Dream Theater recently spoke exclusively with Rolling Stone as a collective - James LaBrie (vocals), John Petrucci (guitar), Jordan Rudess (keyboards), John Myung (bass) and Mike Portnoy (drums) - discussing Portnoy's return to the fold afetr 13 years, the making of their new as-yet-untitled studio album, and their upcoming 40th Anniversary Tour. Following is an excerpt from the interview.
Rolling Stone: At your first rehearsal with Mike, what was the first song you played?
Portnoy: "We immediately started writing. It was just jamming for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, just whatever. We have yet to play any of the old songs together. We came in here with a mission to create some new magic and, immediately just without even discussing it, just started jamming. And then from there, some seeds were born, and we just immediately started writing and building right there and then."
LaBrie: "What was evident to each of us was there was a familiarity. The chemistry was there. It was like somebody threw me in a time warp. It’s like we picked up from where we left off (with him)."
Rolling Stone: Why did the four of you want Mike to return?
LaBrie: "I think we had to return the band back to its strongest form."
Petrucci: "It wasn’t one singular thing; it was sort of a series of life events that caused an organic conclusion. We all talked about it. It was like, 'Yeah, this makes sense right now.'"
Rudess: "There’s so many factors involved, and each of us has our particular relationships. And it was just a moment when everything seemed to come together, and we went, 'You know what? Let’s do this. Now’s the time.'"
Myung: "It was a collective moment of certainty."
Petrucci: "That sounds like an album title."
Read the complete interview here.
A tour announcement that has been fourteen years in the making, Grammy-winning, progressive music titans, Dream Theater, have announced their 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025.
The tour - presented as An Evening With Dream Theater - is the first outing since drummer Mike Portnoy’s return to the lineup joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess.
The European leg consists of stops in 23 cities and kicks off on October 20 and runs through November 24. Dream Theater will be performing classics and fan favorites from their catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music.
More information on all tickets and VIP packages can be found here.
“This tour is going to be incredibly special for all of us! Each show will surely be filled with anticipation and a variety of emotions. We can’t wait to step on stage together once again and begin this historic celebration of 40 years with everyone this fall. This is just the beginning, and we will have plenty of more exciting Dream Theater news to share in the coming months,” explains Dream Theater.
An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025
October
20 - London, England - The O2
22 - Berlin, Germany - Uber Eats Music Hall
23 - Koln, Germany - Palladium
25 - Milan, Italy - Forum
26 - Rome, Italy - Palazzo dello Sport
28 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
29 - Zagreb, Croatia - Arena Zagreb
November
1 - Budapest, Hungary - Budapest Arena
2 - Prague - Czech Republic - Fortuna Arena
3 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
6 - Helsinki, Finland - Metro Areena
8 - Stockholm. Sweden - Waterfront
9 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Poolen
12 - Luxembourg - Rockhal
13 - Zurich, Switzerland - The Hall
14 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
16 - Lisbon, Portugal - MEO Arena
17 - Madrid, Spain - La Cubierta de Leganés
20 - Stuttgart, Germany - Beethovensaal
21 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhundderthalle
23 - Paris, France - Adidas Arena
24 - Amsterdam - AFAS Live
Dream Theater has been in their DTHQ studio working on their 16th studio album and the first with Portnoy since 2009’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings. More information on the upcoming release will be unveiled in the future.
(Photo Courtesy of Dream Theater)
