Portnoy invites the DT guys to play the 12 step with him

[fadetoblackdude7]

Here's a question.

Suppose Mangini quit after The Astonishing tour and Portnoy got the position back ?

Do you think he'd go right back to super controlling "my baby" Mike Portnoy or would he be content with just being the drummer in DT again ?

I don't think it would happen immediately but maybe after a year or two.

If that happened, I don't think they'd let him go back to being the leader and controlling everything; he'd have to adapt to the way things are done now, plain and simple.

[Madman Shepherd]

Yes. In reality if Mangini left I think DT would be done.

I don't think so, personally. If anything I think it's only certain that DT would disband if Petrucci stepped down - although obviously LaBrie or Rudess leaving would be huge.

They didn't quit when Portnoy left, why should they quit once the drummer for three albums would leave?

I can only imagine what would be Portnoy's reaction if Mangini would step down of his own free will and the band would pick another drummer rather than welcoming him back.

Also - do you think the members who were reportedly more happy about his departure would welcome him back? or would they put their foot down?

I think them quitting is a realistic prospect.  I remember JLB saying in an interview something along the lines of, "I think we have two or three more albums in us."  I remember thinking it was very odd for him to say that as if the band had talked about retirement.  I think this was around the time of DT12 so if that was legit, they would do at least two more albums meaning that *maybe* they would think about retiring in about 2021-22. 

Of course, this is their income and if the crowds are still coming and they can still perform I would imagine they would keep going.  I could see them scaling back though. 

...and yes, I do think some members would put their foot down and IF MP ever did come back, it would be under several conditions. 

[Major Thirteenth]

Here's a question.

Suppose Mangini quit after The Astonishing tour and Portnoy got the position back ?

Do you think he'd go right back to super controlling "my baby" Mike Portnoy or would he be content with just being the drummer in DT again ?

I don't think it would happen immediately but maybe after a year or two.

Like a week tops. People don't change. Once you are 40, your spots are indelible and you are who you are. Plus, going back to the invite, I find the whole thing utterly narcissistic. Throw a huge birthday bash for yourself on a cruise ship, invite people back who you rejected, and play music about being a drunk. What am I missing, why would any of this appeal to DT? It wouldn't, I'm not missing anything. And also, attending such a charade would be an act of disloyalty and cruelty to the current drummer in the band. The whole thing is a self-centered self-aggrandizing joke and literally screams out "nothing has changed, or ever will". I find the whole thing to be distasteful, to be kind.

[Darkstarshades]

MP will divide DT like Helmut Zemo in MCU Civil War.
Idk, I'm team JR.

[hefdaddy42]

I can't believe all the contentious posting about things other people have said in this thread, but THIS

I actually kinda liked Van Halen III  :-)

gets ignored.

[TAC]

What's Van Halen III?

[Darkstarshades]

What's Van Halen III?

The bullshitest of bullshits.

[Kotowboy]

What's so bad about it ? Did they go full 80s and abandon guitars for synths ?

[hefdaddy42]

What's Van Halen III?

The Gary Cherone album.

The un-VH-ish of all VH albums.

[TAC]

What's Van Halen III?

The Gary Cherone album.

The un-VH-ish of all VH albums.

Hef, I know what VHIII is..

[Prog Snob]

I never heard it. It might actually be good. 

[Orbert]

I vaguely remember Gary Cherone being the lead singer for Van Halen for a while in the 90's, and thought it could be okay because I like him as a singer, but I've never heard the album, and I didn't realize that they actually named it Van Halen III.  Kinda bizarre, since it's obviously not their third album and both the eponymous self-titled album and Van Halen II exist.  So it actually means "the third version of Van Halen"?  Lame.

[TAC]

I have actually never heard a single note of VHIII.

[Prog Snob]

I have actually never heard a single note of VHIII.

It's not the single notes; it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable.

[TAC]

I have actually never heard a single note of VHIII.

It's not the single notes; it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable.

It's not the single words in your post, it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable. 

[Prog Snob]

I have actually never heard a single note of VHIII.

It's not the single notes; it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable.

It's not the single words in your post, it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable. 

[Adami]

I have actually never heard a single note of VHIII.

It's not the single notes; it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable.

It's not the single words in your post, it's the way they're arranged that's usually questionable. 

W-what?

[KevShmev]

Van Halen III is not as bad as most think. It's a solid record with a few really good songs.

[Mosh]

Balance is worse than VH3* and also pretty un-VH sounding. 3 has some good moments and I'm a huge fan of Extreme so I'm on board with Cherone. I think it's just a bit too long really, some songs should've been shorter and some should've not been on the album at all. It's an exhausting album to listen to.

The whole album is weird and was also the first without Michael Anthony so the signature background vocals are completely gone.

*Slightly related to Orbert's point, it's actually Van Halen 3, not Van Halen III. So it's also inconsistent with Van Halen II.

[TAC]

Balance is pretty good.

[bluehaze]

I think it would be nice if DT joined the cruise for a few shows and then joined Mike for the 12 step song. That way, Mangini would not be left out. I know there is a lot of animosity within the band about Mike, but it times to bury the hatchet and not into each other's backs anymore. If that actually materialized, I hope that it wouldn't be the Florida run and DT would still do shows here in Miami, Tampa, etc. It stinks that there are so many killer prog bands that play the cruises but not Florida itself. I'd like to see Transatlantic here in Florida. I would drive to Orlando or Tampa for that.

[Mosh]

Balance is pretty good.

It's a mixed bag. There are songs that are among the best they've ever done, but a lot of it is among their worst.

[Darkstarshades]

Balance is pretty good.

It's a mixed bag. There are songs that are among the best they've ever done, but a lot of it is among their worst.

You described FII.

[Mosh]

Nah, FII is way better than Balance. I can skip the three songs on FII that I dislike and still have an hour of solid to awesome music. Balance is pretty much the opposite: I listen to the first four songs then skip to the instrumental (and sometimes Aftershock if I feel like it) and then I'm done.

[KevShmev]

I think it would be nice if DT joined the cruise for a few shows and then joined Mike for the 12 step song. That way, Mangini would not be left out. I know there is a lot of animosity within the band about Mike, but it times to bury the hatchet and not into each other's backs anymore. If that actually materialized, I hope that it wouldn't be the Florida run and DT would still do shows here in Miami, Tampa, etc. It stinks that there are so many killer prog bands that play the cruises but not Florida itself. I'd like to see Transatlantic here in Florida. I would drive to Orlando or Tampa for that.

  There is no hatchet on the side of the band; they have moved on and are looking ahead instead of behind. Their ex-drummer is the one who can't get over it.

[bluehaze]

I think it would be nice if DT joined the cruise for a few shows and then joined Mike for the 12 step song. That way, Mangini would not be left out. I know there is a lot of animosity within the band about Mike, but it times to bury the hatchet and not into each other's backs anymore. If that actually materialized, I hope that it wouldn't be the Florida run and DT would still do shows here in Miami, Tampa, etc. It stinks that there are so many killer prog bands that play the cruises but not Florida itself. I'd like to see Transatlantic here in Florida. I would drive to Orlando or Tampa for that.

  There is no hatchet on the side of the band; they have moved on and are looking ahead instead of behind. Their ex-drummer is the one who can't get over it.

It's just a turn of phrase...I'm late to this whole discussion and I just read Jordan's interview, so it isn't going to happen. It's a shame really, but it is what it is. Sometimes family takes liberties with each other that shouldn't be taken. This was the case with Mike P. As far as Mike Mangini, he's a great drummer, but after seeing them in 2011, I couldn't help but feel there is a glaring hole center rear of the stage that he simply can't fill. I miss MP's energy and stage presence. He was the one that got the crowd on it's feet. He was the one that made even the most dour person smile. As I said, it's a shame about all that went down, but it's been six years now and as you said, Dream Theater has moved on.   

[Orbert]

Balance is worse than VH3* and also pretty un-VH sounding. 3 has some good moments and I'm a huge fan of Extreme so I'm on board with Cherone. I think it's just a bit too long really, some songs should've been shorter and some should've not been on the album at all. It's an exhausting album to listen to.

The whole album is weird and was also the first without Michael Anthony so the signature background vocals are completely gone.

*Slightly related to Orbert's point, it's actually Van Halen 3, not Van Halen III. So it's also inconsistent with Van Halen II.

Actually, I looked it up prior to posting.  I can't find much about Van Halen 3, but plenty about Van Halen III, including the cover art.



Everyone from Amazon to AMG to Wikipedia refer to it as Van Halen III.

[Mosh]

  You are right. I forgot it was that way on the front cover, but take a look at the rest of the packaging:

[Orbert]

That's just odd.  It's like they either intentionally wanted to make it go either way, or they didn't give a shit.

[BlobVanDam]

That's just odd.  It's like they either intentionally wanted to make it go either way, or they didn't give a shit.

Much like the fans, I doubt they gave a shit.

[Anguyen92]

Man, this thread really got off the rail with the Van Halen III discussion.  As a modern music fan, I decided to take a listen of it out of curio thinking that it wouldn't be that bad.  Now while it is not a disaster like I was thinking (I was thinking Metallica/Lou Reed's Lulu disaster), after 15 minutes of it, I just got bored of it and went on doing other stuff.

[BlobVanDam]

There are few things that are Lulu levels of disaster.

[Prog Snob]

Man, this thread really got off the rail with the Van Halen III discussion.  As a modern music fan, I decided to take a listen of it out of curio thinking that it wouldn't be that bad.  Now while it is not a disaster like I was thinking (I was thinking Metallica/Lou Reed's Lulu disaster), after 15 minutes of it, I just got bored of it and went on doing other stuff.

I also decided to give it a fair shot last night, but turned it off after the third song. Poor Gary Cherone.

[Orbert]

I didn't realize that Michael Anthony wasn't on it, either.  Now that I think about it, it makes sense, as I do remember that he left when Sammy left.

[TAC]

I didn't realize that Michael Anthony wasn't on it, either.

Oh really, neither did I? Who played bass?