Dream Theater’s new album and upcoming tour are already creating excitement, given the return to the band of founding member, Mike Portnoy, which neatly coincides with their 40th anniversary celebrations. Whilst understandably not giving away any spoilers, guitarist John Petrucci’s enthusiasm is evident as he spoke to Prog from the band’s Long Island studio.
So the inevitable question, how is the new album coming along?
“Yeah, we're getting there. We've been working on it since February and it’s coming along. I’m just so excited about it. It really has been awesome. I feel so great about the material and it has just been fun, it really has. I mean Mike and I have done things together before this. We’ve already connected musically and we even toured together for my solo album. So that’s already there.
But you know, with him just coming back into the band, it has been great. It’s like we haven't missed a beat and it really feels like we’re 18 again. The flow was really, really smooth. There’s definitely an undeniable, creative chemistry there. You meet certain people in your life and you connect on an artistic level, and it just flows. We have been working in our own studio and our space has expanded. We have just built a new live room and control room, which is just beautiful.
This space in itself is inspiring and it sounds amazing. It’s great, having our own home. I’m producing once again and that’s something that I really love taking on. It’s a tonne of work but it’s very rewarding and the guys trust me.”
The first gig with Mike Portnoy back behind the drum kit will be the O2 Arena in London?
“Yeah, it’s such a funny thing because I've been so deep into the headspace of the new record, but all the while, bubbling in the background, is the upcoming tour. I’m not fully there in my head yet. Once we get this record delivered, I’ll be able to fully wrap my head around it but I can tell you that it’s going to be a really special event. In the Dream Theater universe, it will be a very special and important gig with Mike returning and the joy and happiness that has brought.
People are going to be really excited to see us on stage. So, it’s going to be a really cool, fun night. We haven’t played the O2 before so it’s going to be a big show. There’s going to be no warmup gig, it’s going to be the first gig out of the gate. No pressure!”
Apart from Mike’s return, this is also the start of the band’s 40th anniversary celebrations.
“Oh my God, it freaks me out. I remember just being a fan myself of like, Rush, for example. I remember they did their 30th tour and then now we’re looking at our 40th. What? How did that happen?”
Given those celebrations, can we expect a deep dive into the band’s back-catalogue?
“Absolutely. This tour is going to be an ‘Evening With’, so we have the time, as there are three hours to play with and span our catalogue. With Mike returning, there were conversations we were having about setlists and stuff and we were happy to give that responsibility back to Mike. So, he’s had fun with that, kind of like figuring out what we’re going to play. It will be a great set for sure.”
Are there any suggestions that you might film the London gig?
“Yeah, we’ll film it in some capacity. I would say that trying to film an official DVD, on the very first show, is probably not the best idea, but we’ll capture it for sure. So to some extent, we’ll have footage to use. I wouldn't say that it is something that would be an official release, but we’ll definitely have cameras there to capture it for sure. That would be a dropped ball if we didn’t do that.”
An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour Dates
Oct 20: London The O2, UK
Oct 22: Berlin Uber Eats Music Hall, Germany
Oct 23: Koln Palladium, Germany
Oct 25: Milan Forum, Italy
Oct 26: Rome Palazzo dello Sport, Italy
Oct 28: Munich Zenith, Germany
Oct 29: Zagreb Arena Zagreb, Croatia
Nov 01: Budapest Arena, Hungary
Nov 02: Prague Fortuna Arena, Czech Republic
Nov 03: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
Nov 06: Helsinki Metro Areena, Finland
Nov 08: Stockholm Waterfront, Sweden
Nov 09: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
Nov 10: Copenhagen Poolen, Denmark
Nov 12: Rockhal, Luxembourg
Nov 13: Zurich The Hall, Switzerland
Nov 14: yon Halle Tony Garnier, France
Nov 16: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Nov 17: Madrid La Cubierta de Leganés, Spain
Nov 20: Stuttgart Beethovensaal, Germany
Nov 21: Frankfurt Jahrhundderthalle, Germany
Nov 23: Paris Adidas Arena, France
Nov 24: Amsterdam AFAS Live, The Netherlands
