Zarathustra

It doesn't inspire anything good in me... I don't know.. The review is well done.

I can't tell you more because I didn't buy the CD... Bye.

@johnp1983: Look, I've only seen the SX performance in "Inferno" and I watched it on youtube.com. As for the CD, I'm not sure; it depends on the type of music you like. Take a look at the artists featured... There's also DT with The Glass Prison (not an exceptional version for variety, some inaccuracies from Petrucci) and Panic Attack. In the meantime, if you want to see the SX in action, head over to youtube.com.

Yes, generally speaking, I agree.

Did you hear Inferno at the Gigantour? I've never heard anyone sing like that. Allen is truly amazing.

but this is definitely much more...

No, Donjunio, I don't agree. To me, it's a great album, as is the subsequent one, even though it doesn't have the same impact as this one (let's remember an incredibly experimental and extreme piece like The Murder Mystery). Certainly, it's more pleasant to listen to (I think that's undeniable) and less challenging, more intimate in my view. After all, even the Banana Album had more melodic and catchy cameos, like Femme Fatale, Sunday Morning, and I'll Be Your Mirror... Or not?

@Know-it-all: is it possible? I didn't expect that from you... :-)

Regarding the mastery of the stage and the visual impact that the DT would have, I suggest to those who have said something like this to watch some concerts of the Doors, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, or even current Rolling Stones (at the venerable age of 60 and over) to realize what it means to be "masters of the stage," and to study a Pink Floyd concert to get an idea of what "visual impact" entails. The DT have none of this; they are the most charisma-less group I have ever seen in action. And don’t come and tell me it depends on the music they play, because I have seen people like YES, GENESIS, PFM, RUSH, and lately SX in action and I can assure you they are far more expressive and communicative.

<<A DVD simply outstanding; I believe few bands in the world have such mastery of stage presence, technical skill, and visual impact as they do.>>
Regarding the DVD, I have some criticisms: the artwork is dreadful, the interview on the second DVD ultimately adds nothing to what is already known, and the bonus tracks are subpar, featuring LaBrie likely during some of his worst nights. In the concert, it's quite evident that this is not LaBrie's performance that evening; the voice, clearly re-recorded in the studio—as is their custom for live performances—and overly processed, has been glued to the footage, and in more than one spot (like in "I Walk Beside You") this is CLEARLY visible. You can see that the voice is trying to sing something while the microphone has been down for a while. Moreover, the sound of the voice is evidently synthesized, in the sense of being artificially produced, and anyone who has heard LaBrie live (those who haven't can check out the videos on YouTube or refer to "Live From New York," which shouldn't have been heavily corrected, as there are some mistakes in there..) KNOWS that he doesn't have such a "round" and warm voice in the lower ranges, even though he is undoubtedly a great singer in general (especially after he resumed taking lessons). This is enough to make me very frustrated, if you'll excuse my language, because it feels like a joke: I don't deny that some corrections might be necessary, nor that it's essential to intervene on live recordings to clean up the sound and enhance it, but to arrive at a result like this, I cannot accept it, and I'm kicking myself for having spent the money and for having assessed this live performance differently just after watching it. Only later did I start to notice these things. As for the rest, the setlist is excellent (except for "Raise The Knife," which I find terrible), and the part with the orchestra is sublime. However, the rating is still negative because they need to stop pulling our leg.