Mike Portnoy's DRUMEO Breaking Down DT's New Album: "Parasomnia" NOW

[emtee]

Love that kit! Probably my favorite of all of his kits. However, I would hate to pack it out after every show and set it up every night.

[MinistroRaven]

The Dream Monster!  

The name fits really well.

[ReaperKK]

I think the name fits but I don't know, if doesnt really roll off the to guess. Could've called it The Night Monster, Monstersomnia or something else

[Metro]

"The Monster Under the Bed"

[Bentower]

"Invisible Monster"

[hefdaddy42]

"The Monster Under the Bed"

That motherfucker isn't fitting under any bed.

[faizoff]

Finally watched the Midnight Messiah revenge video. Brandon did a really good job on it. That kit is a monster. I had no idea in all the years of seeing MP play that one of his stick is with the tip and the other isn't. Fun fact to learn. Has he always done it that way?

[ReaperKK]

As far as I know yea, he's always held them that way.

[Schurftkut]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAReAVj1z-w

mike's new cymbals

[MinistroRaven]

Breaking Down Dream Theater's New Album "Parasomnia" 👻

Mike Portnoy is BACK and breaking down Parasomnia—Dream Theater's brand-new album!

Join us as Mike dives into the creative process behind the album, shares the story behind each track, and even plays some older Dream Theater songs the band brought back for the 40th Anniversary tour.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwPmBgqeif8

Happening RIGHT NOW !

Chapters:

00:00 - "Metropolis - Part I: The Miracle And The Sleeper" by Dream Theater (Performance)
08:50 - Welcome & Dream Theater Updates
14:58 - Recording 'Parasomnia'
20:56 - The "Siamese Monster" & "Dream Monster" Drum Kits
22:57 - "Night Terror" Overview
23:53 - "Night Terror" by Dream Theater (Performance)
34:04 - The "Night Terror" Drum Fill
35:16 - How Roles Have Changed In Dream Theater
37:21 - Thoughts On Playing Mike Mangini Songs
41:41 - Building The 40th Anniversary Tour Setlist
44:01 - "Home" Overview
46:21 - "Home" by Dream Theater (Performance)
58:14 - The Other Side Of The "Dream Monster" Kit
59:55 - Mike Talks Through Every Song On 'Parasomnia'
1:10:01 - "Midnight Messiah" Overview
1:11:08 - "Midnight Messiah" by Dream Theater (Performance)
1:19:16 - Why Mike Loves Watching Dream Theater Drum Covers
1:19:47 - Mike Reflects On Being Back In Dream Theater
1:23:53 - "Stream Of Consciousness" Overview
1:24:40 - "Stream Of Consciousness" by Dream Theater (Performance)

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Thank you for posting! I'm sure people are going to be eager to hear 37:21

"Those guys when handing over the set list reigns to me gave me full freedom in what I wanted to do. They didn't insist on playing any Mangini era songs but I felt we had to..."

"The songs I picked were ones I could relate to. They were ones that reached out to me melodically..they felt like they would fit in the set list we were playing for this 40th anniversary tour. They felt like songs I would be comfortable playing. I didn't go for any of the crazy acrobatic technical songs. To be honest I don't necessarily relate to those; it was harder for me to relate to.  I was more moved by the melody, the songwriting and the moods of those songs...if you didn't know the history of the band you wouldn't know that I didn't record those songs"

[Northern Lion]

Oh man, I can't wait to watch this later!

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

Also at 20:05 or so Mike contrasts his style with Mike Mangini's and how the band naturally made different music with each.

"Mike Mangini and myself are very different drummers...Mangini's style is very very technical. He's very aware of what of what each limb is doing. I'm just not that guy...I'll be the first to admit it. I'm a feel guy..."

[TAC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwPmBgqeif8

Happening RIGHT NOW !

Chapters:

00:00 - "Metropolis - Part I: The Miracle And The Sleeper" by Dream Theater (Performance)
08:50 - Welcome & Dream Theater Updates
14:58 - Recording 'Parasomnia'
20:56 - The "Siamese Monster" & "Dream Monster" Drum Kits
22:57 - "Night Terror" Overview
23:53 - "Night Terror" by Dream Theater (Performance)
34:04 - The "Night Terror" Drum Fill
35:16 - How Roles Have Changed In Dream Theater
37:21 - Thoughts On Playing Mike Mangini Songs
41:41 - Building The 40th Anniversary Tour Setlist
44:01 - "Home" Overview
46:21 - "Home" by Dream Theater (Performance)
58:14 - The Other Side Of The "Dream Monster" Kit
59:55 - Mike Talks Through Every Song On 'Parasomnia'
1:10:01 - "Midnight Messiah" Overview
1:11:08 - "Midnight Messiah" by Dream Theater (Performance)
1:19:16 - Why Mike Loves Watching Dream Theater Drum Covers
1:19:47 - Mike Reflects On Being Back In Dream Theater
1:23:53 - "Stream Of Consciousness" Overview
1:24:40 - "Stream Of Consciousness" by Dream Theater (Performance)

Thanks for posting the chapters as well.




This is a great interview, and is why I loved MP in the first place. I love how he gives a lot of detail on some of the behind the scenes stuff. This is the kind of thing that I really missed.

[The Letter M]

Just a heads up for anyone who still hasn't seen the 40th Anniversary Tour set list, Mike discusses some of the set in this video, so watch at your own risk!

-Marc.

[gzarruk]

Thank you for posting! I'm sure people are going to be eager to hear 37:21

"Those guys when handing over the set list reigns to me gave me full freedom in what I wanted to do. They didn't insist on playing any Mangini era songs but I felt we had to..."

"The songs I picked were ones I could relate to. They were ones that reached out to me melodically..they felt like they would fit in the set list we were playing for this 40th anniversary tour. They felt like songs I would be comfortable playing. I didn't go for any of the crazy acrobatic technical songs. To be honest I don't necessarily relate to those; it was harder for me to relate to. I was more moved by the melody, the songwriting and the moods of those songs...if you didn't know the history of the band you wouldn't know that I didn't record those songs"

I really liked the part where he said they definitely needed to play songs from those 5 albums and that it would be disrespectful not to. That's classy.

I didn't like the bolded part, as he's indirectly telling us those more technical songs will probably never see the light of day live again. Could we imagine Derek or Jordan joining the band back then and refusing to play something like Metropolis because it was too technical and not something they related to? I know it's not the perfect analogy, but it'd suck if for the rest of their run they just kept the simpler MM songs and/or ballads because he doesn't relate to the more technical and complex stuff.

[macneil]

I really liked the part where he said they definitely needed to play songs from those 5 albums and that it would be disrespectful not to. That's classy.

I didn't like the bolded part, as he's indirectly telling us those more technical songs will probably never see the light of day live again. Could we imagine Derek or Jordan joining the band back then and refusing to play something like Metropolis because it was too technical and not something they related to? I know it's not the perfect analogy, but it'd suck if for the rest of their run they just kept the simpler MM songs and/or ballads because he doesn't relate to the more technical and complex stuff.

Props to Mike for including the 2 MM-era songs, given it doesn't sound like he was getting any pressure from the rest of the band to do so.

Re the 2nd point, I agree I do think he's implying it's pretty unlikely we'll ever hear him do super technical tracks like The Alien, View From the Top of the World or Pale Blue Dot. Though tbh I wouldn't put all that on MP, if the rest of the band don't feel the need to keep those songs included.

I just hope there are some other songs from that era he's connected with, and they get sprinkled in future setlists. I do think Breaking All Illusions is due a performance. I think he's been pretty reasonable with it though, he's respectful of what's been done before but being pretty open with what he feels comfortable doing.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

I really liked the part where he said they definitely needed to play songs from those 5 albums and that it would be disrespectful not to. That's classy.

I didn't like the bolded part, as he's indirectly telling us those more technical songs will probably never see the light of day live again. Could we imagine Derek or Jordan joining the band back then and refusing to play something like Metropolis because it was too technical and not something they related to? I know it's not the perfect analogy, but it'd suck if for the rest of their run they just kept the simpler MM songs and/or ballads because he doesn't relate to the more technical and complex stuff. 

Yes, to his credit for including those for fans who actually enjoy the music from the last 13 years when he didn't have to. We chatted about this recently but i mentioned he has full control of the set list and could decide to retire the last 5 albums if he wanted. This seems to confirm that. The others didn't insist he play any of that material for the 40th anniversary celebration. It's up to his discretion so props for making the right call for this tour. We'll see what the future brings.

As far as the bolded part, i just see it as part of the package trade the band made to bring Mike back. He did a good job explaining it: they're just very different players. He said at the end the 2 he chose were not obviously the product of a different drummer, which is true but interesting  to mention.

[evilasiojr]

Props to Mike for including the 2 MM-era songs, given it doesn't sound like he was getting any pressure from the rest of the band to do so.

Re the 2nd point, I agree I do think he's implying it's pretty unlikely we'll ever hear him do super technical tracks like The Alien, View From the Top of the World or Pale Blue Dot. Though tbh I wouldn't put all that on MP, if the rest of the band don't feel the need to keep those songs included.

I just hope there are some other songs from that era he's connected with, and they get sprinkled in future setlists. I do think Breaking All Illusions is due a performance. I think he's been pretty reasonable with it though, he's respectful of what's been done before but being pretty open with what he feels comfortable doing.

Agreed, but my impression is if any day, when choosing a new set list, MP listens to any of those songs again and feels he likes them, even if crazy technical, he'll just play them his own way. Hope it happens, would love to see him play The Enemy Inside, Pale Blue Dot, Lost Not Forgotten and others

[Dream Team]

There really aren't THAT many that are crazy over-the-top. But if that's his loophole, oh well. As already mentioned, stuff like Breaking All Illusions and the like should appeal to him.

[Awaken]

Great news for other MM era songs like The Bigger Picture, Behind the Veil, Transcending Time in that they may see the light of day for future setlists.  Fingers crossed.  I think this strongly hints that the more technical tunes may have already been heard live for the last time.  I'm glad I got to see every MM era tour and a lot of these already.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Great news for other MM era songs like The Bigger Picture, Behind the Veil, Transcending Time in that they may see the light of day for future setlists.  Fingers crossed.  I think this strongly hints that the more technical tunes may have already been heard live for the last time.  I'm glad I got to see every MM era tour and a lot of these already.

My sense, completely speculating, is that we won't see many if any MM songs during "regular" tours. But when the inevitable 50th anniversary tour happens? I'm glad MP feels there needs to be at least some MM representation.

[KevShmev]

Unless I missed it (I forwarded past the drum performances of the songs), I wish the interviewer would have directly asked him how much of The Astonishing he liked, but I get that he probably didn't want to press him on Mangini material too much.  I think it shows how much he has mellowed out that Portnoy was willing to play songs from the Mangini era despite the band not making that a caveat when he was given the set list reigns back, and I chuckled at his crack about playing a WDADU song that maybe 10 people would know (THANK YOU!! EXACTLY!!).

Overall, that was a good watch, and I don't think we can underestimate how much his PR helps the band's presence.  Maybe it's just me, but I am far more likely to watch something like that or an interview with Portnoy that anyone else in the band (and he hasn't always been my favorite person in the band ).  He is just more interesting to listen to than the others, IMO.  JP, for all of his greatness, is a bore in interviews.   

[Kyo]

My sense, completely speculating, is that we won't see many if any MM songs during "regular" tours. But when the inevitable 50th anniversary tour happens? I'm glad MP feels there needs to be at least some MM representation.

Can't wait to hear MP finally tackle The Alien in 2034 at the age of 67. 

[durga2112]

I didn't like the bolded part, as he's indirectly telling us those more technical songs will probably never see the light of day live again.

This has been mentioned in other threads, both by myself and by others, but the reality is that at this stage of their career, there are many songs, regardless of who originally drummed on them, that will never see the light of day again. I highly doubt that Portnoy has a list of Retired Songs sitting around somewhere, but think about it: there are nearly 200 songs in their catalogue. Add to that however many songs will be on any albums they record in the future (and which will be given priority on their respective tours) - how likely is it that any one of those songs will be played again? Unless they play another 40 years or decide to do a crazy "One Last Time" tour that includes every one of their songs, a lot of them have already been played for the last time.

[genome]

This has been mentioned in other threads, both by myself and by others, but the reality is that at this stage of their career, there are many songs, regardless of who originally drummed on them, that will never see the light of day again. I highly doubt that Portnoy has a list of Retired Songs sitting around somewhere, but think about it: there are nearly 200 songs in their catalogue. Add to that however many songs will be on any albums they record in the future (and which will be given priority on their respective tours) - how likely is it that any one of those songs will be played again? Unless they play another 40 years or decide to do a crazy "One Last Time" tour that includes every one of their songs, a lot of them have already been played for the last time.

You mean Portnoy will never play Machine Chatter? 

[Dedalus]

JP, for all of his greatness, is a bore in interviews.

It's no surprise that for a large portion of fans the band has become "Mike Portnoy's band" over time.

Not only is he great at communicating and has a lot of charisma, but his bandmates are also very bad at it. 

[Dedalus]

This has been mentioned in other threads, both by myself and by others, but the reality is that at this stage of their career, there are many songs, regardless of who originally drummed on them, that will never see the light of day again. I highly doubt that Portnoy has a list of Retired Songs sitting around somewhere, but think about it: there are nearly 200 songs in their catalogue. Add to that however many songs will be on any albums they record in the future (and which will be given priority on their respective tours) - how likely is it that any one of those songs will be played again? Unless they play another 40 years or decide to do a crazy "One Last Time" tour that includes every one of their songs, a lot of them have already been played for the last time.

And yet they still manage to play TDEN.   

[MirrorMask]

This has been mentioned in other threads, both by myself and by others, but the reality is that at this stage of their career, there are many songs, regardless of who originally drummed on them, that will never see the light of day again. I highly doubt that Portnoy has a list of Retired Songs sitting around somewhere, but think about it: there are nearly 200 songs in their catalogue. Add to that however many songs will be on any albums they record in the future (and which will be given priority on their respective tours) - how likely is it that any one of those songs will be played again? Unless they play another 40 years or decide to do a crazy "One Last Time" tour that includes every one of their songs, a lot of them have already been played for the last time.

I remember making a thread about it, with discussions about which songs might be gone for good.

As you said, there is no song that is "officially" retired by Portnoy-decree. But the number of songs that will never be played live again is higher than any of us, or maybe the band themselves, realize.

[hefdaddy42]

And yet they still manage to play TDEN.   

Well, it's not that hard.

[Metro]

MP has played hundreds of across all of his various projects, as well as countless cover songs with those projects. He's toured with other bands as a hired gun and played entire shows of songs written by other drummers. For him to not want to learn/play songs by his own band, I think is just lazy on his part.
So what if he wasn't involved in making those songs? How many songs did MM play over the years that he didn't write? Or Jordan for that matter?

Obviously no one should expect them to play any of the MM-era albums in full ever again, and at most I'd expect maybe 3 MM-era songs in any given setlist from here on out, but for him to write off however many songs because they're too "technical" or "acrobatic", is lazy.

[Lonk]

I didn't like the bolded part, as he's indirectly telling us those more technical songs will probably never see the light of day live again.

I was honestly expecting at least 2 more songs from the MM era at the show. After the show was over, I had the realization that a lot of that material won't be played, including songs that they never played live to begin with (S2N, Surrender to Reason, Room 137).

[KevShmev]

MP has played hundreds of across all of his various projects, as well as countless cover songs with those projects. He's toured with other bands as a hired gun and played entire shows of songs written by other drummers. For him to not want to learn/play songs by his own band, I think is just lazy on his part.
So what if he wasn't involved in making those songs? How many songs did MM play over the years that he didn't write? Or Jordan for that matter?

Obviously no one should expect them to play any of the MM-era albums in full ever again, and at most I'd expect maybe 3 MM-era songs in any given setlist from here on out, but for him to write off however many songs because they're too "technical" or "acrobatic", is lazy.

This seems like a bad take.  I took it not as him being lazy, but as him simply not connecting as much with the overly technical songs, as opposed to This Is the Life and Barstool Warrior, two songs he professed love for despite those being Dream Theater songs that came from the era of which he was not a part.  I'd rather he pick songs that he connects with than pick the technical songs that will inevitably make some fans turn his performances of them into a "can he play them as well as Mangini?" contest, as if music is a speed race or something.

[TheBarstoolWarrior]

MP has played hundreds of across all of his various projects, as well as countless cover songs with those projects. He's toured with other bands as a hired gun and played entire shows of songs written by other drummers. For him to not want to learn/play songs by his own band, I think is just lazy on his part.
So what if he wasn't involved in making those songs? How many songs did MM play over the years that he didn't write? Or Jordan for that matter?

Obviously no one should expect them to play any of the MM-era albums in full ever again, and at most I'd expect maybe 3 MM-era songs in any given setlist from here on out, but for him to write off however many songs because they're too "technical" or "acrobatic", is lazy.

I don't think it's lazy as much as it's not a realistic ask unless you think fans would accept him covering the more technical songs and bringing them completely into his style (the only possible outcome if he does play them). The more likely thing would he plays PBD and gets flamed online. I don't see any upside in it for him to do that.

[hefdaddy42]

True, but I think when comparing to when JR, DS, or MM joined the band (I know MP is a re-join, so it's not exactly the same), they would have gotten laughed at if taking such a stance.

Having said that, I for one would be totally fine with him playing a different or more MP-styled drum part for any of the MM-era songs.  I would rather that than to see them never played at all.  I don't care if he plays MM's parts note for note, just like I've never cared if JR plays KM's or DS's parts note for note.