Mike Portnoy Delivers Flawless ‘Pull Me Under’ Performance For The First Time After 13 Years

Drumeo recently released a video of Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy demonstrating how to play ‘Pull Me Under.’ Portnoy, who rejoined Dream Theater just a few weeks before the video was shot, compares playing the song to riding a bicycle, emphasizing the lasting nature of his muscle memory for the track. He told Drumeo:

“It was only announced that I’m rejoining Dream Theater only a few weeks ago at the point of filming this, so for me to play this now, it’s kind of just like riding a bicycle. The muscle memory is just there for life; it’ll be there forever.”

In a social media post, Portnoy expressed his excitement about the session with Drumeo, noting that they filmed a substantial amount of content to be released gradually. He stated:”

“All kinds of warm fuzzy feels playing DT music again! There’s MANY more songs & clips on their way in the coming weeks and months, so stay tuned for a lot more!”

How Mike Portnoy Reunited With Dream Theater

In late October, the metal community was taken by surprise when Dream Theater announced the return of their founding drummer Mike Portnoy, who had left the band in 2010 and was replaced by Mike Mangini. As Portnoy explained during a Q&A at Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s Metalmania III event, the background for the reunion began with his collaboration with Dream Theater guitarist John Petrucci on his 2020 solo album ‘Terminal Velocity.’ This collaboration rekindled their bond and paved the way for joint projects.

Portnoy elaborated that during the pandemic, with touring halted, he and Petrucci, along with Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess, worked on the first Liquid Tension Experiment record in 22 years. During the Q&A session, Portnoy said:

“The last couple of years, I guess during the pandemic, yeah, I reconnected with John Petrucci. Once we were in lockdown and all of my bands couldn’t tour, and Dream Theater couldn’t tour, John Petrucci was doing a solo album, and he asked me to play on it. And then from there we decided we wanted to do another album, which is with Jordan Rudess. And then shortly after that, John asked me to go on tour with him. So it just seems like we’ve been kind of reconnecting through the last few years.”

He reflected on the deep, longstanding relationship between him and Petrucci, spanning nearly four decades, and their intertwined family lives, with their wives, children, and even their daughters sharing a close bond in New York. Portnoy continued:

“We have such a long history — almost 40 years now — together, and our families grew up together, our wives played in a band together, and our kids grew up together. So, honestly, it just felt like it was the right thing in the right time… [Our kids] literally grew up all together.”

There Are No Specific Plans For New Material For Dream Theater

Looking ahead, Dream Theater, with Portnoy back in the fold, plans to enter the studio in 2024 for their first album together since ‘Black Clouds & Silver Linings’ in 2009. Addressing the possibility of a sequel to their 1999 album ‘Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory,’ Portnoy mentioned that there are no specific plans for new material at the moment. He acknowledged the potential for a sequel, but also expressed uncertainty, noting:

“We haven’t talked about it yet, but that would be the obvious thing. But maybe because it’s the obvious thing, we wouldn’t do it. But you never know… It definitely would be fun to do. I don’t know. “

Portnoy spoke about the changing dynamic of the band since his departure 13 years ago, noting their evolution both personally and musically. He continued:

“We’re gonna start from scratch and reconnect and just go into the studio and live together. We’re in a different phase of our lives. When I left the band 13 years ago, we were all in our 40s; now we’re all in our 50s and 60s. It’s gonna be interesting to see how we kind of exist now in this new world. I’m just looking forward to being with the guys and making music together again.”

Regarding the balance of playing Mangini-era songs as well, Portnoy stated that it is too early to determine how this will work out. Portnoy also talked about the difficulty of reintegrating into the band, as Dream Theater has become a more collective unit since his departure.

“I think when I left all those years ago, I was running a lot of stuff, and I think now they’ve gotten so used to working more as a collective band that I think it’s a very different dynamic now that I’m gonna have to find my place in and without stepping on anybody’s toes. I have to respect that they’ve been doing it all this time without me.”

You can watch the full Q&A session with Mike Portnoy at Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy Camp’s Metalmania III event below.