by Dave DeMarco.

To commemorate their 20th anniversary, seminal neo-proggers Dream Theater release Score. For those of you scratching your heads wondering "Have Dream Theater really been out for 20 years?" No, your math isn't off. In actuality, DT's first release, When Dream And Day Unite didn't come out until 1989. It's just that DT opted to start the clock back in 1986 when the band's core members - guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy got together at Boston's Berklee College of Music. One can hardly blame the guys for wanting to get a jump start on their 20th anniversary. Their story follows the well-worn path shared my many of their predecessors - ambition derailed by the realities of the music biz, personnel switcheroo and numerous record labels. However, earlier this year at Radio City Music Hall, Dream Theater put all of that behind them and gave their fans something to celebrate when they performed a time capsule collection of their music. Going back all the way to the band's genesis, they played previously unreleased material from their days as Majesty while also marking every significant musical milestone up to and including last year's superb Octavarium.

While Score is not the first live DVD in the band's discography, what sets this release apart from its predecessors is that this marks the first and only time to date that the band has played alongside an orchestra. Of all the bands to go this route in recent years, finally here's a band whose music is actually suited to such a treatment. The songs selected for orchestral accompaniment draw heavily from the band's last three studio releases. The title track from 2002's Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence was a fantastic choice to start off the night's orchestral segment. Keyboardist Jordan Rudess heavily orchestrated the studio version, but experiencing the song here in all its symphonic glory gives one a glimpse of what can only be assumed was how Rudess originally envisioned the piece. Elsewhere, Octavarium's title track and perennial crowd favorite Metropolis both utilized the orchestra's contrasting shades and subtleties to great affect.

It bears mention that the DVD/CD is not all pomp and circumstance. The first third of the show consists of the band by itself, doing what it does best. After delivering three songs from Octavarium, they present a few aforementioned unreleased songs from their formative years followed by songs the fans have rarely been treated to live.

As can be expected, the DVD contains loads of cool extras. Of notable mention is the section where the three founding members travel back to their roots at Berklee and recount their memories of the band's formation as well as significant milestones along the way. There's also a very clever animation sequence which is almost worth the purchase price alone! All in all, Score is a fitting salute from the band to its fans and an excellent cap to this visionary band's first score years.