Once In A Livetime captures the progressive metal group Dream Theater live in Paris, France on a summer evening in 1998. The live format allows the quintet to stretch out even more than on their studio releases, and most cuts clock in between six and fourteen minutes. Thankfully, singer James LaBrie's audience interaction is kept to a minimum ("Put your hands in the air everybody!"), so most of the 155 minutes of audio content is brilliantly executed prog, with improvised solos by guitarist John Petrucci, drummer Mike Portnoy and keyboardist Derek Sherinian. Once In A Livetime also captures a favorite ploy of Dream Theater -- quoting other band's material in solos, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", themes from "Star Wars" and "Close Encounters Of The Third Kind" and "Flight Of The Bumblebee". Dream Theater does it again.
| 1 | A Change Of Seasons I: The Crimson Sunrise | 3:57 |
| 2 | A Change Of Seasons II: Innocence | 3:06 |
| 3 | Puppies On Acid | 1:24 |
| 4 | Just Let Me Breathe | 5:53 |
| 5 | Voices | 10:34 |
| 6 | Take The Time | 12:20 |
| 7 | Derek Sherinian Piano Solo | 1:54 |
| 8 | Lines In The Sand | 13:13 |
| 9 | Scarred | 9:28 |
| 10 | A Change Of Seasons IV: The Darkest Of Winters | 3:18 |
| 11 | Ytse Jam | 4:10 |
| 12 | Mike Portnoy Drum Solo | 7:00 |
| 13 | Trial Of Tears | 14:11 |
| 14 | Hollow Years | 7:02 |
| 15 | Take Away My Pain | 6:17 |
| 16 | Caught In A Web | 5:16 |
| 17 | Lie | 6:46 |
| 18 | Peruvian Skies | 7:50 |
| 19 | John Petrucci Guitar Solo | 8:07 |
| 20 | Pull Me Under | 8:15 |
| 21 | Metropolis | 6:16 |
| 22 | Learning To Live | 4:13 |
| 23 | A Change Of Seasons VII: The Crimson Sunset | 3:49 |
