Dream Theater – Once In A LIVEtime (EastWest)

Rush – Different Stages (Atlantic)

Aerosmith – A Little South Of Sanity (Geffen)

Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: Live 1966—The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert (Columbia)

“See them live.” Those three words can be considered the ultimate compliment for any musicians: a vote of confidence for their ability to connect with a live audience, a confirmation that they have a unique capacity to translate carefully constructed studio work into a powerful onstage performance. In the rock era, live albums have served to capture a band’s unique chemistry (Live At Leeds), define an era (Woodstock), propel artists into the superstar stratosphere (Frampton Comes Alive), or simply fulfill record contracts (Eagles Live). This fall, a number of heavy-hitters, including the Rolling Stones and Black Sabbath, are releasing live discs intent on preserving, reinforcing, and furthering their images. Here are four acts that deserve Bics flicked in their honor.

Long Island’s Dream Theater is a progressive outfit with more chops than a butcher shop. Their first full-length live offering (they’ve already released two live EPs). the double-disc Once In A LIVEtime, amply displays their muso-minded muscle. Master Ibanez mangler John Petrucci dazzles during ‘Ytse Jam,’ ‘Trial Of Tears,’ and the various “movements” of ‘A Change Of Seasons’ that are scattered across the album. Petrucci also tosses off knowing nods to a number of rock classics all throughout the set, including ‘Free Bird,’ ‘Have A Cigar,’ and ‘Enter Sandman,’ a long-standing DT tradition. LIVEtime may preach to the converted, but for sheer musicianship, Dream Theater deserve a curtain call.