Mike Portnoy addressed concerns about playing Mike Mangini-era Dream Theater songs in a recent interview with Banger TV.
“It’s nothing new for me. I’ve played with Avenged Sevenfold, Twisted Sister, Stone Sour, and Overkill,” Portnoy explained. “I’ve done all of these hired gun gigs or fill-in gigs where I’ve had to learn another drummer’s parts.”
“I try to respect them as much as possible, especially in the case of Twisted or Avenged, where I joined to fill somebody’s shoes,” he continued. “I look at this the same way. In those cases, I have to kind of take what’s there, respect it, and try to bring it to life as close as possible. But at the same time, it needs to feel comfortable to me.”
“There’s definitely parts of Mike Mangini’s style that is very, very different for me. And I hear a lot of the parts that he’s playing, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I would have played that,'” Portnoy said. “So luckily, the guys have been very cool about giving me the freedom to do whatever I feel would make it comfortable.”
“So I say I play them about 80%. And this goes for not only the Mangini-era songs but pretty much anytime I’ve covered drum parts I, I’ll be about 80% faithful and then about 20% me,” he noted.
“If there’s the hardcore Mangini fans that come at me like, ‘Oh, he’s not playing it note for note.’ Look, the fact of the matter is I don’t even play my own parts note for note. I’ve just never been that type of drummer,” Mike added.
Portnoy’s comments coincide with his return to Dream Theater after 13 years.
Drumeo revealed that Portnoy has established renewed connections with his bandmates. He now embraces a more flexible approach than during his previous tenure.
The drummer transition received positive feedback. Loudwire reported that Mike Mangini openly supported Portnoy’s return. He expressed gratitude for his time with the band.
YouTube Theater announced Dream Theater’s 40th-anniversary North American tour in early 2025. This tour marked Portnoy’s first performances with the band in North America after nearly twenty years.
The milestone tour showcased classic songs and potential new material. This marks an exciting new chapter for the band with their original drummer’s return.
