!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Jinx on September 21, 2013, 05:14:19 PM
It saddens me that after a year of being in production there's still issues where the sound and footage don't quite sync. Hope it doesn't affect the viewing too much  :sad:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: daykrush on September 21, 2013, 05:45:19 PM
It saddens me that after a year of being in production there's still issues where the sound and footage don't quite sync. Hope it doesn't affect the viewing too much  :sad:

I didn't notice it....but i hope the sound is better on the actual dvd.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 21, 2013, 08:27:30 PM
I don't remember, but JR's hat was pretty cool.

I'm sold. Sign me up.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 21, 2013, 08:33:24 PM
Could you hear the bass solo in Metropolis????
Yes.

It was too low in my opinion. 
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 21, 2013, 08:45:59 PM
Could you hear the bass solo in Metropolis????
Yes.

It was too low in my opinion.
Yeah, but you could hear it.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 21, 2013, 09:30:21 PM
Could you hear the bass solo in Metropolis????
Yes.

It was too low in my opinion.
Yeah, but you could hear it.

Naturally, but he still should have been louder in the mix, especially at that moment.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 21, 2013, 09:35:02 PM
Yeah, probably so.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 21, 2013, 10:12:04 PM
That bass solo should be so loud and in your face that Justin Bieber fans all across the world start whining that their wimpy little ears are aching EVERY SINGLE TIME someone plays that part of the DVD.



So it being "eh you can hear it.. could be louder" is quite a travesty. Still though, HOLY CRAP I'M DREAMING ABOUT THIS DVD EVERY NIGHT I CAN'T WAIT!!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Daso on September 21, 2013, 10:15:29 PM
They should probably tease us with a song in October or something... Just saying  ;)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bugsyoz on September 22, 2013, 06:42:45 AM
Hey space....yep, remember seeing you there.

Agree, difficult to gauge the should I yell something out/clap or whatever factor.  For what it's worth, I thought the bub was extremely well behaved what with the sound blasting like that.  When the sound was turned down too low, I take it that person got up and spoke to the staff...'oi, DT will not be at quiet carriage levels on the 6:30 from Woy Woy.....'   :biggrin:

B
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Spacebar. on September 22, 2013, 06:49:59 AM
Hey space....yep, remember seeing you there.

Agree, difficult to gauge the should I yell something out/clap or whatever factor.  For what it's worth, I thought the bub was extremely well behaved what with the sound blasting like that.  When the sound was turned down too low, I take it that person got up and spoke to the staff...'oi, DT will not be at quiet carriage levels on the 6:30 from Woy Woy.....'   :biggrin:

B
:D
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Madman Shepherd on September 22, 2013, 10:17:07 AM
One thing I forgot to mention that I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned: Prerecorded background vocals. 

I know it has been discussed in the past that they are using a backing tape for some melodies but it appears that they are not using any MP backing vocals at all and have possibly recorded new JLB exclusive backing vocals for songs like War Inside My Head and The Test That Stumped Them All among others. 

The film showed JP singing into the microphone during most of the moments however it didn't appear that he was contributing much and to be honest, it really didn't sound like him. 

Specifically for the last line of War Inside My Head, he stopped singing or "mouthing" the words to prepare for his the complex guitar part in TTTSTA and you could hear the background vocals which sounded more like JLB.

Thoguhts?

Also, a great JLB line from the night at the beginning of the concert.  I'll have to paraphrase...

"We're shooting a DVD tonight so you're all going to be on film....and I think we are too." 
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 22, 2013, 11:44:20 AM
From what I heard on the actual tour, it sounded like some of the backings were recorded with JLB (all the ADTOE songs minus OTBOA, BTS and BITS, plus TROE). Of these, JP only sang along to them toward the end of the tour. On the South American tour, some of the tracks sound like they might have even been replaced with JP tracks, but maybe not.

Then some sounded like JP recordings, except they were a little too smoothe and perfect (BITS, TW, OTBOA, WIMH) and toward the very beginning of this tour, JP seemed to actually sing them with no track, but by 2012, he was singing along with a track.

Then some tracks sounded like it might have been one of them, but it didn't really sound like either to me. Maybe they just weren't up in front enough for me to tell, or maybe they were dubbed in a weird way- idk. (TTTSTA, TDEN) And JP sang along with TDEN.

As for TSM and BTS, it seems like JP actually did those for real every time to me.


Also, a great JLB line from the night at the beginning of the concert.  I'll have to paraphrase...

"We're shooting a DVD tonight so you're all going to be on film....and I think we are too." 

  :lol I almost wish that wasn't spoiled for me!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Mindflux on September 22, 2013, 06:36:00 PM
Got back from the showing in Austin today.  Not a whole lot of people there, I can only hope Friday was packed for them.

I can't wait for the BluRay to come out! Great live set.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: goo-goo on September 22, 2013, 06:55:52 PM
One thing I forgot to mention that I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned: Prerecorded background vocals. 

I know it has been discussed in the past that they are using a backing tape for some melodies but it appears that they are not using any MP backing vocals at all and have possibly recorded new JLB exclusive backing vocals for songs like War Inside My Head and The Test That Stumped Them All among others. 
 

Interesting. I would think if DT did in fact re-record the bg vocals, it was to prevent a "Terry Brown" with MP.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Madman Shepherd on September 22, 2013, 07:52:05 PM
One thing I forgot to mention that I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned: Prerecorded background vocals. 

I know it has been discussed in the past that they are using a backing tape for some melodies but it appears that they are not using any MP backing vocals at all and have possibly recorded new JLB exclusive backing vocals for songs like War Inside My Head and The Test That Stumped Them All among others. 
 

Interesting. I would think if DT did in fact re-record the bg vocals, it was to prevent a "Terry Brown" with MP.

Exactly what I was thinking.  Also, forgot to mention even the intro drums for Root of All Evil sounded rerecorded.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 22, 2013, 08:14:38 PM
One thing I forgot to mention that I'm surprised nobody else has mentioned: Prerecorded background vocals. 

I know it has been discussed in the past that they are using a backing tape for some melodies but it appears that they are not using any MP backing vocals at all and have possibly recorded new JLB exclusive backing vocals for songs like War Inside My Head and The Test That Stumped Them All among others. 

The film showed JP singing into the microphone during most of the moments however it didn't appear that he was contributing much and to be honest, it really didn't sound like him. 

Specifically for the last line of War Inside My Head, he stopped singing or "mouthing" the words to prepare for his the complex guitar part in TTTSTA and you could hear the background vocals which sounded more like JLB.

Thoguhts?

Also, a great JLB line from the night at the beginning of the concert.  I'll have to paraphrase...

"We're shooting a DVD tonight so you're all going to be on film....and I think we are too."


Why would they keep those MP backing 'vocals'?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: theanalogkid7 on September 23, 2013, 12:15:59 AM
I just got back from a showing in Dallas.  The video looked great!! The mix was a bit out of balance it seemed, as mentioned before, but I'm reserving judgment till I have it home on a proper system.  A movie theater my not be EQ'd properly for a concert.

The two things that blew me away:  James's Vocals and the acoustic set.  James just sounded so amazingly great, SO MUCH better than previous live releases.  And the acoustic set with the strings.... man oh man, that was amazing.  Simply beautiful.  Silent Man never sounded so awesome.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: RaiseTheKnife on September 23, 2013, 02:47:27 AM
There’s no crying in PROG!

aka:  MY REVIEW OF PASADENA SCREENING 8/22/13:

It was such a treat to see Dream Theater in a theatrical venue.  Kudos to the band for continuing to break into new frontiers.  The performance kicked ass, and truly deserved the “big screen” treatment.  It felt MASSIVE.  It looked AWESOME.  Having seen six shows on the ADTOE tour, this release does a commendable job of capturing what I witnessed in those live experiences.  Production value is exceptional and exceeds all prior DVD’s. (more camera angles, effective editing, etc).  Visually crisp projection (and in sync throughout).

The theater was fancy, featuring call buttons for food service (full dinner menu).  The chairs were wide, plush leather and could recline into a sofa position.

The sound was BOOMING, but not sure the 5.1 surround was set up properly, as many keyboard moments were dull in the mix, presumably due to the speaker set-up at the theater.  For example, Jordan’s mini-solo in the opening of Metropolis was flatly inaudible (along with other similar instances).  Disappointing, as I don’t have a 5.1 system in my home.

The turn out was surprisingly empty.  I thought more folks from around the Los Angeles area would show up to support this concept, even despite the high cost of tix ($58 for my pair).  When the band takes a risk in these new endeavors, we have to do better as a fan base to get behind them.  Hopefully, other cities compensated with a strong showing.

I think DT’s booking agent may have sat next to us: (1) he was much older than the usual DT fan, and (2) he left 1/3 through the movie – a typical agent move.  Too bad, I would have liked to chat with him as I believe we share some clients.

The show itself had many highlights, featuring the setlist order of the first night. Undoubtedly, the best performance of Silent Man ever.  The song really pops to life with the strings.  I think my brain exploded somewhere at the beginning of Lost Not Forgotten.  Holy smokes, I underestimated JM’s parts in that intro.  (it is not wise to underestimate a ninja).   Mangini’s drum solo was GODLY on the large screen and I pity all those who missed this opportunity.   Petrucci’s solo might have been my favorite moment in the show.  Spirit Carries On was transcendent.  James never sounded better.

And then there was the crying girl.  Wow, she will become legend.  James even mentioned having seen men tearing up at shows.  Those weren’t tears James, I have bad allergies. 

The Buenos Aires crowded didn’t really “bring it” like I had anticipated from a SA show.  Thought they would be bouncing around like Chile, but they were surprisingly reserved.  Could have been shot in Cleveland for the same reaction, with less flag waving of course. 

Eric Disrude appeared to be sleeping behind the drums in the first song.  He is very noticeable (especially on the big screen) in the overhead drum cam shots.  Probably could have framed that shot differently . . .

Someone mentioned this earlier, and yes JP is lip syncing to several songs.  He sings backup on Silent and Angels (easily identifiable by the “room tone” when he sings these songs).  I believe everything else is backtrack.  Just noting, not complaining.

The screening was my girlfriend’s first DT experience, and she was enthusiastic, clapping and moving about.  Very taken by the GRANDEUR of the concert.  She cannot wait for the upcoming tour.  That makes two of us, my dear.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Sycsa on September 23, 2013, 04:06:37 AM
JR is not just a bit too low, he is barely there. He is as low as JMX is on a studio album, seriously. If the mix for the BluRay isn't better, I'll pass. I enjoyed watching the show once but I have no intention  to listen to it again with this mix.
Inconceivable! Especially since Jordan was probably more prominent on ADTOE than ever before. Really disappointing.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: wasteland on September 23, 2013, 04:08:34 AM
Maybe it's a fault in the way the 5.1 was reproduced at the theaters?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 23, 2013, 04:16:24 AM
Maybe it's a fault in the way the 5.1 was reproduced at the theaters?

I guess it's possible that the way surround sound is set up at theaters isn't ideal for music, although the keys should still be mixed equally loud in the front speakers, and many people have reported the same issue.
Maybe the acoustics of a cinema make the guitar/bass frequencies more boomy and overpowering than they really are. Or maybe the keyboards are just mixed low. I'm hoping that if there is a mixing issue, that the stereo mix is better. Budokan's stereo mix sounded a lot more pleasant than the surround sound to me (although that could have just been the mixdown).

No use worrying until we have it in our grubby little hands, I suppose. I'd like to have a trailer with sound so we can judge it in a better environment.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 23, 2013, 07:07:51 AM
Today is the Solon, Ohio showing that I will be going to! I get off work a couple hours early, I'll pick up my sister, and I'll be on the road!

I mentioned it in the other thread, but sometime either tomorrow or Wednesday I will post an article on Ladyobscure.com. Not quite a review, since I can't formulate that off of one showing, but some impressions (similar to what many of you have already posted).
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 23, 2013, 07:35:59 AM
The mix is perfect on the 6:00 thing.. Maybe the keyboard could be slightly higher in other songs, but this one sounds great! Did the mix of 6:00 in theaters sound like the mativision trailer?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: OsMosis2259 on September 23, 2013, 08:30:15 AM
Really looking forward to tonight's show in NJ!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 23, 2013, 08:35:40 AM
Really looking forward to tonight's show in NJ!

Enjoy it!  I wish I could go again.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: ? on September 23, 2013, 08:36:32 AM
Hopefully the keyboards will be louder in the stereo mix...
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: chaotic_ripper on September 23, 2013, 09:05:57 AM
What I loved about James so much, is not only was he spot-on.  He sounded perfect on Score but on this one he seems like he added a little something to every song. Like taking certain parts and adding a different flare and kicking it up a notch!  Maybe someone else who has seen it too knows what I'm talking about and can explain better than I can.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Madman Shepherd on September 23, 2013, 11:07:22 AM
What I loved about James so much, is not only was he spot-on.  He sounded perfect on Score but on this one he seems like he added a little something to every song. Like taking certain parts and adding a different flare and kicking it up a notch!  Maybe someone else who has seen it too knows what I'm talking about and can explain better than I can.

I noticed that too.  He did some slight improv on a few spots, maybe a few harmonizing parts in between phrases, I think he also went up an octave at one part just to shake it up, and also he sorta forced a couple notes which made it sound like there was more passion.  Just a great performance. 
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Dublagent66 on September 23, 2013, 11:53:56 AM
Got back from the showing in Austin today.  Not a whole lot of people there, I can only hope Friday was packed for them.

I can't wait for the BluRay to come out! Great live set.

There weren't many at the showing we saw yesterday in Scottsdale AZ either, but it was a Sunday afternoon.  The only previous showing at that theater was Thurs 9/19.  It's a shame there weren't more people, but it was kinda nice for the rest of us.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 23, 2013, 12:08:05 PM
Got back from the showing in Austin today.  Not a whole lot of people there, I can only hope Friday was packed for them.

I can't wait for the BluRay to come out! Great live set.

There weren't many at the showing we saw yesterday in Scottsdale AZ either, but it was a Sunday afternoon.  The only previous showing at that theater was Thurs 9/19.  It's a shame there weren't more people, but it was kinda nice for the rest of us.

I'm hoping there will be lots of people at the Solon, Ohio showing, but I have a sad feeling that me and my sister may be the only two there :( I hope I'm wrong!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheRich13 on September 23, 2013, 02:40:08 PM
Loved it !! Saw it in Boca Raton on Thursday the 19th...Surprised only one reviewer mentioned it...I noticed that it seemed very grainy on the big screen at times ...Poster stated that it was probably due to the resolution being stretched out so large for the theater screen..Wondering if this is in fact TRUE...I will be buying this blu ray for sure and want it to look awesome on my home TV !!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Tick on September 23, 2013, 02:49:21 PM
I'm going to see it in Fairfield CT tonight! Dragging a friend along who knows little about the band. Could be a long night for him. :biggrin:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: wasteland on September 23, 2013, 03:00:21 PM
Bring it on, people! I want to see reviews when I wake up in 9 hours! :D
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: DreamTension on September 23, 2013, 03:19:53 PM
Loved it !! Saw it in Boca Raton on Thursday the 19th...Surprised only one reviewer mentioned it...I noticed that it seemed very grainy on the big screen at times ...Poster stated that it was probably due to the resolution being stretched out so large for the theater screen..Wondering if this is in fact TRUE...I will be buying this blu ray for sure and want it to look awesome on my home TV !!

I was there!  I was the guy with his 7yo daughter.  It was quite grainy.  It did seem stretched though.  I was close to the front.  It was hard to make out a lot of the keyboard, bass, and drum fills.  I hope the Blue Ray will have a better mix.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: OsMosis2259 on September 23, 2013, 09:19:39 PM
Came back from the NJ one.

The theater had a lot of problems with the screening. Right before The Dark Eternal Night, the screen went static but the music kept playing. It was fixed after 10 minutes but there was a lot of skipping going on throughout the show.

I'll also agree with the others on the keyboards being very low. I thought the bass and the cymbals were really low as well. The guitars were very in your face.

I don't know if it was just this theater but I thought the footage was not sharp at all. It looked like I was watching a VHS tape...

Having said all that, it was a great performance and I'm looking forward to the DVD. Drum solo was awesome and I couldn't help myself but laugh at the famous crying girl during The Spirit Carries On :)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 23, 2013, 09:23:12 PM
I don't know if it was just this theater but I thought the footage was not sharp at all. It looked like I was watching a VHS tape...

It was probably 1080p, which isn't intended for a cinema sized screen. I'm sure it will look great on a large TV though.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 23, 2013, 09:41:03 PM
Came back from the NJ one.

The theater had a lot of problems with the screening. Right before The Dark Eternal Night, the screen went static but the music kept playing. It was fixed after 10 minutes but there was a lot of skipping going on throughout the show.

I'll also agree with the others on the keyboards being very low. I thought the bass and the cymbals were really low as well. The guitars were very in your face.

I don't know if it was just this theater but I thought the footage was not sharp at all. It looked like I was watching a VHS tape...

Having said all that, it was a great performance and I'm looking forward to the DVD. Drum solo was awesome and I couldn't help myself but laugh at the famous crying girl during The Spirit Carries On :)

The video footage itself was perfect in NYC where I saw it. That's strange what happened by you.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 23, 2013, 10:17:34 PM
Finally home from the "local" showing! It was really fantastic to say the least. I'll be brief since I'll have a full article ready to be posted on LadyObscure in a couple days, but I will address a couple positives and negatives that have been frequently posted about.

-James was awesome (but it was hard to tell if it was just because of how loud it was, as the theater had it as loud or maybe louder than an actual concert)
-The keyboards were low, but I'll be quick to blame that on the speaker setup. When you need to hear Jordan however, he is front and center.
-The picture quality at this theater was amazing. It was slightly smaller than your average theater screen, which I'm sure helped the quality. It was very crisp, and very HD. It will likely be mindblowingly good on a 60" or smaller HDTV on Bluray.
-Screw the place next door and their expensive drinks! I blew 76 bucks on dinner and some drinks  :lol
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: OsMosis2259 on September 23, 2013, 11:01:39 PM
I don't know if it was just this theater but I thought the footage was not sharp at all. It looked like I was watching a VHS tape...

It was probably 1080p, which isn't intended for a cinema sized screen. I'm sure it will look great on a large TV though.

Oh ok I figured it was something related to that. It will def look good on the DVD.

Oh and I stayed until the end credits and I saw your name again on there :) Good animations and congrats!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 23, 2013, 11:43:56 PM
I don't know if it was just this theater but I thought the footage was not sharp at all. It looked like I was watching a VHS tape...

It was probably 1080p, which isn't intended for a cinema sized screen. I'm sure it will look great on a large TV though.

Oh ok I figured it was something related to that. It will def look good on the DVD.

Oh and I stayed until the end credits and I saw your name again on there :) Good animations and congrats!

Thanks! I can't wait to see it for myself. :tup
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 24, 2013, 11:45:24 AM
Okay, my impressions are up!

https://www.ladyobscure.com/general/dream-theater-live-at-luna-park/ (https://www.ladyobscure.com/general/dream-theater-live-at-luna-park/)
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Eren on September 24, 2013, 04:00:27 PM
I'm just wondering how the strings ended up sounding. Especially The Silent Man, because some parts I composed are completely new. Also hoping the final release doesn't have the keyboard mix issue everybody's saying.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: SeRoX on September 24, 2013, 04:04:17 PM
I'm just wondering how the strings ended up sounding. Especially The Silent Man, because some parts I composed are completely new. Also hoping the final release doesn't have the keyboard mix issue everybody's saying.

Merhaba Eren, öncelikle söylemek isterim ki, Türk bir müzisyenin DT ile çalışması gerçekten gurur verici. Severek takip ediyorum ve ediyoruz ve çalışmalarının devamını diliyorum.  :tup

BTW, it's just unfair that we can not watch it at the theater at Turkey. Have to wait the DVD.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 24, 2013, 04:42:16 PM
I'm just wondering how the strings ended up sounding. Especially The Silent Man, because some parts I composed are completely new. Also hoping the final release doesn't have the keyboard mix issue everybody's saying.

The strings sounded fantastic, both their sound quality and the compositions :) I particularly loved The Silent Man. Unfortunately, since only the first night was shown, we have to wait for the DVD to find out how Far From Heaven and Wait for Sleep sounded (I'm sure excellent, if Beneath the Surface and The Silent Man are anything to go by).
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheRich13 on September 25, 2013, 07:31:53 AM
Want to pre order Luna Park on Amazon but not sure which one 'cause the pictures and full descriptions aren't up yet....I want the Blu Ray with the audio CD's package...I know you can only get the audio CD's if you get them in the blu ray package...

So far they list : Blu Ray 17.98
                        : Audio CD 29.81
                        : DVD 34.99

Guess I'll have to wait a little longer before I pre order .Perhaps They'll straighten this out..
I'm thinking the one I want is the 29.81 package,,,,,
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Dream Team on September 25, 2013, 11:15:53 AM
Okay, my impressions are up!

https://www.ladyobscure.com/general/dream-theater-live-at-luna-park/ (https://www.ladyobscure.com/general/dream-theater-live-at-luna-park/)

Thank you. Now we FINALLY have someone on record stating that JLB is not as good as on Score. The OP never addressed this unless I missed the post. Anyway, not being as good as Score is not an insult by any means and I'm still looking very much forward to hearing James, but at least now I'll have accurate expectations.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 25, 2013, 12:01:12 PM
^ You are welcome! Yeah, that was one of the things I absolutely wanted to listen for and address in my article since everyone was talking about his vocal performance.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 25, 2013, 12:12:16 PM
Well, I don't know how to quantify the question.  He definitely sounded awesome, but I don't remember him having to hit any really high notes like he did with UAGM or IF on SCORE.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 25, 2013, 12:19:29 PM
Well, I don't know how to quantify the question.  He definitely sounded awesome, but I don't remember him having to hit any really high notes like he did with UAGM or IF on SCORE.

The closest I would say would be in Surrounded and he didn't sing it as he did on I & W.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 25, 2013, 12:34:48 PM
Well, I don't know how to quantify the question.  He definitely sounded awesome, but I don't remember him having to hit any really high notes like he did with UAGM or IF on SCORE.

The trick for me was as I mentioned in the article to plug my ears at various points. That greatly reduced the distortion and allowed me to hear his vocals very clearly. He definitely sounded good, but not great, during songs like Metropolis and 6:00.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Perpetual Change on September 25, 2013, 12:41:16 PM
Well, I don't know how to quantify the question.  He definitely sounded awesome, but I don't remember him having to hit any really high notes like he did with UAGM or IF on SCORE.

The trick for me was as I mentioned in the article to plug my ears at various points. That greatly reduced the distortion and allowed me to hear his vocals very clearly. He definitely sounded good, but not great, during songs like Metropolis and 6:00.
How does the sound compare to that 360 6:00 thing they released?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: CrimsonSunrise on September 25, 2013, 12:51:22 PM
Thanks to all the reviewers... :metal

As far as the Keyboard mix.  I have a fairly decent 5.1 system, and on Score and Budokan I've always noticed low keyboards in the mix.  If it's just me and that isn't the case...then this is REALLY gonna be a low  mix for me... :lol  I listen too both of those in stereo because of that  :|
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 25, 2013, 01:36:17 PM
Well, I don't know how to quantify the question.  He definitely sounded awesome, but I don't remember him having to hit any really high notes like he did with UAGM or IF on SCORE.

The trick for me was as I mentioned in the article to plug my ears at various points. That greatly reduced the distortion and allowed me to hear his vocals very clearly. He definitely sounded good, but not great, during songs like Metropolis and 6:00.
How does the sound compare to that 360 6:00 thing they released?

Ah, I knew that was what I wanted to mention! Thanks for reminding me. The sound quality was better, but James definitely sounded identical to that clip. So, I don't think there was overdubbing, for what its worth, but while he does hit the notes, he definitely doesn't sound at the top of his game either.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 25, 2013, 02:13:16 PM
Well, I don't know how to quantify the question.  He definitely sounded awesome, but I don't remember him having to hit any really high notes like he did with UAGM or IF on SCORE.

The trick for me was as I mentioned in the article to plug my ears at various points. That greatly reduced the distortion and allowed me to hear his vocals very clearly. He definitely sounded good, but not great, during songs like Metropolis and 6:00.
How does the sound compare to that 360 6:00 thing they released?

Ah, I knew that was what I wanted to mention! Thanks for reminding me. The sound quality was better, but James definitely sounded identical to that clip. So, I don't think there was overdubbing, for what its worth, but while he does hit the notes, he definitely doesn't sound at the top of his game either.

Well if the vocals were touched up, it would have been touched up in the 360 thing too.. But what about in regards to the keyboard? You can hear the keys perfectly in the video, were they that loud in the theater?

ps. I know James didn't sound exactly like Awake in that video, but I thought it was AWESOME in a different way. As good or better than Score- because of his distortion.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 25, 2013, 02:19:05 PM
^ Well, that is funny, because in 6:00 the keyboards did sound great, but in other songs it was slightly buried. I'm starting to wish I would have plugged my ears more during the night other than to focus on James, because I'm beginning to think the distortion was causing the keyboards to sound more buried than they actually will be on the DVD.

The distortion was most definitely causing the "perfect" JLB performance, though. It is the same thing that happens at a concert. Vocalists almost always sounds rock-solid during concerts without earplugs, even if they were shaky and straining.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Jinx on September 26, 2013, 12:18:39 AM
Question for the people that have seen this: what was the drum solo like? Was the footage caught well? Or was it hard to see what he was doing? I know a lot of what he does is so quick and sudden (not to mention just damn complicated) that if there is a ton of closeups it will be annoying...

Cheers!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on September 26, 2013, 05:17:20 AM
Question for the people that have seen this: what was the drum solo like? Was the footage caught well? Or was it hard to see what he was doing? I know a lot of what he does is so quick and sudden (not to mention just damn complicated) that if there is a ton of closeups it will be annoying...

Cheers!

Some close-ups, but a multitude of angles.  You will not be disappointed.  I heard they had to shoot with a special camera because the response time wasn't fast enough to keep up with MM.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: metrojam on September 26, 2013, 05:36:05 AM
^ Well, that is funny, because in 6:00 the keyboards did sound great, but in other songs it was slightly buried. I'm starting to wish I would have plugged my ears more during the night other than to focus on James, because I'm beginning to think the distortion was causing the keyboards to sound more buried than they actually will be on the DVD.

The distortion was most definitely causing the "perfect" JLB performance, though. It is the same thing that happens at a concert. Vocalists almost always sounds rock-solid during concerts without earplugs, even if they were shaky and straining.

That's absolutely spot on buddy. The number of times you go to a concert and think that the singer was perfect all night, and then you hear a boot of the show and you realise that they weren't quite as perfect as you initially thought!. It is all down to the volume and distortion that the ears "hear" during an actual concert itself.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 26, 2013, 08:20:46 AM
Ok that all makes sense and answers my question, thanks.

And absolutely true about live sound distorting like that.. But that's not the "distortion" I was referring to. I'm just talking about literally the way LaBrie sings nowadays is with more growl on the parts that call for it. If they would have done 6:00 at Score, he would hit all the notes, but there'd be barely any distortion/growl, and that's why I enjoy his performances on the ADTOE tour even better than the 8vm tour.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on September 26, 2013, 08:59:05 AM
Ok that all makes sense and answers my question, thanks.

And absolutely true about live sound distorting like that.. But that's not the "distortion" I was referring to. I'm just talking about literally the way LaBrie sings nowadays is with more growl on the parts that call for it. If they would have done 6:00 at Score, he would hit all the notes, but there'd be barely any distortion/growl, and that's why I enjoy his performances on the ADTOE tour even better than the 8vm tour.

I definitely see your point, and you are right. On Score, he nails the pitches. On Live at Luna Park, he mostly nails the pitches, and absolutely nails the emotional aspect and accentuation of the notes.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: hefdaddy42 on September 26, 2013, 09:33:03 AM
Ok that all makes sense and answers my question, thanks.

And absolutely true about live sound distorting like that.. But that's not the "distortion" I was referring to. I'm just talking about literally the way LaBrie sings nowadays is with more growl on the parts that call for it. If they would have done 6:00 at Score, he would hit all the notes, but there'd be barely any distortion/growl, and that's why I enjoy his performances on the ADTOE tour even better than the 8vm tour.

I definitely see your point, and you are right. On Score, he nails the pitches. On Live at Luna Park, he mostly nails the pitches, and absolutely nails the emotional aspect and accentuation of the notes.
Exactly.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on September 26, 2013, 09:43:30 AM
Yes that's exactly what I was trying to say  :tup

Now the other thing is that it kind of worries me if the keys were loud enough on 6:00, but not quite enough on the others, because that means it might be that way in the final mix, even without the theater sound. If in the theaters they were low in 6:00 too, that would more imply it was entirely just the theater's sound that made it that way since the youtube video sounds perfect.

I hope those two sentences are readable  :lol
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on September 26, 2013, 09:48:36 AM
Yes that's exactly what I was trying to say  :tup

Now the other thing is that it kind of worries me if the keys were loud enough on 6:00, but not quite enough on the others, because that means it might be that way in the final mix, even without the theater sound. If in the theaters they were low in 6:00 too, that would more imply it was entirely just the theater's sound that made it that way since the youtube video sounds perfect.

I hope those two sentences are readable  :lol

I understood it perfectly. :tup

I really hope they release an official trailer with sound before the release so we can judge it in a better environment.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheRich13 on October 01, 2013, 03:05:12 PM
Just realized !!! As awesome as the Mangini drum solo was at Luna Park, he didn't do the crazy ass ride cymbal fills section..He did it at the show I went to and alot  of others,,I know he changed the solo a bit mid tour but wish he didn't leave that out !!!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: kemalure on October 02, 2013, 10:39:45 AM
I watched this two weeks ago at a theater at Arlington, MA. Unfortunately the attendance was very low (about 10 people), given that it was the only theater showing the film in the Boston area.

Here is my mini review, I am following the same outline that Spacebar used

Footage: Probably the best among all DT DVDs. The video quality was crystal clear and the positioning of the cameras were good and most of the time correct members were captured at the correct times.

Sound: I have mixed feeling toward the mix, although it might be due to sound system at the theater. The JP and JLB was very loud in the mix and unfortunately JM and JR (except his solos of course) are almost missing entirely. I was especially disappointed that JM is almost entirely buried in the mix with a super muddy tone because he was perfectly audible in Score and Budokan. Apart form the mix, overall sound was stellar, especially JP's sound.

Members:

JLB - He really surprised me. I need to watch this several times to confirm but he indeed sounded even better than Score! He was also very energetic on the stage, I only wish there was more crowd interaction and talking in between the songs.

JP - Easily on top of his game, as usual. His back vocals were almost inaudible though.

JR - Perfect as usual, his solo spot was especially brilliant.

JM - Since he was mostly inaudible I can't really judge his performance, but he seemed more energetic and engaged than usual.

MM - He was definitely godlike. The drum solo is one of the highlights of the DVD and he played most of the older songs without too much embellishment (except playing some parts using only a single hand! No joking!)

Setlist:

- Bridges in the Sky : Awesome, works amazing as an opener and the chorus being sung with the crowd adds another dimension to the song.

- 6:00: This wasn't so good in my opinion. JLB is simply not able to pull of those high and aggressive vocal lines anymore and that took a lot from the song. But the band, especially MM was amazing on this one.

- The Dark Eternal Night: This was great, easily the best live recording of the song. The instrumental part was especially well executed.

- This is the Life: I think this song didn't work great in the live setting, JLB was amazing on this one though.

- The Root of all Evil: Good, but I think it was more energetic on Score.

- Lost Not Forgotten: Like Spacebar mentioned, the unison part was a disappointment, it didn't sound very tight and not being able to Hear JM's basslines behind the unison took away a lot. At least rest of the song was breathtaking.

- Drum Solo: So much fun to watch!! Usually drum solos are boring as hell but MM is making it so musical it is so entertaining. Also it seemed like an extended version of the original solo I have seen live back in 2011. Easily one of the highlights of the DVD.

- A Fortune in Lies: Personally, I really don't like WDADU at all so I would much prefer them playing some other song from their discography (why not more songs then SFAM or Six Degrees ??)

- Acoustic set: The Silent Man, Beneath the Surface: Another highlight of the DVD, especially the Silent Man sounded so beautiful with strings !! The vocals were also perfect and I think this was the only time where JP's back vocals were audible.

- Outcry: Works awesome live, epic JLB performance !

- JR Solo: The most emotional JR solo performance I have ever seen, very moving

- Surrounded: This is my least favorite track from I&W so I don't want to comment on it.

- On The Backs of Angels/War Inside My Head/The Test that Stumped Them All: I am not a big fan of OTBOA but I think those 3 songs worked really well played back to back. I still prefer the Score performance of the latter two songs though.

- JP Solo (with JR atmosphere): I am a huge fan of JP, but I think he really the shredding style on this solo spot, the slow parts were very moving though.

- The Spirit Carries On: This is the only song from SFAM.. and yes it is an amazing song and it works very well live, but do we really need this song again on DVD??? I think it is time for DT to retire this song to free up some space in the set.

- Breaking All Illusions: So awesome... To me this is the best DT song in the last decade and it is captured amazing on the DVD.

- Metropolis pt. 1 w/extended jam: The extended jam was fun but I think we have heard much better live performances of this song.

Overall, I would say that it is a good show and despite the shortcomings (the mix etc.) I didn't get bored for a single second in 2 hours 40 mins running time. I would rank it below Score, Budokan. Live Scenes and above CiM.


Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: slycordinator on October 02, 2013, 11:54:34 AM
Given how often people have complained about the mix and associated it with the theater in question, I have a hard time believing that literally every theater had a bad sound system.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on October 02, 2013, 12:31:13 PM
Given how often people have complained about the mix and associated it with the theater in question, I have a hard time believing that literally every theater had a bad sound system.

It may not necessarily be every theater having a bad sound system. The sound was awesome at my theater. I believe the theater has a bad SETUP for concert films. They may have had the center and front-offset speakers turned up extremely loud (as they would be for a regular film, as most of the sound comes through there) and the back speakers generally softer (since they are mostly used for "Surround" effects and background noise in movies). This may have caused them to be drowned out.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: slycordinator on October 03, 2013, 04:13:34 PM
They may have had the center and front-offset speakers turned up extremely loud (as they would be for a regular film, as most of the sound comes through there) and the back speakers generally softer (since they are mostly used for "Surround" effects and background noise in movies). This may have caused them to be drowned out.
If a cinema were set up the way you've described, then they suck and need a punch to the nuts.

Normally, a theater is set up with all the channels at the same volume as each other. In fact, they have a reference value that they use during setup (85 dB for each channel with sound processor's fader set at 7.0 on Dolby's scale).

And the reason the surrounds are often softer sounding than the center is that... most of the stuff that happens in a movie happens in front of you.

I still highly doubt that the problems with Jordan sounding much quieter than everyone else is due to using a cinema.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Shadow2222 on October 03, 2013, 04:42:19 PM
They may have had the center and front-offset speakers turned up extremely loud (as they would be for a regular film, as most of the sound comes through there) and the back speakers generally softer (since they are mostly used for "Surround" effects and background noise in movies). This may have caused them to be drowned out.
If a cinema were set up the way you've described, then they suck and need a punch to the nuts.

Normally, a theater is set up with all the channels at the same volume as each other. In fact, they have a reference value that they use during setup (85 dB for each channel with sound processor's fader set at 7.0 on Dolby's scale).

And the reason the surrounds are often softer sounding than the center is that... most of the stuff that happens in a movie happens in front of you.

I still highly doubt that the problems with Jordan sounding much quieter than everyone else is due to using a cinema.

I was just talking out my ass and guessing. I'll take what you said as fact, since you seem to definitely know what you are talking about.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TheAtliator on October 03, 2013, 05:50:54 PM
Couldn't it just be the type of speakers and the acoustics in a general cinema room? Because when I play the new DT album on the system in my living room, the vocals are really quiet, but when I play it with headphones or in my room, they're louder.

Is it possible the keyboards on LALP are mixed in such a way that certain stereo or surround sound systems might make them sound drowned out?
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: slycordinator on October 03, 2013, 07:00:29 PM
I think it's tons more likely that he's low in the mix itself. Every reference I've seen here to Jordan is him being low in the mix. Haven't seen any that indicate he sounded fine. So if it's only "certain" theaters, it would seem it's actually damn near every one of them.

And I know I saw it in a theater that's known for being quite good... and he seemed low in the mix more than he wasn't.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Dream Team on October 04, 2013, 07:29:56 AM
I think JR and JM need to be more vocal with JP about getting screwed in the mixes of studio recordings AND live albums. Enough is enough.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Jinx on October 05, 2013, 03:22:21 AM
If I've waited a year and a bit for a crappy mix then I will be a sad panda  :sadpanda:
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Sycsa on October 05, 2013, 04:50:40 AM
I think JR and JM need to be more vocal with JP about getting screwed in the mixes of studio recordings AND live albums. Enough is enough.
JM, fine (like 90% of bassists in metal, although he improved a lot on DT12), but I don't ever recall JR being screwed in the mix on a DT studio album. That said, I really don't think it's healthy that a member is doing the mix, biases could come up even unconsciously.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: obelix5150 on November 11, 2013, 07:41:26 AM
New member here! Just wanted to briefly chime in with my thoughts, having received the DVD last night.

I didn't find Jordan to be as buried as some of you guys indicated.. but this was on good stereo headphones, where I could clearly hear Jordan panned towards the left channel. JP was certainly a bit too loud, with his very middy sound occupying the majority of the sonic space. Overall I would've appreciated more crowd noise in the mix, and a generally less clinical approach to the mix, but it definitely worked just fine. Mangini's drums sound tight as hell. I just wish JM was louder! LaBrie pitch-wise is on point, but his voice does have more of that rasp and snarl that I personally find a bit irritating. Didn't hurt my enjoyment of the concert though.

The video side of things I found excellent. I really appreciated some of the other camera shots, like the overhead views of Jordan and MM. Generally it looks very hi-def and professional, and the camera perfectly cuts to every member when he's doing something cool (except JM's brief bass break in On The Backs of Angels lol).

The performances overall were stellar. Bridges in the Sky was a terrific opener. 6:00 was cool but LaBrie was struggling a bit on that one. Their performance of Dark Eternal Night was the best I've ever heard from them. I won't walk through all the songs, but I remember specific highlights being Bridges, Dark Eternal, the drum solo, the acoustic set, Outcry, the piano solo, Surrounded, and Breaking All Illusions.

Also, is anybody going to be at the Cleveland (Solon) theater showing tonight? Sincerely hope I'm not the only one in the theater lol!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on November 11, 2013, 07:46:51 AM
Welcome to the forum! I haven't got the DVD yet, but from the Youtube clips they released (which I assume are taken from the stereo track), I agree with you on the mix. I can hear JR just fine on my headphones.

And I actually thought they were already done with the theater screenings.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Prog Snob on November 11, 2013, 07:49:14 AM
Welcome to the forum! I haven't got the DVD yet, but from the Youtube clips they released (which I assume are taken from the stereo track), I agree with you on the mix. I can hear JR just fine on my headphones.

And I actually thought they were already done with the theater screenings.

There is one, tonight, not too far from me.  I was seriously considering going again.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TAC on November 11, 2013, 07:56:04 AM
Welcome to the forum!

I just got the DVD yesterday and watched it a couple of times. I also thought Jordan was a little low in the mix and JP was high. Seemed MM's toms were hard to hear as well.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on November 11, 2013, 07:56:15 AM
Welcome to the forum! I haven't got the DVD yet, but from the Youtube clips they released (which I assume are taken from the stereo track), I agree with you on the mix. I can hear JR just fine on my headphones.

And I actually thought they were already done with the theater screenings.

There is one, tonight, not too far from me.  I was seriously considering going again.

Looks like several places are screening it tonight. The more you know!
Hopefully they get a better turnout than the first round of screenings, although they might get even less now that you can just buy it. Australia only got the 2 September screenings, so no other chances for me.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: obelix5150 on November 11, 2013, 09:15:13 AM
Thanks for the welcome! It's entirely possible that the 5.1 mix doesn't do JR as much justice as the stereo mix, I haven't had a chance to check that out yet. Honestly tonight is a terrible night for me to attend the screening (50 minute drive to and from the theater, and I have a paper due tomorrow morning) but I'm doing it out of commitment to my favorite band lol!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: The Stray Seed on November 11, 2013, 09:32:05 AM
6:00 was cool but LaBrie was struggling a bit on that one.

Struggling?? You gotta be kidding! He even did additional screams! He nailed it! =D Btw, welcome man!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: obelix5150 on November 11, 2013, 09:42:05 AM
6:00 was cool but LaBrie was struggling a bit on that one.

Struggling?? You gotta be kidding! He even did additional screams! He nailed it! =D Btw, welcome man!

Haha, yes, he did do additional screams. But it didn't sound as fluid as it did on the record - which is to be expected. Don't get me wrong, LaBrie was way way way better than I expected him to be throughout this DVD... and thanks!

By the way did anyone notice even more weird breathy noise on the vocals during quiet sections? LaBrie always has a more breathy tone when he does quiet emotional stuff but I found it to be so prominent that it was a bit distracting..
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: KevShmev on November 11, 2013, 09:44:46 AM
To touch on the keyboards being low in the mix again, to me, the most glaring example of this is the main theme in Breaking All Illusions, the one that kicks in around :50.  The keyboard melody, which is basically the same as the eventual chorus, is barely audible, and the guitar being so overpowering there takes away from the majestic feel of that theme. 
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bosk1 on November 11, 2013, 10:20:47 AM

Now the other thing is that it kind of worries me if the keys were loud enough on 6:00, but not quite enough on the others, because that means it might be that way in the final mix, even without the theater sound. If in the theaters they were low in 6:00 too, that would more imply it was entirely just the theater's sound that made it that way since the youtube video sounds perfect.
Couldn't it just be the type of speakers and the acoustics in a general cinema room? Because when I play the new DT album on the system in my living room, the vocals are really quiet, but when I play it with headphones or in my room, they're louder.

Is it possible the keyboards on LALP are mixed in such a way that certain stereo or surround sound systems might make them sound drowned out?

Let me offer my two cents.  After seeing and listening to the whole thing, yes, I agree that the keys are buried in some places.  And it is a bit odd because they are much higher in other places.  It's hard to say exactly why that happened the way it did, and even if we talked to everyone involved in the process, I'm not so sure it would be an easy answer.  If you listen to a bunch of live releases, there are a lot with terrific mixes, a lot with bad mixes, and a lot with in-between mixes.  And there is a lot of disagreement between peole even over which category any given release fits into.  Bottom line is, I think:  There are a LOT of factors present in a live release that are not as present in something recorded in studio, and it is a LOT harder to get a perfect sounding mix on a live release (unless you go back into the studio and do a LOT of re-recording, which a lot of live releases in the '80s and '90s did). 

That said, there are a couple of factors I am going to guess came into play here on the keyboard issue:
1.  Jordan himself constantly tweaks his own volume level during a show.  He mentioned it in a commentary or documentary (I forget which one now), and you can see him doing it constantly.  So if there are times when the keyboards are quiet, at least some of those times are because Jordan himself has killed his own volume.
2.  Whatever the levels were, JP may have been intentionally trying to preserve a lot of the natural less-than-perfect sound and feel of the actual live show, and may have gone with less than ideal mixes in places because he felt it was a more natural representation of the performance rather than opting to try to make it sound more perfect.  That's an artistic decision that, whether I agree with it or not, I can certainly respect.

Again, there are no doubt a lot of other factors that come into play was well.  But those are a couple that crossed my mind that people may not be considering.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bosk1 on November 11, 2013, 10:33:58 AM
A few responses to comments about individual songs:

- The Dark Eternal Night: This was great, easily the best live recording of the song. The instrumental part was especially well executed.

SO much fun!  I loved this song on LALP.  Even though they have to make so many changes to the song in a live setting because the song is SO heavy on effects in the studio, it still tranlates really well to a live setting.

- This is the Life: I think this song didn't work great in the live setting, JLB was amazing on this one though.

Actually, I thought the entire band was amazing on this song. 

- The Root of all Evil: Good, but I think it was more energetic on Score.

It definitely had a different feel on Score, probably at least in part because it was the show opener, so it would definitely have a different vibe when places in the middle of the set.  But I think it was plenty energetic.  And I loved the alternate ending.

Quote from: kemalure link=topic=39097.msg1688954#msg1688954 date=1380731985- Surrounded: This is my least favorite track from I&W so I don't want to comment on it.
[/quote

Yeah, it's my second least favorite track on I&W.  If it was up to me, I would never want to see it included in a set list.  That being said, I was blown away by the performance on LALP.  It has caused me to completely reevalute how I feel about the song after all these years.  Terrific performance.  The band was SO into it that I found myself involuntarily smiling throughout the entire thing.  The interaction between James and JP was really fun.  The only slight knock I have is:  James note choice on the vamping in the second chorus on the line "His shadow slowly fading from the wall" is a terrific moment in the song, and I didn't like his alternative note choice as much on LALP.  But that's a small nitpick.  If it wasn't for the fact that it is probably my favorite moment in the original version of the song, I probably wouldn't have even given it a second thought.

All in all, it's really hard for me to pick out a single sond that I didn't like on this release.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Ytsejammin on November 11, 2013, 10:43:39 AM
After having sat through it a couple of times , in stereo and 5.1 , I'm disappointed that JR is so under-mixed. Was this a Richard Chyki thing? A mastering thing? Other than that I'm really enjoying it.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bosk1 on November 11, 2013, 10:46:07 AM
The stereo mix is better than the 5.1.  But as far as Jordan specifically, see my post above where I just discussed pretty much the same thing you are asking:  https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=39097.msg1712290#msg1712290
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: TAC on November 11, 2013, 11:09:17 AM
I thought TDEN was incredible live. One of the highlights of the show. I've always been slightly surprised JP put it in the set on this tour. Not sure why. Oddly, I listened to the LALP version last night, then went right to the CiM version, and it was equally as strong.

James didn't go to "the WALL" the entire tour, from what I can tell, but he hit just about everything else in the song. He was great on the summer leg and it shows on this release. James has the ability to dial it in when he has to.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: slycordinator on November 11, 2013, 11:45:20 AM
Also, on the mix WRT Jordan, it's entirely possible that they continued tweaking with the mix after the initial movie screenings before putting it on blu-ray/dvd/cd. It's pretty common. Heck, it used to be common for a movie to be released and then get changed while it was released, like George Lucas considers the mono mix of Star Wars to be the "official" one over the earlier 6-track and stereo mixes; they'd been tweaking things the whole time with each subsequent type of print on the initial release.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Ravenfoul on November 11, 2013, 12:51:14 PM
A few responses to comments about individual songs:

- The Dark Eternal Night: This was great, easily the best live recording of the song. The instrumental part was especially well executed.

SO much fun!  I loved this song on LALP.  Even though they have to make so many changes to the song in a live setting because the song is SO heavy on effects in the studio, it still tranlates really well to a live setting.

- This is the Life: I think this song didn't work great in the live setting, JLB was amazing on this one though.

Actually, I thought the entire band was amazing on this song. 

I actually don't like This is the Life, on the studio album, but the LALP version was really good.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on November 11, 2013, 07:16:45 PM
2.  Whatever the levels were, JP may have been intentionally trying to preserve a lot of the natural less-than-perfect sound and feel of the actual live show, and may have gone with less than ideal mixes in places because he felt it was a more natural representation of the performance rather than opting to try to make it sound more perfect.  That's an artistic decision that, whether I agree with it or not, I can certainly respect.

First I'd like to disclaimer by stating that from what I've heard so far, I have absolutely no problems with the keyboard mix on my audio equipment when others did, and don't expect I will once I get the DVD either, but to suggest that it may have been intentionally mixed roughly to somehow sound more live is a huge cop-out justification imo, and being intentional does not change the end result.

I think it comes down to audio equipment. What sounds good on one setup may not sound the same on a different setup. I suspect that with a more bassy setup, the guitars may overwhelm the rest of the mix more, but on my studio monitor headphones, everything sits in the mix right about where I'd expect them to.


edit: My copy literally just arrived while I was typing this post, so now I can listen to it properly! :lol :metal
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: King Postwhore on November 11, 2013, 08:04:18 PM
bosk1 has power we can't even understand blob.  Watch yourself. :lol
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on November 11, 2013, 08:25:41 PM
bosk1 has power we can't even understand blob.  Watch yourself. :lol

Are you suggesting that bosk1 graciously gave me my copy of LALP at just the right moment? THANKS BOSKY!

Still watching it, and enjoying it! I've noticed some of the little criticisms others have mentioned, but luckily still have absolutely zero problems with the keyboard mix. It's perfect at least 95% of the time.
That breathy vocal distortion hasn't popped up much, but when it does, it's annoying. Pretty minor problem in the grand scheme though. JLB is sounding fantastic.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: bosk1 on November 11, 2013, 09:00:57 PM
...but to suggest that it may have been intentionally mixed roughly to somehow sound more live is a huge cop-out justification imo, and being intentional does not change the end result.

???  How is it a cop-out if they were going for a certain result and managed to achieve exactly what they were going for?  I don't follow you.

And, again, I'm not saying they necessarily were going for a particular result.  But it is possible.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: BlobVanDam on November 11, 2013, 09:38:07 PM
...but to suggest that it may have been intentionally mixed roughly to somehow sound more live is a huge cop-out justification imo, and being intentional does not change the end result.

???  How is it a cop-out if they were going for a certain result and managed to achieve exactly what they were going for?  I don't follow you.


Because there's no evidence that is what they were going for, so it's coming up with an excuse.

But before you jump on me for that bosky, let me very clearly state that it's a total moot point to me, because there is NOTHING WRONG WITH THE MIX. It sounds great! I just finished watching it, and I don't know where people are coming from with this at all. Whatever result they were going for, they achieved it. It sounds live, without sounding rough or too raw.

Review dump time-

I just got the basic DVD copy, but the booklet is really nice (um especially the second page of credits :blob: )
The DVD is rated G here in Oz, so I guess they didn't notice SHIT in The Test That Stumped Them All. Oops! :metal

BITS - Better than the studio version, JLB sounded great, the iPad sounds were a little louder than the studio version, which was nice for the atmopshere.
There was only one section with the intro organ where the keys felt a little low, but otherwise the mix was perfect. So energy, so powah! I know which version I'll be listening to in future.

6:00 - The mix was perfect here, and everyone sounded great. JLB nailed it too. Perfect performance!

TDEN - Again, I could hear JR perfectly, although he was overall a little softer than on the album for some of the really cool instrumental stuff, but I could still hear him clearly. This version didn't have as much kick as the studio version, although the bass and drums are absolutely cranked on the studio version, so that's to be expected. The BG verse vocals are definitely JLB. A great performance, although not as good as the studio version for me. JP's lip syncing was terrible. I'm glad to have a good quality live recording of this though, and I'm glad they included something off SC at least.

TITL - I skipped it for now, but I'll watch it later, as I really like that song.

TROAE - JP looked silly lip syncing to what were obviously JLB's high harmonies. JP couldn't have sung that. :lol
I didn't like the live ending as much as the studio version, but otherwise another great live rendition. The Score version was a bit better, with MP's playing style and live tempo giving it more energy than here. But the little instrumental break before the keyboard solo sounded better here than any other version, I think, and I'm glad they're playing songs from the 12SS. TGP next tour plz.

LNF - I skipped it for now being a longer song, but I'll watch it later, as that's one of my favourites from ADTOE. I'm expecting it will surpass the studio version though.

Drum Solo - Nope, I don't do drum solos. :lol

AFIL - Always been one of my favourites from WDADU, although the weakness of the vocal melodies/phrasing really showed here live. Overall I liked it though. With the good mix, that whole intro sounded really cool. :tup

TSM - Oh here's that breathy vocal distortion everyone's been mentioning. It's easily noticeable, but it's not so bad once it gets into it. Definitely sounds like a recording issue that couldn't be fixed to me, so I can live with that.
I loved actually hearing JP's voice here, and it was overall an excellent rendition. The strings were a nice addition too. One of my favourite moments of the DVD so far, and a great moment from the tour captured.

BTS - I only skimmed this, as I'm not a fan of this song, but it seemed like another great performance. From what I heard, JLB sounds better than on the album. I'll actually listen to this later, because I'll probably enjoy this version a lot more.

Outcry - Don't like the song at all, so I skipped it.

Surrounded - Perfect! I liked the free tempo intro/outro with JLB and JR, and JLB did an amazing job. That was easily a Score level vocal performance, maybe better, and I'm pretty sure there's no autotune on this. That's all JLB, baby! :metal

OTBOA - I'd already heard this one a few times from the Youtube stream, so I skipped it, but this is definitely the best recorded version of the song, and the one I'll listen to in future.

WIMH - Again it looked silly seeing JP lip snycing to obviously JLB's vocals (or maybe it was JLB mixed with JP vocals? I'll have to listen closer, but JLB is definitely in there). Aside from that, a good performance, although it felt absolutely redundant after having it already on both Score and Budokan. Waste of set time imo.

TTTSTA - Again, not really a necessary or noteworthy inclusion. It was interesting to hear the JLB backups though.

TSCO - The first moment where I actually noticed the lack of crowd, because I could see them ALL singing along. THE CRYING GIRL! Overall another great rendition, although not as good as the Score or LSFNY versions. JLB's performance is about equal to Score, maybe slightly better in areas, and it doesn't surprise me that they included it given that it's a live staple. I loved JLB's extra vocals at the end.
I hate to say it, but MM was not as good on this song as MP imo though. This is one of the few spots where I felt MM didn't have the feels. Coming out of the guitar solo, I was expecting the hard hitting hi-hat, the snare fill, then for the song to ramp up to 11, but it fell a bit flat with MM imo. A bit too clinical for this style of song. But I still enjoyed the song a lot, and it doesn't hurt to have documented the song with the new line-up.

BAI - I skipped this one too, as I'm not a big fan of the song.

Metropolis - JLB sounded better here than on Score, and this was another great performance. Nice to see the wizard hat make an appearance to add a bit of fun. Hello, Myung, so glad to see you my friend, it's been a while!
I loved the jazzy improv section. That section of Metropolis has had a lot of cool variations over the years, and this was no exception.
An excellent inclusion, although the video overlay was really weird at the start. I just saw "DRUGS" over the screen, and it gave me a good laugh. :lol

And now to rate the band-

JLB - Sounded great, and all of the ADTOE songs sounded much better vocally here, probably because he was more comfortable with the music. He sounded very live, and powerful. Better than Score? In many ways, definitely. Maybe in every way. He sounded in top form.

JP - His tone was very throaty, but I didn't find it too loud. Playing wise, JP is always on.

JM - I could hear him, but I don't have much to say here. JM always plays solid, but I couldn't see a lot of him.

JR - I could hear him just fine, and he was even louder than the album in spots, with only a few points where he was lower. He was shown a lot too, so I was happy with that.

MM - Very entertaining to watch, and he was shown a lot, which made the video very enjoyable. The overhead toms were a bit too low, otherwise it was a good mix. I notice he is a light hitter though, and that affected the sound a bit for me at times. He didn't have a powerful bass/snare sound, and it sounded a bit weak sometimes. From watching, it felt like MM playing at 100% intensity is like MP playing at about 50% intensity. MP is a hard hitter though, and there were only a few songs where I felt this came into play. Overall it was a great showcase of MM's talents.


Overall, a very good live DVD, and well worth it. I was only listening on basic Logitech PC speakers for now because I wanted to crank it, but I had no major problems with the mix. I could hear the keyboards throughout, and there were only a few isolated sections where it felt a bit too low. I don't know what the complaints are about there, tbh. :dunno:
The only time I had an issue with the crowd volume was TSCO where what I was hearing wasn't matching what I was seeing, but overall I prefer a softer crowd, so I actually prefer this. Perhaps it didn't capture the vibe of the crowd, but it doesn't detract at all to me.

I barely noticed JM in the mix, or in the video. I definitely would have liked to see a lot more of him. I was taken aback when I saw him do the Metropolis bass solo, because you don't see him much.

The video quality was very good. A lot of good overhead shots, and it showed a lot of MM's crazy playing. My only criticism (which is admittedly biased), is that it didn't show a lot of shots of the overall stage, including the screens. As I said, this is biased though, as I was hoping to see more of my work, but I thought Budokan did a perfect job of this. Fairly minor nitpick.


For video quality, I'd put this second, behind Budokan. Much better video and vibe than Score, and obviously better video than the rest. Budokan had a smooth, cinematic look, whereas this has a more live feel, so there's a bit of personal preference in there too, but Budokan looked a million bucks, and is still the benchmark.

For audio mix, I'd also put this second behind Budokan. Score was a little trebley and overcompressed, and JLB sounds much warmer on LALP.

Setlist was overall pretty good, although my lower ranking of ADTOE is a factor here. Same with Budokan if you weren't into ToT.

For band performance, everyone was on, and I'd probably actually rank it as their best in that regard.

I haven't checked out the bonus songs yet, but I'll be doing that right now. :tup


I'd probably give the show a 8.5 - 9 / 10. Not perfect, but damn amazing!
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: obelix5150 on November 12, 2013, 12:11:24 AM
You skipped This is the Life, Lost Not Forgotten, the drum solo, Beneath The Surface, Outcry, and Breaking all Illusions? Some of those tracks were my favorites on the DVD! the drum solo is awe inspiring, even if you're not into drum solos you should still check it out. MM does it very very musically while still being an absolute technical and musical powerhouse.
Title: Re: (SPOILERS) DT Live in Luna Park review
Post by: Cyclopssss on November 18, 2013, 06:16:48 AM
After two entire runthroughs I must say I think it's a stellar dvd! Great performances, fantastic picture and sound quality. I loved the documentary as well. Made me want to rewatch the drummer auditions again as well.