Dream Theater’s Latest Live Recording Is Meant For Its Most Devoted Fans

By: Philip Sayblack

​Late last month, Dream Theater released its latest live recording, Quarantieme: Live in Paris through its current label home, InsideOut Music.  The band’s now 10th live recording, it is another presentation that is for the most part a positive new offering from the legendary prog-metal outfit.  It is not a perfect presentation, considering the price points for each of its different platforms.  Keeping that in mind, the most devoted Dream Theater fans will likely overlook that one glaring negative) and still find themselves adding this set to their Dream Theater collections.
Quarantieme: Live in Paris, the latest live recording from Dream Theater, is an interesting new offering from the veteran prog-metal outfit.  The key item for this latest live presentation from the band is without question the set list and the band’s performance thereof.  Spanning a total of 19 songs, the set list is not exactly career-spanning, nor does it, interestingly, do a whole lot to promote the band’s latest album, Parasomnia, which was released early this year.  The tour that produced this recording, ironically, took place after that album’s release, too. pulls primarily from the band’s 1999 Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, with four of the set’s songs pulled from that album.  The band’s 1992 album, Images & Words and its 2003 album, Train of Thought get the next most nods, with three songs each.  Meanwhile, Parasomnia only gets one nod.  It comes in the form of ‘Night Terror.’  There are also songs from Awake (1994) and Falling into Infinity (1997) but they also total one each.  So again, the set list featured in this collection leaves something to be desired in comparison to those of the set lists if the band’s other live recordings.  Those set lists offered much more of a wide range of songs and albums.
While the set list is limited in its reach (and in turn appeal) the band’s performance thereof makes up for that shortcoming at least to a point.  The band, including the returned Mike Portnoy on drums, is as powerful as ever throughout its performance.  Front man James Labrie’s vocals are as strong as they have ever been.  Audiences will also note the control that he exhibits, not always going for those really high notes.  That control makes his performance all the more engaging and entertaining while guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung pair to bring so much depth and body to each song.  What is really interesting in the performance is the subdued opening performance of ‘Hollow Years,’ the lone song from the band’s 1997 album, Falling into Infinity.  Petrucci’s performance alongside keyboardist Jordan Rudess here is incredibly moving to say the least.  There are moments that he channels Eddie Van Halen here while at others he maintains his own presence.  Meanwhile, Rudess’ subdued work is the perfect compliment to Petrucci’s own guitar work.  As the song progresses, the whole creates the same emotion and depth live as it does on record.
That noted performances and so many other throughout the course of the concert make for plenty of engagement and entertainment.  The band proves with its relatively minimalist stage setup (which is composed of a trio of video screens behind the band) and the band in front, that it still has what it takes to entertain audiences just with its talents.
Now, knowing how much the band’s performance does to make this concert worth watching, it is perhaps the one main saving grace for the presentation.  That is because the average price point for the recording on each of its presentations is somewhat restrictive.  The 3CD/2Blu-ray set, which is listed through Walmart and Books-A-Million averages at $40 while the 3Blu-ray/2CD box set averages at approximately $82.  It is listed through Amazon, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Walmart, and Books-A-Million.  The vinyl presentation, also listed through Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble Booksellers, averages $74.  Target did not list any of the recording’s platforms.  Looking back at this, the only difference between the audiovisual presentations is that one set has three CDs and two Blu-ray discs.  The other has three Blu-ray discs and two CDs.  So, it is basically a flip-flop.  Maybe those restrictive prices are due to inflation, but at the noted prices, that noted limited set list makes for plenty of reason to be concerned.  This even with the band’s outstanding performance there.  Keeping all of this in mind, that pricing is certain to impact the recording’s sales, likely limiting it to the most devoted Dream Theater fans.
For those most devoted audiences, said fans will be pleased to know that there is at least one more positive to note, that being the production values in this recording.  Once again audiences get the best seat in the house, with the edits, effects, sound balance and every other aspect perfectly immersing audiences in the concert.  Audiences get plenty of views on stage and from the vantage point of the audience.  There are even plenty of crane shots that drive home the packed house, showing the dedication of fans even overseas.  To that end, the work that was put in on this concert recording on site and during post-production paid off quite well.  It gives viewers at home quite the positive concert experience, especially those who have surround sound audio.  Keeping this in mind, that production and the band’s performance throughout are the real shining points of Dream Theater’s latest live recording.  They make the recording maybe not Dream Theater’s best live recording but still a concert worth experiencing among Dream Theater fans.
Quarantieme: Live in Paris, the newly released latest live recording from Dream Theater, is an interesting new offering from the band.  The main positive herein is the band’s performance.  From the beginning of the concert, which comes in at just under three hours, to its final note, the band’s performance ensures audiences’ maintained engagement and entertainment, making that run time pass in the best way possible.  The production that went into the recording’s presentation here builds on that appeal, making for even more for audiences to like.  On the negative side, audiences cannot ignore the recording’s limited set list.  The tour that included this performance was meant to be in support of the band’s latest album, Parasomnia but the concert featured only one song from that album.  Rather it focused on a very limited other set of records from the band’s expansive catalog.  That limitation, coupled with the collection’s somewhat restrictive pricing for each of its platforms, detracts notably from the recording.  All things considered, Quarantieme: Live in Paris proves to be a presentation that Dream Theater’s most devoted audiences will appreciate. 
Quarantieme: Live in Paris is available now through InsideOut Music.  More information on the recording is available along with all of Dream Theater’s latest news at:
Website: https://dreamtheater.net
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