All will be fine, fellow DT fans. MP and DT will go on...

[Samsara]

I know everyone is up in arms, but for those who think the world is going to end, relax. Everything will be fine in DT World. Dream Theater, like Mike Pornoy, will move on.

What DT loses is its public face, and the guy who was the liaison between the fans and the band. That is a big loss, but frankly, losing MP behind the drum kit is not going to be the loss musically some are flipping out over.

Let's face it. Mike Portnoy did not write music. He wrote his drum parts and wrote some lyrics, and had a big hand in being the band's producer. Petrucci and JR are still there, and Labrie, who can write good lyrics if given an opportunity to do so, is as well. Life will go on, DT will go on.

Fans will be the ultimate judge, but DT CAN be DT without Mike Portnoy.

Are there downsides? Sure. Fans won't be spoiled the way they have been. That's as simple as it is. DT will have to develop another spokesman for the band, and the dynamic between fans and the band will change. But for those of you who care more about the music than being coddled by a drummer, this could signal a turning point of creative exploration for the band...something, I frankly think has been missing for at least the last two records.

When a guy sits the producer chair as Portnoy has, for as long as he has, it tends to get stale. HIs leaving is crushing to what we all know as "Dream Theater," but it also has some positives. We need to just allow ourselves to sit back and enjoy the ride and see where JP and company take us next.

I find MP's announcement very self-serving, and throwing bandmates under the bus is very selfish. He paints himself to be a martyr of sorts, when to be frank, the fact MP expected the rest of the band -- which makes a living on the road and being active -- to wait for him, is a really...illogical and unfair expectation.

You can't expect guys like Labrie and Myung, who don't write much and thus get very little of the band's publishing, to sit idle, doing projects, when the big money making machine that pays their mortgages and lifestyle sits idle because the drummer is out doing other things. You just can't. It's unfair to people.

So on one hand, I applaud Mike for nutting up and quitting the band, and letting them BE a band. On the other hand, I think the way Mike came out and said what he said was very immature. MP always has to be the center of attention, and his latest post shows that.

Anyway, all will be fine. MP will eventually end up as A7X's full time drummer, and MP will find creative outlets both there, and in all the side projects he loves. DT will grab a great drummer, and go off and make new music and tour, and life will go on.

Both sides need to follow this sage advice - Carpe Diem. As should fans.

Best of luck to one of the best drummers I've ever seen - Mike Portnoy. And THANK YOU for being as good to the fans as you were.

Best of luck to the rest of Dream Theater who I know will choose wisely in filling the drummer spot, and I look forward to hearing new music and seeing you on the road. It'll be killer, as it always is.

Bring it on!  

[?]

Mike Pornoy

Anyway, you made some great points in that post!  

[7StringedBeast]

I just really hope we get more Transatlantic albums out of this split.  That might make up for it.

[Samsara]

Mike Pornoy

Anyway, you made some great points in that post!  

LOL. Fixed.

[El Barto]

I agree.  Like I said last night, I think the result will be more good music.  I haven't been crazy about DT's last few albums, so I'm quite excited to hear DT as a creative outlet for the other 4.  I've enjoyed MP's side projects quite a bit, so I look forward to more of those, as well.  

I also thought the same thing about his announcement.  Honestly, I've always seen him as highly melodramatic.  And while he certainly does do a lot of great things for DT's fans, it doesn't always work out for all of us.  

I guess the only thing I see as downsides to this are that the rotating setlists will probably cease to be, and we'll never get to see the third album cover.  

I just really hope we get more Transatlantic albums out of this split.  That might make up for it.

That's the first thing I thought.  And if we get more Transatlantic combined with a newer/fresher DT, how could anybody not see this as a good thing.

[Samsara]

Every fan wants the band's classic lineup together. As much as I preferred DT from 1989-1998 (pre-JR), even I'll admit that DT post-Derek was/is the band's "classic" lineup. So yeah, in a perfect world, MP would still sit the drum stool for DT.

That said, this has opened doors for both DT and MP. As one door closes, another opens.

[MykeHavoc]

Good post Samsara. Agreed on just about all fronts. It's nice to see your thoughts be so positive, especially since one could easily draw parallels between this and DeGarmo leaving QR. Each of their involvement with their bands seemed to be on a similar level.

Although I can't say Mike didn't contribute to the music. There is footage of him playing bass during rehearsals and he does write plenty of vocal melodies.

[Samsara]

Good post Samsara. Agreed on just about all fronts. It's nice to see your thoughts be so positive, especially since one could easily draw parallels between this and DeGarmo leaving QR. Each of their involvement with their bands seemed to be on a similar level.

Although I can't say Mike didn't contribute to the music. There is footage of him playing bass during rehearsals and he does write plenty of vocal melodies.

Nope, this is ENTIRELY different than DeGarmo, and that is why I am positive. DeGarmo wrote most of the music, and a LOT of the lyrics for the band, and he did most of the song arrangements. Without its main songwriter, Queensryche has never, and will never, be the same.

But for DT, that entity is John Petrucci. If JP left DT, then it'd be similar. But Mike didn't really write the music for DT. DeGarmo DID for QR. That is a huge difference, and why I view the situations very differently. So NO comparison at all, really.

[John94]

Sadly, I want to say that I  hope JP doesn't turn Dream Theater into Chevelle. He always seems to mention them...

[skydivingninja]

I guess the only thing I see as downsides to this are that the rotating setlists will probably cease to be, and we'll never get to see the third album cover.  

We probably won't see the last cover album, but thats okay, I think.  James has said he really likes rotating setlists, and its a big part of their live show, so I think someone will step up and do it.

[bosk1]

Good post Samsara. Agreed on just about all fronts. It's nice to see your thoughts be so positive, especially since one could easily draw parallels between this and DeGarmo leaving QR. Each of their involvement with their bands seemed to be on a similar level.

Although I can't say Mike didn't contribute to the music. There is footage of him playing bass during rehearsals and he does write plenty of vocal melodies.

Nope, this is ENTIRELY different than DeGarmo, and that is why I am positive. DeGarmo wrote most of the music, and a LOT of the lyrics for the band, and he did most of the song arrangements. Without its main songwriter, Queensryche has never, and will never, be the same.

But for DT, that entity is John Petrucci. If JP left DT, then it'd be similar. But Mike didn't really write the music for DT. DeGarmo DID for QR. That is a huge difference, and why I view the situations very differently. So NO comparison at all, really.

Correct that it is different than the DeGarmo/QR situation because DeGarmo was the primary music writer.  But I'm not sure why you say Mike didn't really write the music for DT.  He absolutely did.  John has never been the primary writer.  It has always been a JP/MP collaboration with input sometimes from the keyboard player (Kev, Derek, and Jordan) and sometimes from Myung.  Mike has always been a BIG part of the writing.

[KevShmev]

Samsara, I agree with just about everything you said.  I also thought the tone of some of his announcement was very self-serving - my brother was like, "He does know that there are other members in the band, right?" - but I'll also have give him credit for leaving instead of taking a hard line and holding the band hostage to his time constraints (although who knows what really happened behind the scenes).  

As for the set lists, for as much hard work as he always did for the band, I never thought the set lists thing was a big thing. The rotating set lists said more about the band's ability to practice and be able to play well that many songs.  Writing different set lists is not that hard.  Hell, I used to do fun set lists for my favorite bands when I was bored during long lectures in college.

[The Letter M]

Samsara, I agree with just about everything you said.  I also thought the tone of some of his announcement was very self-serving - my brother was like, "He does know that there are other members in the band, right?" - but I'll also have give him credit for leaving instead of taking a hard line and holding the band hostage to his time constraints (although who knows what really happened behind the scenes).  

As for the set lists, for as much hard work as he always did for the band, I never thought the set lists thing was a big thing. The rotating set lists said more about the band's ability to practice and be able to play well that many songs.  Writing different set lists is not that hard.  Hell, I used to do fun set lists for my favorite bands when I was bored during long lectures in college.

Well, Mike also made sure that each city got a good variety of songs compared to the last time they toured there. Sure all it takes is a quick look up on the Tourography (which I'm sure JR or JP could now do), but it's THAT kind of hard work and attention to detail that Mike did to make sure the set lists were different each night. Otherwise, he could just take numbers out of a hat for a set list if he wanted to just have a "varied set list". To me, it seemed like Mike cared about every venue/city/audience when it came time to construct the set list.

-Marc.

[Samsara]

Well, Mike also made sure that each city got a good variety of songs compared to the last time they toured there. Sure all it takes is a quick look up on the Tourography (which I'm sure JR or JP could now do), but it's THAT kind of hard work and attention to detail that Mike did to make sure the set lists were different each night. Otherwise, he could just take numbers out of a hat for a set list if he wanted to just have a "varied set list". To me, it seemed like Mike cared about every venue/city/audience when it came time to construct the set list.

-Marc.

Fans in each city got SPOILED. That is how it is. MP spoiled fans, and while it was nice, that isn't typical. Folks got hugely used to all that, and frankly, while cool, if I was a band member, I'd tell Mike that learning that many songs for a tour, and being on notice to pull them out of memory on Mike's whim, was ridiculous.

As a fan, I loved it. If I were a band member, I would have hated it.

Rotating set lists here and there, or swapping a few songs out every other night is fine. What MP did was nuts. Cool, but NUTS.

[The Letter M]

Well, Mike also made sure that each city got a good variety of songs compared to the last time they toured there. Sure all it takes is a quick look up on the Tourography (which I'm sure JR or JP could now do), but it's THAT kind of hard work and attention to detail that Mike did to make sure the set lists were different each night. Otherwise, he could just take numbers out of a hat for a set list if he wanted to just have a "varied set list". To me, it seemed like Mike cared about every venue/city/audience when it came time to construct the set list.

-Marc.

Fans in each city got SPOILED. That is how it is. MP spoiled fans, and while it was nice, that isn't typical. Folks got hugely used to all that, and frankly, while cool, if I was a band member, I'd tell Mike that learning that many songs for a tour, and being on notice to pull them out of memory on Mike's whim, was ridiculous.

As a fan, I loved it. If I were a band member, I would have hated it.

Rotating set lists here and there, or swapping a few songs out every other night is fine. What MP did was nuts. Cool, but NUTS.

Yeah it is a bit of a task, but as far as I've heard, none of the band members were outwardly verbal against it. On the contrary in a recent interview, JLB said he quite enjoyed rotating set lists and felt bored singing the same set while opening for Iron Maiden.

-Marc.

[KevShmev]

All JLB has to do is sing.  I gotta think it is much more difficult to be able to play all of those songs instrumentally, rather than being able to sing them all.  Ya know, being able to remember all of the notes, changes, etc.  Not belittling JLB's job at all, but I am sure most of you catch my drift.

One thing we can probably say for sure now: NO MORE MEDLEYS!  Petrucci is on record as hating them.

[bosk1]

Yeah, as a singer myself, I agree with you Kev that that kind of thing is probably easier on the singer than anyone else.

[Samsara]

Regardless of who it was MORE difficult for, rotating setlists from city to city is hard, for anyone. The prep work involved, the rehearsing, etc. I think it bares mentioning that major set list changes were less frequent in the last couple years.

While no one in the band has said anything negative, the fact that none of the musicians have commented speaks volumes.

I just read DT's statement on MP leaving. Classy. Not one barb, just saying they hope he finds what he is looking for. CLASSY.

DT will be different in some ways, but DT will live on.

[antigoon]

I want to hear from Petrucci.

[Mebert78]

Good post, Sam.  You calmed me down a little.  For some reason, your opinions hold weight with me.  I agree that when I read Portnoy's press release that it left a sour taste in my mouth.  It felt like he was trying to make the other DT members look like that bad guys.  It made me cringe.  It's like he's forcing fans to pick a side in the divorce.  It made me go back and read the press release from when Kevin Moore left the band.  It has a totally different tone.  Bottom line, if you're leaving the band you take responsibility for the decision.  Don't point fingers at everyone else.  Here's the KM press release: https://www.themooreatorium.com/id422.html

[John94]

I saw some of the comments on the Mooreatorium and I genuinly lol'ed at some of them, especially the OP saying about John Petrucci.

Jordan has posted some pretty interesting tweets and replies. I guess you can't find out much in 140 or less. Love to hear from JP himself.

[Octavawake]

Fans in each city got SPOILED. That is how it is. MP spoiled fans, and while it was nice, that isn't typical. Folks got hugely used to all that, and frankly, while cool, if I was a band member, I'd tell Mike that learning that many songs for a tour, and being on notice to pull them out of memory on Mike's whim, was ridiculous.

As a fan, I loved it. If I were a band member, I would have hated it.

Rotating set lists here and there, or swapping a few songs out every other night is fine. What MP did was nuts. Cool, but NUTS.

Excellent point.

[yeshaberto]

thanks samsara, I needed that 

[Gadough]

I want to hear from Petrucci.

Seconded.

[Gorille85]

Good post Samsara. Agreed on just about all fronts. It's nice to see your thoughts be so positive, especially since one could easily draw parallels between this and DeGarmo leaving QR. Each of their involvement with their bands seemed to be on a similar level.

Although I can't say Mike didn't contribute to the music. There is footage of him playing bass during rehearsals and he does write plenty of vocal melodies.

Nope, this is ENTIRELY different than DeGarmo, and that is why I am positive. DeGarmo wrote most of the music, and a LOT of the lyrics for the band, and he did most of the song arrangements. Without its main songwriter, Queensryche has never, and will never, be the same.

But for DT, that entity is John Petrucci. If JP left DT, then it'd be similar. But Mike didn't really write the music for DT. DeGarmo DID for QR. That is a huge difference, and why I view the situations very differently. So NO comparison at all, really.

Correct that it is different than the DeGarmo/QR situation because DeGarmo was the primary music writer.  But I'm not sure why you say Mike didn't really write the music for DT.  He absolutely did.  John has never been the primary writer.  It has always been a JP/MP collaboration with input sometimes from the keyboard player (Kev, Derek, and Jordan) and sometimes from Myung.  Mike has always been a BIG part of the writing.

I disagree. Jordan said in an interview that John was the primary writer when they released Falling Into Infinity and that his role at the time was to help write songs. Mike was only there to comment on sections and directions in general. John and Jordan are the two primary music writer in Dream Theater.

[Octavawake]

I don't think the band members will be as distraught as imagined; it won't be as if the news was sprung on them all of a sudden, they will of been feeling this for a while now and just needed that lifeline I reckon. They may actually be relieved. MP also said "I have sadly come to the conclusion that I have recently had more fun and better personal relations with these other projects than I have for a while now in Dream Theater... "

It was only a matter of time. I was really nervous before BC&SL was released as I prayed it would save DT, and have them returning to their roots. I felt that it did, but something was still not quite right.

It will take a long time to come to terms with this. Manly tears have been shed, but DT will continue.

[antigoon]

I want to hear from Petrucci.

Seconded.

I don't want to say he owes it to us, but that's how I'm feeling

[Gorille85]

I want to hear from Petrucci.

Seconded.

Thrice

[Samsara]

Petrucci won't say anything that gives us any more clarification. He's not going to go tit-for-tate with MP about what went on between the band. If anything, you'll get PR spin from the DT camp.

MP couldn't help but take a vague shot in his own message to whoever in the band he was referring to, and I don't see JP or anyone else engaging in a war of words.

I'm sure JP will say something, eventually, as they'll have to address the media when the new record comes out, and that will be the first question everyone asks. But I expect JP to stay very neutral and very classy. Unlike how his former drummer came across. MP just shoots from the hip too much. Love that about him, but hate it too. lol.

[MykeHavoc]

Good post Samsara. Agreed on just about all fronts. It's nice to see your thoughts be so positive, especially since one could easily draw parallels between this and DeGarmo leaving QR. Each of their involvement with their bands seemed to be on a similar level.

Although I can't say Mike didn't contribute to the music. There is footage of him playing bass during rehearsals and he does write plenty of vocal melodies.

Nope, this is ENTIRELY different than DeGarmo, and that is why I am positive. DeGarmo wrote most of the music, and a LOT of the lyrics for the band, and he did most of the song arrangements. Without its main songwriter, Queensryche has never, and will never, be the same.

But for DT, that entity is John Petrucci. If JP left DT, then it'd be similar. But Mike didn't really write the music for DT. DeGarmo DID for QR. That is a huge difference, and why I view the situations very differently. So NO comparison at all, really.

Well, I said similar, not identical. You've often cited Chris as the focal guy when it came to press and interviews, and the glue that seemed to hold things together. He handled a lot of behind the scenes stuff and had a hand on the business end. Think of all the things that will be absent now that Mike is gone. He was directly responsible for all DVD releases as well as the Yste Jam stuff. He was indeed the mouth for the band. I'm just saying that some could see it going one way, which is the shitty road like QR, but mot of us are optimistic that the remaining members won't sit around with their thumbs up their butts. The musical talent is still staggering, and with the loosened grip of Mike's controlling attitude, perhaps we'll see some good stuff to come. I personally am hopeful for a return to form, as the direction taken hasn't been too exciting in my opinion.

[bodiesinflight]

I want to hear from Petrucci.

Don't we all.
I mean, I know Mike was the public face of the band and everything but if you'd ever pushed me for which member was most important to DT it would definitely be JP. I doubt he'll make a statement or anything though tbh.

[KevShmev]

Anyone else remember these two incidents:

-The youtube clip during the making of BC&SL where Petrucci is seriously trying to discuss a part of a song and Portnoy is making faces and noises like a 6-year old.

-The clip on the SC making-of where JLB is talking about how it was the most fun he was having make a record since Awake, and Portnoy, who I believe was holding the camera, cut him off to start talking about the engineer's hair or something completely irrelevant.  And JLB had a look on his face like, "Uh, I was actually trying to talk here about the recording experience." 

It really makes you wonder if the band collectively got tired of such antics.  Throw in the power he seemed to wield, and I stand by my comment last night that the band probably feels liberated to now be able to work without him.

[bosk1]

tit-for-tate

  Best Freudian slip EVER!

[Samsara]

tit-for-tate

  Best Freudian slip EVER!

NO JOKE!   

[LadyEars]

but DT CAN be DT without Mike Portnoy.

No, no, no. DT cannot be DT without him. Thank you for trying to lift everyone up with the positive outlook but MP was the heart of that band. Plain and simple. Without him, there is no DT.

I'm going to go listen to DT now and cry until I have no more tears left.