This live performance film from Luna Park, Bueno Aires, captures Dream Theater Mark II as the band tours 2011 album A Dramatic Turn of Events. After having drummer Mike Portnoy leave the band a year earlier, as explained in the documentary bonus feature, Dream Theater was revitalized with the recruitment of Mike Mangini and the subsequent release of A Dramatic Turn of Events. Judging from the album and this concert film, Mangini has assisted to reshape the band’s sound towards progressive metal, which has certainly not hurt the band’s reputation. Mangini in facts takes centrestage quite a bit with his enigmatic style. No slouch in the virtuosity department, Mangini more than keeps up with his illustrious partners viz. guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess. That all said, it does seem at times that singer James LaBrie is unsuited for this change of direction but there’s little doubt that he still makes the material his own. Dream Theater fans will not want to miss this as the band goes from strength to strength.
great band but the reviewer was right James Labrie sounds pretty bad on this DVD! Just saying.
Yes, very good musically, but LaBrie I thought struggled a bit. The older higher register stuff is no longer his forte IMHO. Softer and lower he does well tho. Good concert.
Yeah, I can’t help but feel bad for Labrie at some moments. However, I feel he does a fantastic job with the new material they’ve written, especially in Outcry. I couldn’t imagine the band without him and I still enjoy him to this day.
This is an incredible live performance. I do have one complaint – Rudess needs to be turned up!!! I don’t mind JP’s and JM’s powerful sound by any means, but Jordan must be heard more. Other than that, it’s all fantastic. Everything Dream Theater is better live and more powerful. Long live DT!
Brad Huff, couldn’t agree more with what you’ve said, it would be a different band without LaBrie and I was thinking the same thing about Rudess he’s too quiet. Another thing is that for me Mangini plays too robotically and I’m not too keen on the sound of his kit, but that’s probably because I’m a big MP fan and they definitely miss him on stage, but Mangini is definitely if anything over qualified to be in the band, MP was the front man and that’s what I feel they’re missing, especially through instrumental sections on stage.
In my opinion this is the best LaBrie performance as interaction with the public and music goes, he improvises some parts, he gives them a nice touch, his screaming growls were really great, he had a great attitude.
As far as singing goes, the best for me was in Score DVD, this one (Live At Luna Park) comes at second and that’s how great he was.
Of course some of the old songs are difficult to sing because he used to scream a lot, and i respect him when now he tries to sing them.
LaBrie has always been a top notch singer, some metal guys just happen to think metal is always about heaviness even in vocals and that’s wrong, so they try to bring him down.
LaBrie nailed this whole concert.