I'll stick to reviewing the DVD mainly, as the CD is essentially the same, with the stage banter removed.

The first thing that strikes you is the choice of venue: Radio City Music Hall, New York. It's not a small venue by any stretch, yet Dream Theater has packed the place out. Right as the intro tape rolls, the feverish crowd immediately set the venue alight. The band waste little time in appeasing them, launching straight into "The Root of All Evil", track one from Octavarium.

One thing that I've always found to be a low point in DT live opus is James LaBrie's performances. His voice hasn't really been the strong point of the band, nor his stage presence. All of this gets put into a 180 here, LaBrie lays it all on the table showing that his recently healed vocal chords are back at full strength.

The band continue through the first part of the set without relent or apparent strain, as is the standard for them now, playing songs that represent an era in Dream Theater history, from earliest to latest. During this part, they treat us all to two previously unreleased tracks, "Another Won" and "Raise the Knife". The former is an old song that they cut during their early days, when they were known as Majesty. It doesn't quite hold form to the rest of the set, however, as a microcosm into how the band first started, it's a great point of reference for their progression into the Dream Theater we know today. The latter is, as LaBrie explains, a dust-off from the archives and was written at the time of their 1996 album, Falling Into Infinity. If this song had have been included on that album's track list, it would've enriched it tenfold; the melody is as soaring as anything they've written and it's lyrical content comes through like a beacon.

The surprises continue as the second set rolls in, as the Octavarium Orchestra fires up and play an interesting rendition of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence opener, "Overture". The orchestra continue to play along, as the band launch into the entire 45-minute song, never missing a beat. It's a real treat for fans of that album, as it's the first time it's been played in its entirety ever. Even as the song ends, the momentum doesn't stop, as we're treated to another first-timer for a live show, with Train of Thought's "Vacant".

Two more songs from Octavarium follow as we enter the third set. It's here that we're treated to a Continuum solo from The Wizard Jordan Rudess, which leads into the 25 minute epic, "Octavarium". The song is a wonder on record, live the energy is raised. LaBrie's impressive form truly shines on this song. The band then closes the set with "Metropolis", which is met with a rabid reception. By the time you shake out the cobwebs of the wonder you've just seen, you realise that over three hours have gone past, and you haven't even looked at Disc 2 yet.

Disc 2 offers a definitive documentary on the band's origins. The first times, the good times, the hard times, the present times are all included here, with interviews from former members Derek Sherinian and Charlie Dominici. Unfortunately, not a peep from Kevin Moore, Dream Theater's original keyboardist, however, this is the only set back in an otherwise informative and entertaining documentary. Want to see some early gigs and a brisk tour through Berkeley College's rehearsal rooms? Look no further. There are also some bonus clips of the band performing "Another Day", "The Great Debate" and "Honor Thy Father" in varying eras of the band.

Overall, both discs are jam-packed with awesome gems and fantastic performances. It truly is a must for any Dream Theater fan. The only downpoint I can really pick is the lack of commentary for the performance or multi-angle options, which was a bonus for Live at Budokan. When placed in comparison with what you do get however, these are simply shrugged off.

Disc 1 – 9.5
Disc 2 – 9.0