DREAM THEATER Drummer MIKE MANGINI On MIKE PORTNOY - "We Were Friends Before I Got This Job; He Was The One That Invited To All The Shows"

In a new interview with Sarah Hagan, Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini discusses returning to tour life after the pandemic, his solo album, the process of auditioning for Dream Theater, the band's  recent Grammy win, and his reunion with former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy.

"We were friends before I got this job. I mean, literally - he's in my place in LA, we're hanging out, he was the one that invited me to all the Dream Theater shows. He was the person I was closest with (in the band). He said all kinds of nice things about me all the time to people in magazines. So, the audition thing happened and he had left, and our relationship kind of just went into a holding pattern. And that was that... whatever that means. It just might have been awkward for him or whatever - I don't know."

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.