Dream Theater is the most prominent progressive metal band on Earth, and the release of double live DVD sets this fall further establish this cold, hard fact.
The New York-based quintet, born at Boston's Berklee School of Music in 1985 and starting out under the moniker Majesty, has released nine albums over the course of its career, the most recent being Systematic Chaos, which found the band partnering up with Roadrunner Records.
Few bands inspire the type of fanaticism that Dream Theater does. The band—drummer Mike Portnoy, guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, vocalist James LaBrie and keyboardist Jordan Rudess—have a unique relationship with their fans, constantly interacting with them via the web in addition to continuously providing exclusive content to their legion of diehards.
The band will once again satiate fan appetites by releasing Chaos In Motion 2007/2008, which documents their "Chaos In Motion" world tour, which kicked off June 3, 2007 at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Milan, Italy and concluded almost a year to the day later on June 4, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's essentially a travelogue of their most recent touring experience.
Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 isn't just another live rock DVD. In typical Dream Theater form of bucking trends, it's a completist piece that will be available in two configurations: as a double DVD set and as five disc collector's set which includes two DVDs and three CDs, containing 14 live tracks featured in the DVD set as well as expanded artwork.
The Chaos in Motion Tour was a trek that found the band traversing the globe, playing 115 shows in 105 cities in 35 countries on five continents to hundreds of thousands of fans. It also included the first annual Progressive Nation Tour, an idea that the band had kicked around for a few years and finally launched into action this past spring.
Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 is the latest in a series of DVDs from the band and it features performances captured throughout the entirety of the tour, unlike their last three RIAA-certified Platinum DVDs, Metropolis 2000: Live Scenes From New York, Live at Budokan and Score, all of which focused on a single concert event.
Drummer and DVD creative director Mike Portnoy plumed his personal archives for footage in order to provide fans with the ultimate tour souvenir. He assembled over three hours of complete live performances, taking footage from shows in Rotterdam, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Boston, Bangkok and Vancouver. The tracks were mixed and effectively brought to life by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Rush). The second disc is packed with bonus material, including promo videos, live screen projection films, a photo gallery and a 90-minute documentary that'll make you feel like you're riding in the passenger's seat of the band's tour bus, as it takes you on the road and behind the scenes with the band and crew. It's like a virtual backstage pass that grants fans further unprecedented access.
The content and tracklisting for the DVDs are as follows:
Double DVD Set-Disc One:
“Around The World In 180 Minutes” Live Concert Footage
1. Intro/Also Sprach Zarathustra
2. Constant Motion
3. Panic Attack
4. Blind Faith
5. Surrounded
6. The Dark Eternal Night
7. Keyboard Solo
8. Lines In The Sand
9. Scarred
10. Forsaken
11. The Ministry Of Lost Souls
12. Take The Time
13. In The Presence Of Enemies
14. Medley: I. Trial Of Tears II. Finally Free III. Learning To Live IV. In The Name Of God V. Octavarium
Disc Two:
“Behind The Chaos On The Road” Documentary
Promo Videos: Constant Motion, Forsaken, Forsaken (In Studio), The Dark Eternal Night (In Studio)
Live Screen Projection Films: The Dark Eternal Night (N.A.D.S), The Ministry Of Lost Souls, In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 2
“Mike Portnoy Stage Tour” Documentary
Photo Gallery
Deluxe Collector’s Edition 5-Disc Set-
Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 Double DVD Set PLUS:
* 3 CD’s containing the live 14 tracks featured in the DVD set
* Expanded artwork and more
