Dream Theater frontman James Labrie broke his silence on Mike Portnoy’s return to the band on his X account.
After almost 15 years away from the band, the rocker returned just a week ago to contribute to the band’s upcoming 16th studio album. Though the news was shared on the band’s X account, Labrie himself hadn’t made any comments on his friend’s return to the band until recently.
Labrie is ‘Beyond Grateful and Excited’ for Portnoy’s Return
With the return of the drummer, some fans were happy to see the original lineup slowly coming back, and some were dissatisfied since they liked the earlier drummer better. Despite the dissatisfaction, it seems that the frontman focused on the positive feedback. Breaking his silence with a new tweet, Labrie shared his gratitude for his friend and wrote the following:
“Wow, what can I say, I’ve been pretty silent and overwhelmed with the reaction… Thank you for the incredible response to the reunion of Dream Theater classic line up. We are beyond grateful and excited. Gonna be one hell of ride for all. Welcome home, my friend.”
Why Did Portnoy Leave Dream Theater in the First Place?
Portnoy had left the band to simply pursue other musical projects and not to get associated with only one band. With his departure, the rocker stated that he didn’t want to play with the four musicians he had been with until the end of his life and that he needed to ‘spread his wings.’
After Portnoy’s return to the band, the former drummer Mike Mangini stepped aside for the original drummer to take his place back. As he stated, Mangini never wanted to take Portnoy’s place and just wanted to help the band carry on after his departure from the band.
The following details about the next studio album of the band are yet to come. You can see Labrie’s tweet below.
Wow, what can I say, I’ve been pretty silent and overwhelmed with the reaction… Thank you for the incredible response to the reunion of @dreamtheaternet classic line up. We are beyond grateful and excited.
Gonna be one hell of ride for all.
Welcome home, my friend. @MikePortnoy pic.twitter.com/kILULjIHQv— James LaBrie (@jameslabrie) November 4, 2023
