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List Price: $18.96 | | Label: Atlantic / Wea
Salesrank: 147685
Released: October 27, 1998 |
| Our Price: $10.83 |
| Used Price: $2.98 |
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| Media: Audio CD |
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Editorial Review:
Some find this New York quintet pretentious, but those with a taste for intelligent, dramatic, over-the-top heavy rock appreciate the band's musical finesse and forgive the songs that are less than stellar. What makes Dream Theater a concert attraction is their impressive extended solos and jams. Intros and passages carry over, serving as a splice from one track to the next. Unexpected riffs, such as themes from Star Wars, Close Encounters, and "Flight of the Bumblebee" (a metal staple), surface here and there, as does "Enter Sandman," in the Metallica-esque "Peruvian Skies." Admittedly, Livetime can be exhausting; numerous tracks run between 6 and 14 minutes, and interaction between frontman James LaBrie and the audience is minimal. Still, this 155-minute, two-CD concert release is a worthy testament to Dream Theater's endurance and passion. --Bryan Reesman
Once in a LIVEtime Reviews:
Among, if not the WORST Dream Theater show. 
2008-10-19 - When I first heard this, Marqee was all the live DT I had ever heard. I was shaking in fear at what I heard. Now I know why it sucks so much.
Tension in the band reached a point where, hours before the night of this show, Mike Portnoy announced to the band that he was leaving the band. He would however, see out the European tour dates. This show really blows. I may never have heard one so bad from DT. Not even close. Buy this album just to destroy it in new and exciting ways. Or if you're a completest who wants DT's worst release around on your shelf, at least get it last.
DT are better than this show.
I have it, each CD is separate from the other, sitting in a box full of crap somewhere. And if I want to hear what a band sounds like when they are collectively at the breaking up point. I'll give it a listen, but I don't.
STEAL THIS ,.........great used price 
2007-10-25 - the used price for this is around 6.00 that is a steal, if you are just getting into or want to check out DT buy it now....
had to write one due to the previous reviewer 
2007-05-05 - because he is out of his mind in saying that James Labrie's vocals are terrible. I'll admit at times on other live releases, i.e. Score he isn't as consistent but on this he's pitch perfect so I don't get what the Labrie hating is for. As for the rest of the album, it is incredible. Great song selection and excellent musicianship and the Petrucci solo (HOLY COW!) is that amazing. All in all, if you like Dream Theater, get this album. You won't regret it.
Dream Theater LIve Album - Good But Not Their Best
2007-02-01 - "Livetime" is a 2 disc live album recorded on the "Falling To Infinity" tour at one show in France. This album covers a lot of ground with material from all of the band's previous studio efforts. I am not sure what it is, but for some reason I like this the least of the three live Dream Theater albums I own. The production is a bit on the muddy side sound wise. The performances are all good with the band proving that they can pull off their intricate music live. Each member of the band gets the opportunity to show off their chops in several solo spots on the album. James Labrie's vocals are at times a bit on the shrill side, almost like he is trying too hard at times. I think his vocal performance on the "Live Scenes From New York" album 3 years later blow this one away. One thing that is unique is how the band throws in snippets of cover songs throughout the performance. At the end of "Peruvian Skies" the band cuts into the instrumental break from Lynrd Skynrd's "Free Bird". John Pettruci plays the famous guitar solo at a breakneck pace in a melding of progressive and southern rock. In other spots on the album the band breaks into bits and pieces from Metallica, Rush, Pink Floyd and others into the mix. Overall this is a good live album, but if you are looking to purchase a live DT disc I would recommend "Scenes From New York City" over this one.
A fantastic live album...DT's first "proper" live album
2006-11-22 - Once in a Livetime, released in 1998, was Dream Theater's first live album, since Live at the Marquee, from 1994, was a mere EP. This is a 2CD set containing almost the entire show from Le Bataclan in Paris, and the only recording they released officially featuring Derek Sherinian on keyboards. Right off the bat, I will mention the one thing holding this from being a full 5-star album (I'd give it 4.5 if I could) are James LaBrie's vocals. His voice is in pretty rough shape on this set...it's certainly listenable and enjoyable, but he really struggles to hit the high notes. But enough...on to the actual music.
The set is bookended by A Change of Seasons, which is split into it's individual parts and spread throughout the set...different, interesting, and neat! What's great about this set are the relatively rare songs DT plays: Lines in the Sand (one of their finest moments), Scarred, which is a criminally underrated gem from the Awake album, Ytse Jam, Take Away My Pain, and Lie. Additionally, they have some fun with Peruvian Skies, throwing in bits of Have a Cigar and Enter Sandman...this version flat out rocks! Take the Time has the coda from Freebird tacked on, and Just Let Me Breathe has the Puppies on Acid intro tacked on to the front. Additionally we get a short Derek solo, a rather pedestrian Mike Portnoy drum solo, and a pretty awesome John Petrucci guitar solo that includes bits from the Liquid Tension Experiment album. One annoying this is that during Take the Time, Mike sings the first verse (they did this quite often live), which sounds a lot weaker than just having James do it. But a small quibble.
Is this the best DT live album? No...in fact, it's the weakest. But it's still damn good, especially when put up against any other band's live output. When judged against DT's stellar live output (especially Live Scenes From New York and Score), this falls short. However, how can you go wrong? This is 2 CDs of live DT playing material from Falling Into Infinity (which is unfairly slagged) and before.....a treat! Well worth the investment in time and money. Enjoy!
