Get ready for the ultimate Dream Theater experience as Rhino Home Video offers fans an impressive array of live performances, behind-the-scenes highlights, and memorable music videos all packed into one unforgettable package. This two disc set is the ultimate Dream Theater experience, jam packed with 3 hours of footage.

This DVD ‘Images and Words Live in Tokyo’ was originally released on VHS format in 1993, but this would be the way to go, since it is a double feature DVD release with improved video quality. So far there is not a CD version of ‘Images and Words Live in Tokyo’, so that would be another reason to get this. This DVD contains live material from the August 26, 1993 show at Nakano Sun Plaza in Tokyo, Japan. Also included are the music video clips for the songs Pull Me Under, Take the Time, and Another Day, from Images and Words, as well as interview footage and candid, behind-the-scenes footage. The main part of the DVD is of course the band’s riveting live performance captured in Tokyo, Japan, during their 1993 “Music IN Progress” world tour. On Live in Tokyo, the only songs top line are Wait for Sleep, which is too short to rescue this video; Pull me Under, which is much more enjoyable on the original album (there are some really horrible patented James LaBrie screaming added to this version); and Ytse Jam, which has some added extra-long drum solo that makes it really hard to fully enjoy it. The rest of the songs are average, but nothing too memorable, and some awful LaBrie screams keep on ruining them. Sure enough there are some interesting points on this video, mainly to see Dream Theater play, whatever songs they are playing, is very entertaining, and being such an early DT performance is also cool, specially because it includes Kevin Moore in the Line-Up.

‘5 Years in a LIVEtime’ on the other hand was originally released on VHS in 1998. The video contains a mix of concert footage, promotional video clips, and behind-the-scenes and interview footage from between 1993-1998. There is also footage from the ‘unplugged’ fan club show at Ronnie Scott’s in London, January 1995. There’s also Live and behind the scenes footage from the 1994/1995 ‘Waking up the World’ tour and the 1997/1998 “Touring Into Infinity” world tour. There’s also Dream Theater in the studio during the “Awake” and “Falling Into Infinity” sessions.

As for 5 Years in a Livetime, it's not even one concert, but a collection of songs performed live during the years in which Derek Sherinian was part of the band. The songs here include Lifting Shadows Off A Dream, a favourite, it's a very enjoyable soft song, and it's performed quite nicely. Also, Peruvian skies is pretty good, and it sounds kind of more energetic than the studio version... also, in this case they add some solos from Pink Floyds' Have a Cigar and Metallica's Enter Sandman, which is rather a nice surprise (though wish they had played those songs completely). On the other hand, they also play Metropolis, Learning to Live, and A Change of Seasons (the final part only).

They also have some covers, like Battery from Metallica, Easter from Marillion, Perfect strangers, which starts with a BBC recording (with Bruce Dickinson on vocals) and abruptly changes to a live performance of the group. Strangely enough, the most pleasant surprise for me in this video were a pair of songs that were not officially released: Cover my Eyes and Just Let me Breathe. Both are very soft songs, very enjoyable.

Line-up/Musicians

- John Petrucci / guitars

- Mike Portnoy / drums

- James Labrie / vocals

- John Myung / bass

- Kevin Moore / keyboards (disc one)

- Derek Sherinian / keyboards (disc two)

About this release:

Double DVD, Rhino, 2004.

Remastered in 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound

Total Time: 3 hours 28 minutes

Genre: Rock

Rating: ****

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira