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Rating: "Click, clock, click clock..." the voice of the hypnotherapist, the first, poignant notes of "Regression"... it feels like a dream... but it's all real... The live scenes of the "Theater of Dreams" took place on August 30, 2000, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, for those who listened to "Metropolis Pt II", it's almost impossible not to shed tears in front of the so familiar sounds, reproduced in the engaging live atmosphere... it seems like a dream from which we never want to wake up... we are about to rediscover the scared face of Nicholas, the tear-streaked face of Victoria... the ghosts of "The Miracle" and "The Sleeper", the dream is finally reality...
When you hear the first strums of "Regression", you immediately notice that the legendary John Petrucci is more in shape than ever... that James Labrie's voice still makes you dream as always, even if it shows a bit the years... and the first track flows through your body... up to "Overture 1928"... impeccably performed by Dream Theater... it's them... the human metronome drummer Mike Portnoy, who with his double bass drum rhythms will give us the rhythm to dream... now you also hear John Myung, his Yamaha RBX JM2 now has a much clearer sound, while a fretless bass punctuates some songs, Jordan Rudess, the keyboardist perhaps no longer young, but surely highly technical and in my opinion better than the previous Kevin Moore, whom you don't miss even on tracks like "Metropolis I". And here is "Strange Déjà Vu", performed perhaps a bit too heavily, but still a beautiful track... now Jordan Rudess offers us the magnificent interlude "Through My Words" which always makes me sigh... and now it's time for "Fatal Tragedy" whose first part is proposed in deeper tones, contributing to making it dramatic in tone, while the second instrumental part is played without a flaw, and always manages to engage you... now the hypnotherapist returns, and the notes of "Beyond This Life" return, a song perhaps not very catchy, but which surely offers extraordinary vocal performances and arpeggios that move you by two and a half minutes in... divine solos, to enjoy without reservations... atmospheres to taste and let yourself be carried away by... this is pure Progressive Metal! Here's Now "John & Teresa Solo Spot"... where Petrucci does lightning-fast solos, but it's not just technique... it's also soul... everything feels strange when you hear the background gospel choir, which, in my opinion, somewhat dismantled the magical atmosphere of the CD... now, here's the little Petrucci solo, and here comes the dream again: "Through Her Eyes"... impossible not to be moved, before the most beautiful, saddest song that has evoked such strong memories and feelings in me, the sweet rhythm of Mike and John's notes make us thank Dream Theater for giving us such a beautiful song... and here's the wonderful "Home" with its rhythms, its choirs, and the words that so recall the first Metropolis presented in an oriental key... beautiful, it grips your soul, your heart, the technical level is very high, but speaking of technique... "The Dance For Eternity" which is nothing but technique, there's not much soul, but you need such a song to understand who you're listening to... but, at the bass solo moment... you hear few confused notes... here's another flaw in live performances... the bass is almost inaudible... a great pity... now you change the CD... and a solo by Rudess brings to mind "One Last Time" and you feel lost... just like Nicholas, in front of the melody of the song, as in "The Spirit Carries On", you're about to shed a tear before the choir when you feel that the choir... has been transformed into a gospel... I'm disappointed... that song is a bit of a piece of my life, but that choir shattered the atmosphere... but now it's time to dream with "Finally Free", a magnificent song... my favorite... in that song lies everything, Nicholas's secret... and you find yourself moved... you can't stay calm... it's too beautiful, it conveys everything, that song is my life... and now what will there be? You hear shakers... a Rock Organ... it's "Metropolis Pt I"... the genesis, the legend... where for the first time we began to dream with Victoria... it leaves you stunned, played with the 7-string guitar, it loses a bit due to the bass solo at volume 2... and now here are some wonderful songs, but that haven't conveyed much to me... "The Mirror", then "Just Let Me Breathe" "Acid Rain" finally "Caught In A New Millennium" they are nice songs... but when you hear the sweet notes of "Another Day", the song I adore so much for its beauty and liveliness, you tend to forget a bit... finally here is a solo by Jordan Rudess, which feels very much like a touch and go, very classical, surely beautiful, perhaps not very original... and here you change the CD again, and the trilogy of "A Man Beside Itself" surrounds you like light rain... the triumphant "Erotomania", with its staggering technique leaves you breathless... and here is "Voices", a small jewel of the Live, embellished with Petrucci's wrist-breaking solo... it releases you just in time to be carried away by the wonderful "The Silent Man" with its notes that always make you cry a little, with its sweetest guitars... but we are at the end... after the beautiful "Learning To Live",here is "A Change Of Seasons" its 24 minutes of song that span poignant arpeggios and sustained rhythms... and it's over... you're still breathless... you exclaim: "What a pity about that gospel choir and the bass.." but in your heart, you have this new way of listening to Metropolis, those songs, those solos, that made the history of Dream Theater... and now they are part of your soul... "Now The Miracle and The Sleeper know that the third is love"
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Regression (02:46)
'''''Hypnotherapist:'''
"Close your eyes and begin to relax. Take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Concentrate on your breathing. With each breath you become more relaxed. Imagine a brilliant white light above you, focusing on this light as it flows through your body. Allow yourself to drift off as you fall deeper and deeper into a more relaxed state of mind. Now as I count back from ten to one, you will feel more peaceful, and calm. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. You will enter a safe place where nothing can harm you. Five. Four. Three. Two. If at any time you need to come back, all you need to do is open your eyes. One."''
'''Nicholas:'''
[Present]
Safe in the light that surrounds me
Free of the fear and the pain
My subconscious mind
Starts spinning through time
To rejoin the past once again
Nothing seems real
I'm starting to feel
Lost in the haze of a dream
And as I draw near
The scene becomes clear
Like watching my life on a screen
Hello Victoria so glad to see you
My friend.
03 Strange Déjà Vu (05:02)
Subconscious strange sensation
Unconscious relaxation
What a pleasant nightmare
And I can`t wait to get there again
Every time I close my eyes
There`s another vivid surprise
Another whole life waiting
Chapters unfinished, fading
Closer now - Slowly coming into view
I`ve arrived - Blinding sunshine beaming through
There`s a house I`m drawn into
Familiar settings, nothing new
There`s a pathway leading there
With a haunting chill in the air
There`s room at the top of the stairs
Every night I`m drawn up there
There`s a girl in the mirror
Her face is getting clearer
Young child won`t you tell me why I`m here?
In her eyes - I sense a story never told
Behinde the disguise - There`s something tearing
At her soul
[V:]
Tonight I`ve been searching for it
A feeling that`s deep inside m
Tonight I`ve been searching for
The one that nobody knows
Trying to break free
I just can`t help myself
I`m feeling like I`m going out of my head
Tears my heart into two
I`m not the one the sleeper thought he knew
[N:]
Back on my feet again
Eyes open to real world
Metropolis surrounds me
The mirror`s shattered the girl
Why is this other life
Haunting me everyday
I`d break through the other side
If only I`d find the way
Something`s awfully familiar
The feeling`s so hard to shake
Could I have lived in that other world
It`s a link that I`m destined to make
I`m still searching but I don`t know what for
The missing key to unlock my mind`s door
Today I am searching for it
A feeling that won`t go away
Today I am searching for it
The only one I know
Trying to break free
I just can`t help myself
I`m feeling like I`m going out of my head
Tears my soul into two
I`m not the one I thought I always knew
I just can`t help myself
I`m feeling like I`m going out of my head
Uncanny, strange Deja Vu
But I don`t mind - I hope to find the truth
04 Through My Words (01:42)
'''Nicholas:'''
[Present]
All your eyes have ever seen
All you've ever heard
Is etched upon my memory
Is spoken through my words
All that I take with me
Is all you've left behind
We're sharing one eternity
Living in two minds
Linked by an endless thread
Impossible to break
05 Fatal Tragedy (06:21)
'''Nicholas:'''
[Present]
Alone at night
I feel so strange
I need to find
All the answers to my dreams
When I sleep at night
I hear the cries
What does this mean?
I shut the door and traveled to another home
I met an older man, he seemed to be alone
I felt that I could trust him
He talked to me that night;
"Lad did you know a girl was murdered here?"
"This fatal tragedy was talked about for years"
Victoria's gone forever
Only memories remain
She passed away
She was so young
Without love
Without truth
There can be no turning back
Without faith
Without hope
There can be no peace of mind
As the night went on
I started to find my way
I learned about a tragedy
A mystery still today
I tried to get more answers
But he said, "You're on your own."
Then he turned away and left me
As I stand there all alone
He said, "You'll know the truth
As your future days unfold..."
Without love
Without truth
There can be no turning back
Without faith
Without hope
There can be no peace of mind
'''''Hypnotherapist:'''
"Now it is time to see how you died. Remember that death is not the end, but only a transition."''
09 Home (13:21)
'''The Sleeper:'''
[Past]
Shine - lake of fire
Lines take me higher
My mind drips desire
Confined and overtired
Living this charade
Is getting me nowhere
I can't shake this charade
The city's cold blood calls me home...
Home... It's what I long for
Back home... where I belong
The city - it calls to me
Decadent scenes from my memory
Sorrow - eternity
My demons are coming to drown me
Help - I'm falling, I'm crawling
I can't keep away from its clutch
Can't have it, this habit
It's calling me back to my home
'''The Miracle:'''
[Past]
I remember the first time she came to me
Poured her soul out all night and cried...
I remember I was told there's a new love that's born
For each one that has died...
I never thought that I
Could carry on with this life
But I can't resist myself
No matter how hard I try
Living their other life
Is getting them nowhere
I'll make her my wife
Her sweet temptation calls me home...
Home... It's what I long for
My home... where she belongs
Her ecstasy - means so much to me
Even deceiving my own blood
Victoria watches and thoughtfully smiles
She's taking me to my home
Help - he's my brother, but I love her
I can't keep away from her touch
Deception, dishonor
It's calling me back to my home
''[A craps stickman is heard calling out various bets during the gambling and sex sequence.]
...four, four, who wants the hard four?... ...who wants the hard four?... ...shooter had one, four... one, four... one and make it the hard way... ...got the shooter... ...coming out for a new player... take your best shot, gambler... ...who wants to come? better hop in... place your bets... who wants to come?''
'''Nicholas:'''
[Past]
Her story - it holds the key
Unlocking dreams from my memory
Solving this mystery
Is everything that is a part of me
Help - regression, obsession
I can't keep away from it's clutch
Leave no doubt, to find out
It's calling me back to my home
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Other reviews
By MetallAro
Truly extraordinary and singular is the result, I have never personally heard something so highly harmonic and passionate at the same time!!
Surely the best live album ever released by Dream Theater, and now we can finally wake from the dream that captured us for all these 3 CDs!!
