Former DREAM THEATER Drummer MIKE PORTNOY On His Replacement MIKE MANGINI - "He's An Amazing Drummer, And He Plays My Parts Incredibly Faithfully"

On March 4th, Dream Theater performed at the Beacon Theatre in New York City as part of their ongoing US leg of the Top Of The World Tour. In attendance was former Dream Theater drummer and founding member, Mike Portnoy, who left the band in September 2010.

On May 3rd, Portnoy reflected on the experience while speaking with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk. 

On seeing his replacement, Mike Mangini, in action:

"There's no doubt he's an amazing drummer and he plays my parts incredibly faithfully. I feel bad for him. He and I joked about it. He's in a horrible situation where he's damned if he does and he's damned if he doesn't. He expressed that frustration to me, and I feel for him; it's definitely a weird position to be put into. I kind of had it a little bit when I played with Avenged Sevenfold and Twisted Sister, coming into the throne of two drummers that have passed away, and I tried to learn those parts as faithfully as I could. When I had a hired-gun gig like that, I spent a lot of attention trying to honor the drummer that came before me; it's important. I don't wanna go into a gig like either of those and try to force my style onto it."

Portnoy shared backstage photos from the Dream Theater show via Instagram, which can be viewed below.