Author Topic: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?  (Read 12488 times)

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Offline Zook

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #35 on: July 19, 2017, 08:27:12 AM »
That's worse than firing someone through Email the day they're supposed to go record vocals for the new album, and right before Christmas.

Ripper with Iced Earth, right?

Yeah. Do I reference Iced Earth too much? :lol

Offline MirrorMask

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #36 on: July 19, 2017, 08:31:07 AM »
It's ironic how he was the replacement singer in Judas Priest, doomed basically from the start to get the boot, and he was treated way better by Priest than with Iced Earth where he was supposedly the perfect voice for the band.
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Offline Zook

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #37 on: July 19, 2017, 08:37:02 AM »
It's ironic how he was the replacement singer in Judas Priest, doomed basically from the start to get the boot, and he was treated way better by Priest than with Iced Earth where he was supposedly the perfect voice for the band.

Jon brought out the best in him though. I wish he could have sang on Crucible though. The ending to Come What May would have been more orgasmic than it already is.

Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #38 on: July 19, 2017, 11:55:53 AM »
If I remember correctly, there was an interview with JLB during the DT12 era and he talked about being frustrated that he wasn't more involved with lyrics and writing a song and apparently had one that he was interested in taking, but JP ended up writing the lyric. He said that he wouldn't let that happen again and then...well... The Astonishing..

I don't quite remember it that way.  James was saying that he didn't want to write lyrics for DT12 because he had just done his solo album.  I still kind of think that was a diplomatic answer.  I do remember him saying that he would definitely write some for the next one and then...yeah, Astonishing. 
Maybe MM will ask for a five year break.

And the band will agree because they don't want to lose him... :lol

Obviously all of this is just fun and not serious, but if that happens then I think MP should be given free reign to say anything he wants on social media, no holds barred.

He already does that though lol.

Free reign. No one would be allowed to criticize him for it.

From now until the day he dies, no question.

Yeah, if that were to happen, there wouldn't be any complaints from me when MP starts talking shit. In fact, if DT did something like that, it might even put a damper on my enjoyment of them. That's cold.



There's actually a huge difference.  When MP wanted a break, the band were in their prime in a lot of ways.  That would have killed a tremendous amount of momentum.  If they were to take a break now or in a couple of years, they would simply be slowing down because they are nearing the actual age most people retire.  Their job is also a tad more physically demanding than someone that works at an office. 

I mean, it would be weird if MM were to want that and DT was like, "Cool, man."  I doubt that would ever happen but I could see them making a mutual decision to take a break. 

Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #39 on: July 19, 2017, 06:54:26 PM »
That's worse than firing someone through Email the day they're supposed to go record vocals for the new album, and right before Christmas.
How about having the manager sack him while boarding the plane after a tour.

Hey, Terry.
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Right. That's why I
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Oh, bloody hell.
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Online Adami

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #40 on: July 19, 2017, 06:55:33 PM »
That's worse than firing someone through Email the day they're supposed to go record vocals for the new album, and right before Christmas.
How about having the manager sack him while boarding the plane after a tour.

Hey, Terry.
Sorry, mate. This plane's for bandmembers only.
Right. That's why I
*slam*
Oh, bloody hell.

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Offline Pragmaticcircus

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #41 on: July 20, 2017, 12:04:48 AM »
Tony Levin will replace John Myung on bass in approximately 9 months due to a fight with Mike Mangini. It is later discovered that Myung had been sleeping with Mangini's wife.
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Offline The Silent Cody

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #42 on: July 20, 2017, 04:14:54 AM »
 
Tony Levin will replace John Myung on bass in approximately 9 months due to a fight with Mike Mangini. It is later discovered that Myung had been sleeping with Mangini's wife.

 :lol :lol :lol :lol
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Offline emtee

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #43 on: July 20, 2017, 06:21:54 AM »
Nobody is immune from burn-out or from any number of life changing events that completely change the way you look at your future.

Could be any one of them at any time for any reason.

My guess for the 2 most likely are Mangini and JR and of these 2 I think Mangini would be first. Nobody but him can know the weight
of being 'the guy who replaced Portnoy' and in addition to that weight he really doesn't love touring. But the main reason is that
I believe that he needs and wants to be a central component in the collaborative/creative process and so far he hasn't been. When you
read and listen to his comments over the last couple years he seems like a guy working very hard to find reasons to be grateful
and happy instead of a guy who really is grateful and happy. The guy has had his fill of session drumming. He is an artist who
is introspective and deep and has a need and desire to create.

The obvious point about JR is age and all that goes along with being an elder metal musician. When have you had enough of the grind?
Enough of the constant loudness, enough of life on the road...? Maybe never and maybe he is starting to feel like Neil Peart. He has
had a long career and he has other passions.

Bottom line is they are all getting to that stage in their lives and careers when momentous decisions and awakenings can happen
at any time.

Offline Peter Mc

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #44 on: July 20, 2017, 07:02:38 AM »
With due respect to Portnoy's importance in the history of the band and personality, in the end he was  the drummer. For the kind of band that DT is, that always have his own core fanbase (Hell, the venue where I first saw them in 1999 is the same venue where I last saw them this year), Portnoy's return wouldn't be tectonic shift that James' return would have been, had he gone from the band, or, say, Chris De Garmo returning to Queensryche when they weren't still bogged down in bad situations with Tate.

Yeah, he would be welcomed back by many, and the resulting album would get quite the attention, but in the big scheme of things, it would not be a major game changer like it was for Maiden.

Yeah, not suggesting it would be as momentous as Dickinson coming back to Maiden, he's not the singer and the band are nowhere near that level.  That's why I said a boost "to an extent", was kind of hedging my bets as to how big of a difference it would make.  If popularity did begin to tail off then it may be worth a throw of the dice to get a bit of a boost in the short term at least.  I do think a certain amount of goodwill has been lost with MP's departure and he would bring some people back to the fold.  There are others who have been happier with DT's output post MP of course.  I'm somewhere inbetween, happier with the more melodic proggy direction but the sentimental part of me would still be happy to see MP back along with the enthusiasm and excitement he gives all his projects.

Offline MirrorMask

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #45 on: July 20, 2017, 07:47:30 AM »
I'd welcome back MP if it would feel right for them. And if it was not a money thing, or a stunt.

Let's say that MP eventually patches things up with Myung and LaBrie, and they get all together and hug and say "ah, screw the past, happy carreer to each other", and then eventually Mangini leaves of his own accord and in a serene decision with the others... then I'd be all for it.

If instead it's all a "Damn, we need more exposure, let's just bring back Portnoy. James, call Mike and sort it out, he's back in, and someone let Mangini know he's out"... I would be quite bitter about it.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #46 on: July 20, 2017, 08:27:09 AM »
If I remember correctly, there was an interview with JLB during the DT12 era and he talked about being frustrated that he wasn't more involved with lyrics and writing a song and apparently had one that he was interested in taking, but JP ended up writing the lyric. He said that he wouldn't let that happen again and then...well... The Astonishing..

I don't quite remember it that way.  James was saying that he didn't want to write lyrics for DT12 because he had just done his solo album.  I still kind of think that was a diplomatic answer.  I do remember him saying that he would definitely write some for the next one and then...yeah, Astonishing. 
Maybe MM will ask for a five year break.

And the band will agree because they don't want to lose him... :lol

Obviously all of this is just fun and not serious, but if that happens then I think MP should be given free reign to say anything he wants on social media, no holds barred.

He already does that though lol.

Free reign. No one would be allowed to criticize him for it.

From now until the day he dies, no question.

Yeah, if that were to happen, there wouldn't be any complaints from me when MP starts talking shit. In fact, if DT did something like that, it might even put a damper on my enjoyment of them. That's cold.



There's actually a huge difference.  When MP wanted a break, the band were in their prime in a lot of ways.  That would have killed a tremendous amount of momentum.  If they were to take a break now or in a couple of years, they would simply be slowing down because they are nearing the actual age most people retire.  Their job is also a tad more physically demanding than someone that works at an office. 

Agreed that it would be a very different situation.  Keep in mind that things were slowing down a bit for the band during this time, and that is not what most of them wanted.  Black Clouds was the first album where they did not have a proper U.S. headlining tour.  And there were hints that, for whatever reason, bookings in the U.S. were getting difficult.  They felt as though they were losing momentum, and a break at that time would have only compounded the problem.  Everyone but Mike was of the mind that they needed to get back into the studio and get their album out on time so they could get back on the road and start building momentum again.  Portnoy apparently did not understand this or did not think it was as big of a deal as it was to some of the others. 
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Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #47 on: July 20, 2017, 08:30:19 AM »
That's worse than firing someone through Email the day they're supposed to go record vocals for the new album, and right before Christmas.
How about having the manager sack him while boarding the plane after a tour.

Hey, Terry.
Sorry, mate. This plane's for bandmembers only.
Right. That's why I
*slam*
Oh, bloody hell.

I got Zook's IE reference, but I got no clue what yours is.
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Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #48 on: July 20, 2017, 08:34:31 AM »
If I remember correctly, there was an interview with JLB during the DT12 era and he talked about being frustrated that he wasn't more involved with lyrics and writing a song and apparently had one that he was interested in taking, but JP ended up writing the lyric. He said that he wouldn't let that happen again and then...well... The Astonishing..

I don't quite remember it that way.  James was saying that he didn't want to write lyrics for DT12 because he had just done his solo album.  I still kind of think that was a diplomatic answer.  I do remember him saying that he would definitely write some for the next one and then...yeah, Astonishing. 
Maybe MM will ask for a five year break.

And the band will agree because they don't want to lose him... :lol

Obviously all of this is just fun and not serious, but if that happens then I think MP should be given free reign to say anything he wants on social media, no holds barred.

He already does that though lol.

Free reign. No one would be allowed to criticize him for it.

From now until the day he dies, no question.

Yeah, if that were to happen, there wouldn't be any complaints from me when MP starts talking shit. In fact, if DT did something like that, it might even put a damper on my enjoyment of them. That's cold.



There's actually a huge difference.  When MP wanted a break, the band were in their prime in a lot of ways.  That would have killed a tremendous amount of momentum.  If they were to take a break now or in a couple of years, they would simply be slowing down because they are nearing the actual age most people retire.  Their job is also a tad more physically demanding than someone that works at an office. 

Agreed that it would be a very different situation.  Keep in mind that things were slowing down a bit for the band during this time, and that is not what most of them wanted.  Black Clouds was the first album where they did not have a proper U.S. headlining tour.  And there were hints that, for whatever reason, bookings in the U.S. were getting difficult.  They felt as though they were losing momentum, and a break at that time would have only compounded the problem.  Everyone but Mike was of the mind that they needed to get back into the studio and get their album out on time so they could get back on the road and start building momentum again.  Portnoy apparently did not understand this or did not think it was as big of a deal as it was to some of the others.
Perhaps he just thought there would be better, renewed interest if they took off for a while and came back with stronger material. I think that makes more sense than "let's keep doing the same thing, but faster!" I sort of see how Madman says they were in their prime, but I also see many ways they'd tanked out. Returning from a prolonged absence would generate buzz (and hopefully better music). Of course heading off with a new drummer accomplishes the same thing (well, the first part, anyway).
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Offline Samsara

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #49 on: July 20, 2017, 08:49:19 AM »
If JR decides to hang it up (due to age), does anybody think Derek would return to DT if he was offered the chance? Personally, I would love to have him back. I didn't think he was given a fair shot to begin with. Anyways, thoughts on this?

Since as soon as 2004 (that was jsut 5 years after) he joined them for an encore, I don't think that so many years down the line, he still has some grudges about being booted. If the musical side of it interests him, I think he would be up for giving it a second go.

Also having Derek back would soften the blow of such another huge line-up change... "Ok, Jordan's gone, but someone of the family comes back".

And Derek is in MP's band now, so I don't find the DT reconnect likely (unless JR AND MM both leave).
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Offline OpenYourEyes311

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #50 on: July 20, 2017, 09:16:17 AM »
I don't think we'll see ANY lineup changes until a reunion tour after the band disbands. The potential future I see for the band is business as usual (write, record, tour) until 2024, when they do a 25th Anniversary Tour of SFAM, then a "Farewell 40th Anniversary Tour" in 2025-2026. The band will then take off some time, and if they feel up to it, they will reconvene for a reunion tour somewhere down the line with Portnoy, and possibly Sherinian if Rudess doesn't feel up to it.
I don't want MP playing with DT unless they were making a drummer change. If they let MM go and bring back MP, then fine, but no guest appearance please.
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Offline The Silent Cody

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #51 on: July 20, 2017, 09:23:07 AM »
I don't think we'll see ANY lineup changes until a reunion tour after the band disbands. The potential future I see for the band is business as usual (write, record, tour) until 2024, when they do a 25th Anniversary Tour of SFAM, then a "Farewell 40th Anniversary Tour" in 2025-2026. The band will then take off some time, and if they feel up to it, they will reconvene for a reunion tour somewhere down the line with Portnoy, and possibly Sherinian if Rudess doesn't feel up to it.
That scenario is boring like hell, but real though... I wish, really, however it sounds, to see MP again joining DT. I know, Mike Mangini - I appreciate Him on every level, He's a great artist and drummer and He's doing a great job with The Band. But that DT which I remember when I was younger, was with Portnoy, I will always associate DT with Mike Portnoy and I would love to see Them together again.

Offline cramx3

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #52 on: July 20, 2017, 09:32:57 AM »
What about the Shattered Fortress opening for Dream Theater?  As cheesey as that sounds, that would be pretty awesome.

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #53 on: July 20, 2017, 09:46:31 AM »
What about the Shattered Fortress opening for Dream Theater?  As cheesey as that sounds, that would be pretty awesome.

Mike's pride would never allow that to happen. I don't think.

Offline cramx3

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #54 on: July 20, 2017, 09:55:11 AM »
Im sure DT wouldn't allow that either, but a fan can dream

Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #55 on: July 20, 2017, 10:27:12 AM »
What about the Shattered Fortress opening for Dream Theater?  As cheesey as that sounds, that would be pretty awesome.

Mike's pride would never allow that to happen. I don't think.
I don't think MP's pride factors into it. I just think it would be a circus that nobody wants to be a part of. Hell, I'm a big MP fan, and I wouldn't even want to be apart of it. 
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Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #56 on: July 20, 2017, 11:04:32 AM »
What about the Shattered Fortress opening for Dream Theater?  As cheesey as that sounds, that would be pretty awesome.

Please see Black Sabbath opening for Ozzy is 1992.  Bad idea.


Agreed that it would be a very different situation.  Keep in mind that things were slowing down a bit for the band during this time, and that is not what most of them wanted.  Black Clouds was the first album where they did not have a proper U.S. headlining tour.  And there were hints that, for whatever reason, bookings in the U.S. were getting difficult.  They felt as though they were losing momentum, and a break at that time would have only compounded the problem.  Everyone but Mike was of the mind that they needed to get back into the studio and get their album out on time so they could get back on the road and start building momentum again.  Portnoy apparently did not understand this or did not think it was as big of a deal as it was to some of the others. 

Were things really slowing down for them though?  BC&SL got number 6 on the charts and early reviews were good (although I think people including myself got a little more tired of that album faster).  I saw them in the same markets and it seemed the crowds were just as good as before.

I guess the Prognation thing was a bit of a bummer for a lot of people. 

Anyway, can you expand on this notion that bookings were getting difficult?  I hadn't heard this but you are more in the know about those things than most of us. 

Offline The Silent Cody

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #57 on: July 20, 2017, 11:08:27 AM »
What about the Shattered Fortress opening for Dream Theater?  As cheesey as that sounds, that would be pretty awesome.

Mike's pride would never allow that to happen. I don't think.
I don't think MP's pride factors into it. I just think it would be a circus that nobody wants to be a part of. Hell, I'm a big MP fan, and I wouldn't even want to be apart of it. 
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Offline bosk1

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #58 on: July 20, 2017, 11:43:55 AM »
Agreed that it would be a very different situation.  Keep in mind that things were slowing down a bit for the band during this time, and that is not what most of them wanted.  Black Clouds was the first album where they did not have a proper U.S. headlining tour.  And there were hints that, for whatever reason, bookings in the U.S. were getting difficult.  They felt as though they were losing momentum, and a break at that time would have only compounded the problem.  Everyone but Mike was of the mind that they needed to get back into the studio and get their album out on time so they could get back on the road and start building momentum again.  Portnoy apparently did not understand this or did not think it was as big of a deal as it was to some of the others. 

Were things really slowing down for them though?  BC&SL got number 6 on the charts and early reviews were good (although I think people including myself got a little more tired of that album faster).  I saw them in the same markets and it seemed the crowds were just as good as before.

I guess the Prognation thing was a bit of a bummer for a lot of people. 

Anyway, can you expand on this notion that bookings were getting difficult?  I hadn't heard this but you are more in the know about those things than most of us. 

The album sales themselves were fine.  At least, relatively.  Although it was their highest debut charting, remember that overall album sales numbers had been declining relatively sharply during that period.  And I don't just mean for DT--for ALL bands.  But I don't know whether that may or may not have played into things. 

What I do know is that on the touring side, they felt like things were beginning to trend in a direction that was not good for the band as a whole.  Remember--they didn't tour as a "headliner" for a true BCSL/25th anniversary tour in the U.S.  They only did Prog Nation and opened for Maiden.  I can't remember now whether Portnoy had said that they were having difficulty getting a separate headlining tour booked with some promoters or whether it was JP that said to me that some promoters wouldn't book a headlining tour because they felt that the market was saturated after the other two legs.  It may have been both.  Again, I don't remember specifically. 

What I DO specifically recall is that when I talked to JP on the ADTOE tour, I said something along the lines of:  "I know some fans were disappointed that there wasn't a proper headlining tour for Black Clouds.  With only doing Prog Nation and a limited run of opening dates for Maiden, it feels like the touring dropped off significantly in the U.S. for that album.  With a band like Dream Theater that is big enough to make a good living, but not huge, it seems to me like a hiatus would be a huge momentum killer, and that you guys needed to ramp things back up to normal levels before thinking about a break.  Am I off base here?"  John agreed with my take pretty enthusiastically, although we didn't get into too much more detail than that.  But it was enough to confirm my suspicions about why the idea of a break was not well received by them.
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Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #59 on: July 20, 2017, 11:56:49 AM »
That doesn't make any sense at all to me. They do the same album/tour cycle for years and years. Bookingd drop off, ostensibly because they've over-saturated after the last two cycles. So the solution is to haul ass and start another cycle to avoid losing momentum? The way you describe it makes it sound like MP was dead on.
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Offline Madman Shepherd

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #60 on: July 20, 2017, 12:18:17 PM »
That doesn't make any sense at all to me. They do the same album/tour cycle for years and years. Bookingd drop off, ostensibly because they've over-saturated after the last two cycles. So the solution is to haul ass and start another cycle to avoid losing momentum? The way you describe it makes it sound like MP was dead on.

I don't see it that way.  The music industry is weird.  With some bands, you gotta strike while the iron is hot.  If you take too much time off, the market loses interest.  We're not talking Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, but smaller bands need to consistently put out albums and tour otherwise people don't care anymore. 

Also want to note that it's interesting Prognation seemed to be more of a reaction to the lack of interest from promoters rather than just something Mike wanted to do.  I mean, with that brief conversation Bosk had we could be reading too much into it but it is something interesting to ponder. 

Offline cramx3

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #61 on: July 20, 2017, 12:29:11 PM »
That prognation tour had a really poor turnout in NJ.  Like I felt really bad for DT to be playing to such a small crowd.  But DT did top that by playing to even less for TA second round in NJ.  I've got to think the promoters are a reason why "SOON" has become a thing with DT and NA touring.

Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #62 on: July 20, 2017, 12:35:06 PM »
That doesn't make any sense at all to me. They do the same album/tour cycle for years and years. Bookingd drop off, ostensibly because they've over-saturated after the last two cycles. So the solution is to haul ass and start another cycle to avoid losing momentum? The way you describe it makes it sound like MP was dead on.

I don't see it that way.  The music industry is weird.  With some bands, you gotta strike while the iron is hot.  If you take too much time off, the market loses interest.  We're not talking Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin, but smaller bands need to consistently put out albums and tour otherwise people don't care anymore. 

Also want to note that it's interesting Prognation seemed to be more of a reaction to the lack of interest from promoters rather than just something Mike wanted to do.  I mean, with that brief conversation Bosk had we could be reading too much into it but it is something interesting to ponder.
The market is simply DT's core fans. They're not roping in new fans based on radio airplay. Friends are exposing others to their music, and that'll happen the same in five years as it does now. If anything, their core fans were getting tired of them. I know the group I associate with certainly have. Let that cycle continue while they're on hiatus, and then capitalize on a slightly expanded fanbase and a renewed interest from the people who've always supported them.
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Offline El Barto

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #63 on: July 20, 2017, 12:37:09 PM »
That prognation tour had a really poor turnout in NJ.  Like I felt really bad for DT to be playing to such a small crowd.  But DT did top that by playing to even less for TA second round in NJ.  I've got to think the promoters are a reason why "SOON" has become a thing with DT and NA touring.
I'm sure that's the case. However, I also put a great deal of that blame on the band itself.
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Offline bosk1

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #64 on: July 20, 2017, 12:48:31 PM »
That prognation tour had a really poor turnout in NJ. 

Exactly.  Again, I think (but don't remember the conversation clearly enough) that some of the problem was that they had already been out twice on that album cycle, and once was a fairly poorly attended festival-type tour (Prog Nation).  A new album takes care of the "oversaturation problem," at least in part.  Booking was tailing off a bit on that tour cycle, and they were making less as a multi-band festival headliner and then an opener than if they did two legs as a headliner.  As Madman posted, they wanted to "strike before the iron was hot"--or at least, before it cooled down any further. 

Barto, the problem wasn't that things were declining while they were doing the same old thing.  Things declined a bit because the touring--which is their bread and butter, financially speaking--was done differently on the Black Clouds tour cycle than in the past.  They got things back on track by doing more of a "normal" (for them) tour cycle with the next album.  Of course, the buzz of Mangini in the band may have helped.  But the proof is in the numbers for the next two tours.  Things more or less normalized for them. 
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Offline cramx3

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #65 on: July 20, 2017, 12:53:22 PM »
I also think releasing a well received album, ADTOE, helped with that tour as well.

Also, weren't they not even going to do another tour for BCSL after ProgNation, but changed plans when Iron Maiden asked them to open? 

Offline bosk1

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #66 on: July 20, 2017, 01:01:05 PM »
Yes, that is my understanding.  I think Portnoy said something along the lines of, "we were pretty much done doing opening tours. But there are a small handful of bands we would go out with, and when Maiden comes knocking, you don't turn that down."  Or something like that. 

So, yeah, that changes things up for them.  And even though the numbers for that touring cycle may not have been up to par, the Maiden tour did provide exposure, which is all the more reason for them to want to get out again on schedule and not take a long break.  That exposure would have been wasted if they disappeared for 5 years.
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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #67 on: July 20, 2017, 01:04:02 PM »
Yes, that is my understanding.  I think Portnoy said something along the lines of, "we were pretty much done doing opening tours. But there are a small handful of bands we would go out with, and when Maiden comes knocking, you don't turn that down."  Or something like that. 

If I remember correctly, they were willing and wanting to open for Rush, Yes and Maiden. To quote Meat Loaf, two out of three ain't bad.
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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #68 on: July 20, 2017, 01:09:54 PM »
Yes, that is my understanding.  I think Portnoy said something along the lines of, "we were pretty much done doing opening tours. But there are a small handful of bands we would go out with, and when Maiden comes knocking, you don't turn that down."  Or something like that. 

If I remember correctly, they were willing and wanting to open for Rush, Yes and Maiden. To quote Meat Loaf, two out of three ain't bad.

Fun fact: Meatloaf has never toured with an opening act/band/performer (not counting benefit concerts and festivals). 

Offline goo-goo

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Re: What's DT's next lineup change, and why?
« Reply #69 on: July 20, 2017, 01:12:08 PM »
I do think DT started with the wrong foot with their 1st leg of the Black Clouds Tour in North America. In my opinion, they should have headlined first, then Maiden but not ProgNation. Also, I don't think ProgNation (for BCLS) was well attended and I go as far to say that ProgNation (at least on the BCLS cycle) was an MP aberration. The majority of DT fans are there to see DT, not 3 more bands.