DREAM THEATER RELEASES TRAILER FOR NEW DVD, BLU-RAY, CD

[Zydar]

Then it wouldn't be live at Budokan

[BlobVanDam]

It was not a really bad night, but it wasn't one of the vocals highlight from that tour either. My complaint is that they chose the wrong show for the recording. Had they shot NY or one of the last EU shows nobody would have had anything to say about James's vocals!

A bit of luck of the draw, since they don't know in advance whether JLB is going to have an on/off night (although the scheduling of shows didn't help in that particular case).

I don't even think Score was one of JLB's best shows from the tour either, although JLB managed a damn high standard that tour, and pulled a nonetheless excellent performance despite it being after a long tour, and recovering from a cold (iirc?).

[TAC]

Yup, and Budokan had its good moments, like Trial Of Tears.

Actually, I think all of the FII stuff on Budokan sounds excellent vocally. Budokan really got me into that album.

Budokan's vocals aren't bad at all overall. The only outright poor vocals imo are the last two songs, PMU and ITNOG. JLB is sounding really tired and flat by that point, which is understandable after a long show. He also has some flat moments on the other TOT material, but aside from that, I quite enjoy his vocals on it. Overall I think he sounds better on this than LSFNY.

I rarely listen to PMU, but the vocals on ITNOG are what actually gives me respect to James. yeah, he sounds tired, but he's giving it what he's got. I don't even think he sounds bad on ITNOG, but you can tell he's reaching, which is OK by me.
I said at the time, that no band puts their singer through what DT does. James was on fire on that tour, and the 8V tour as well.

[wasteland]

I was surprised to see that the Score show came right after a streak of less than phenomenal performances from James. His best from that tour was quite early-on, at the end of the Europeal Fall leg.

But yes, the Budokan scheduling was not really the best thing ever: after three weeks away from the stages (3rd-21st April) they performed three shows in a row in Nagoya and Osaka, the latter featuring the entire Number Of The Beast and A Change Of Seasons. The following day was reharsal time for the DVD shooting, which took place the 26th. An infernal pacing, I would say, that may have taken its toll on James's eventual performance.

[BlobVanDam]

Yup, and Budokan had its good moments, like Trial Of Tears.

Actually, I think all of the FII stuff on Budokan sounds excellent vocally. Budokan really got me into that album.

Budokan's vocals aren't bad at all overall. The only outright poor vocals imo are the last two songs, PMU and ITNOG. JLB is sounding really tired and flat by that point, which is understandable after a long show. He also has some flat moments on the other TOT material, but aside from that, I quite enjoy his vocals on it. Overall I think he sounds better on this than LSFNY.

I rarely listen to PMU, but the vocals on ITNOG are what actually gives me respect to James. yeah, he sounds tired, but he's giving it what he's got. I don't even think he sounds bad on ITNOG, but you can tell he's reaching, which is OK by me.
I said at the time, that no band puts their singer through what DT does. James was on fire on that tour, and the 8V tour as well.

He always gives 100%, even if his voice isn't allowing 100%, gotta give him credit for that. I don't think he sounds that bad on ITNOG either, as I can still listen to it just fine, but the higher parts like the chorus are showing the signs of wear after a long show.

[TAC]

Yeah Blob, we're in agreement. I think it gives the track immense character, especially when you can "see" James' effort on the DVD.

[TheAtliator]

yes very true on the effort all the time. I don't think anyone understands how hard songs in that range the ENTIRE time are. Like Forsaken or ITNOG, it's just INSANE. Right there in the high middle range before it gets above treble C

[Mladen]

It's strange how I actually had a hard time with LaBrie's voice back when I first got into Dream Theater. I became a fan, yet somehow I still wasn't completely sure about him. Then I saw the band live, and I was sold, the guy certainly gave us everything he got. Same with the next two shows I attended.

[wasteland]

It's strange how I actually had a hard time with LaBrie's voice back when I first got into Dream Theater. I became a fan, yet somehow I still wasn't completely sure about him. Then I saw the band live, and I was sold, the guy certainly gave us everything he got. Same with the next two shows I attended.

When was your first show?

[Perpetual Change]

I was thinking that James' flatness in Budokan is really just a result of his lost power, rather than lost range.

If you listen to the older recordings from the Images tour, James would sometimes enter some notes slightly flat, and then he'd just power through them and it'd still sound pretty good. Or James would sing all over the place, sometimes wildly imprecise, but his power would allow him to jump around until he got to places where he could really belt.

James doesn't really have that capability anymore. Most of the time he can still hit all the notes he used to hit, but he doesn't have the same power to push those flat notes he's always hit over the hump, nor does he have the same ability to hurdle around notes via improvisation. So wherever James lands, that's where he stays. This leads to some pretty awkward moments like the chorus of "Blind Faith" on CiM where James is completely flat. Yeah, James '92 might have landed flat on that note too, but he'd also have turned it into an (almost) atonal screech before he was through with it. 

James has never been the most consistent singer, but until the vocal accident, his vocals were so powerful that he could work around all that. Now his voice is actually much more precise and controlled than it used to be, but he just doesn't have the power to make up for those occasional tendencies to sing flat.

[bosk1]

^I don't think that is exactly right, but it's definitely an interesting point that does have quite a bit of truth to it.  What I am trying to say is, when James struggles, or even when he is on but misses some notes here and there, it isn't necessarily linked only (or even primarily) to what you pointed out.  I think it is a definite factor at times, but I think it is just one of many.  James still has power and has the ability to do some of the things you pointed out.  But, yes, his power isn't what it once was.  And the loss of power is more pronounced in head voice and when he is tired and other factors come into play.  Good observation. 

[Perpetual Change]

Yeah, that makes sense to me.

But I will say that James seems to have to commit much more to the notes he sings now. Like in LSFNY, where JLB misses the F# during LtL, realizes it, and still has enough gas in the tank to go somewhere else in the note, eventually power through a slide-up to note.

I don't hear James doing stuff like that anymore. On one of today's performances, he'd probably hit the note, but he wouldn't hold it as long, and would have nowhere to go if it went awry-- he might hit something lower, but there wouldn't power left for something like a SFAM-era screaming slide back up to the note.

Then again, I'm not a singer at all, so I could be getting my terms all mixed up.

[Nihil-Morari]

Oh man, I just remembered how James sounded on that Winter Rose live bootleg.

[GasparXR]

Yeah, that makes sense to me.

But I will say that James seems to have to commit much more to the notes he sings now. Like in LSFNY, where JLB misses the F# during LtL, realizes it, and still has enough gas in the tank to go somewhere else in the note, eventually power through a slide-up to note.

I don't hear James doing stuff like that anymore. On one of today's performances, he'd probably hit the note, but he wouldn't hold it as long, and would have nowhere to go if it went awry-- he might hit something lower, but there wouldn't power left for something like a SFAM-era screaming slide back up to the note.

Then again, I'm not a singer at all, so I could be getting my terms all mixed up.

He actually doesn't hit the F# at all. He knew he was unable to hit it that night, or felt like it wouldn't work, so he stayed lower and hit a C#, which still works well in the situation and sounded really powerful. I talked about this moment in another thread and praised his safety notage.

[wasteland]

Adding to that, not hitting the F# and going for the C# instead was completely routine during the SFAM and the SDOIT tours, as was singing the original wordless melody above the guitar solo. He started hitting the note again in 2003 after a 6 year lapse and most importantly after the vocal restyling. I'm quite positive that without that he would have never reprised it.

[DebraKadabra]

Y'all make him sound like the Six Million Dollar Man.

We can rebuild him.  We have the technology.

[JayOctavarium]

Y'all make him sound like the Six Million Dollar Man.

We can rebuild him.  We have the technology.

Bionic James Labrie

[Kotowboy]

Y'all make him sound like the Six Million Dollar Man.

We can rebuild him.  We have the technology.

Bionic James Labrie

Apocalyptic Bionic Mind LaBrie.

[JayOctavarium]

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN!
ROOOOOOROROROROR

[Labrie1984]

According to Eagle rock Entertainment the end of the world will be announced shortly

[wasteland]

According to Eagle rock Entertainment the end of the world will be announced shortly

Religious sects will be founded and will fight each other over the prophesied release date for the new DVD.

[robwebster]

According to Eagle rock Entertainment the end of the world will be announced shortly

Religious sects will be founded and will fight each other over the prophesied release date for the new DVD.

"It was brought forward from November!"
"No, it was delayed from July!"

Carnage.

[DebraKadabra]

According to Eagle rock Entertainment the end of the world will be announced shortly

Religious sects will be founded and will fight each other over the prophesied release date for the new DVD.

In the name of God.

[MoraWintersoul]

According to Eagle rock Entertainment the end of the world will be announced shortly

Religious sects will be founded and will fight each other over the prophesied release date for the new DVD.

"It was brought forward from November!"
"No, it was delayed from July!"

Carnage.

[dparrott]

I hope part of the delay is a holographic or special texture cover like they do with special edition DVD movies.

[TAC]

I hope part of the delay is a holographic or special texture cover like they do with special edition DVD movies.

What?

[JayOctavarium]

I WANT A UNICYCLING CLOWN ACTION FIGURE

[Jinx]

I'm calling it now: that update to the DT facebook page will come on the 1st June.

[Kotowboy]

Monday 3rd June.

[cyberdrummer]

I'm thinking this Friday, the 31st.

[Orbert]

I predict that it will be shortly.

[King Postwhore]

My prediction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSPNQ82Sq4E

[adastra]

Finnish Metal news/review website https://www.imperiumi.net/ says that Dream Theater - Live at Luna Park  is released today  .
So sad that it is not true .

[cyberdrummer]

Check every shop in Finland, just in case. 

[?]

Finnish Metal news/review website https://www.imperiumi.net/ says that Dream Theater - Live at Luna Park  is released today  .
So sad that it is not true .

Their information is outdated... What's the point of a release date calendar if you don't care to keep it up-to-date?