In a recent interview with The Prog Report, Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie opened up about the band’s highly anticipated reunion with drummer Mike Portnoy in October 2023 — 13 years after Portnoy’s departure.
When asked how long it took for him to adjust to seeing Portnoy back behind the kit during their 40th-anniversary tour, LaBrie admitted it was a bit surreal at first.
“It was probably the first five, six shows — it just felt a little surreal, ’cause, yeah, I’d turn around and we’re, like, both looking at each other, whatever, smiling or making faces at one another,” he said. “But, yeah, I’d say maybe after the first five shows, then it just became, like, ‘Okay, it’s cool.’ This is a great new beginning once again, you could actually say. And it just feels right.” (as transcribed by Blabbermouth.net)
Portnoy originally left Dream Theater in 2010 and was replaced by Mike Mangini, who recorded five studio albums and toured the world extensively with the band. LaBrie was quick to praise Mangini’s contributions while acknowledging the unique presence Portnoy brings to their sound.
“I’ve said it in several interviews. It’s funny. You get away, and Mike Mangini is a phenomenal drummer — he was incredible in the band and that, and he has his style of playing and being involved in the music and the writing and all that stuff,” LaBrie explained.
He continued, “And then coming back to Mike Portnoy, I was just reminded, and we even talked about it while we were writing [the latest Dream Theater album] Parasomnia, and he has a very specific vibe and feel and groove to when he plays. And you just feel that, and then you’re reminded and you’re, like, ‘Wow. Yeah. There it is. There it is. That’s exactly what it used to be like.’ And it’s good. It’s like a coming home — for all of us. For all of us. For sure.”
Back in January, LaBrie spoke to This Day In Metal about the events that led to the classic lineup reuniting. When asked if his private meeting with Portnoy in March 2022 was a key moment in the reunion, LaBrie confirmed that it was.
“Yeah, for sure. When Mike and I met — you’re referring to our initial meeting at the Beacon Theatre [in New York City] when we were playing there and he came out to the show,” he said. “But, yeah, that was somewhat the catalyst that really kind of busted the door wide open with the possibility that we could all start really thinking about. Is this something that we should be seriously considering, a reunion?”
LaBrie added that there were earlier signs pointing to a possible reconciliation: “And things inevitably did lead to that, but I think there were some precursors, like Mike had already done [Dream Theater guitarist] John Petrucci‘s solo album, then he did his solo tour, then he also worked with John and Jordan Rudess [Dream Theater keyboardist] on the latest Liquid Tension Experiment album. So all these things were kind of just slowly but surely ensuring that he was walking through the door of being back in the fold.”
When Portnoy officially rejoined, LaBrie said it all came together naturally: “[Mike] coming back in, though, when it actually did happen, it was very natural. There was no — I don’t know — feelings of whether or not, ‘Hey, is this really gonna work? Is this gonna be what we remember the band as?’ And if there were any apprehensive feelings, that just definitely was never a part of it,” LaBrie shared.
He continued: “To be quite honest with you, I joke around, in some of the interviews I’ve said it felt like Mike went out for a coffee and he came back and we just started writing. But it was very smooth, seamless. And we were joking a few times, saying stuff like, ‘Oh my God…’ Because once you actually get into that environment and you start writing the album, you start remembering the chemistry that was almost palpable. And it was within the first day or two days of starting to write [the upcoming Dream Theater album] Parasomnia, we were joking around, we were laughing, it was, like, ‘Oh my god. I remember that, that whole interaction, that whole analytical approach to the songs and how they slowly but surely evolve into a complete composition.’ So it was all this familiarity going on, going, ‘Oh my god. That’s exactly the way it used to be. This is where we are today, but it doesn’t seem that we’ve missed a step.’ So it was extremely effortless, so to speak. It was just doing what we know how to do when the five of us get into the studio.”
The reunited lineup played its first show with Portnoy back on drums on October 20, 2024, at the O2 Arena in London, marking a historic moment for the progressive metal giants and their fans worldwide.
