As one of Mangini's more ardent supporters, obviously I am extremely disappointed by the decision. I've said a few times I think the MM era produced some of the best DT music and reinvigorated my interest in the band. I am going into DT16 with an open mind and I feel like it'll be a great album because the band may feel like there is something to prove now, but I cannot escape my deeply felt preference for MM's more technical and sophisticated style of drumming and orchestration.
A few random thoughts and opinions on the issue:
1. Mangini got let go. We don't need to go through a grammatical analysis of what he released but it is extremely clear that it was a decision made for him. I understand there is more to uncover, but unless something comes out that contradict's 'DT's decision to get MP back at this time' or his reminder to everyone that from day one he was never going to be what MP was to the band, the most straight forward reading of his statement is 'I got fired.' He got let go in the absence of any contradictory information from the horses' mouths.
2. It was a business decision. From day 1 on this board fans were noticing that the DreamSonic attendance and enthusiasm was dismal. Initially I was reluctant to accept the tour was poorly attended until it was complete but it became obvious from eye witness testimony that as the concert went on, people were not happy or willing to put their money down. I was personally happy about my experience but I can't deny that so many outspoken fans did not like the setlist, the performance of some members, or the alleged predictability of the DT shows as of late.
I saw a very cynical post on another outlet that said this was a 'desperate attempt at a money grab' and while I do NOT agree with the tone of that, I do suspect this was meant to be a shot of adrenaline into an act that is declining in popularity as of late. Obviously I do not have the sales numbers, but the reality is that in business you don't make changes to your personnel when everything is going great. You make changes when things are not going well. Hence, if there was no personal conflict there is literally no reason to rock the boat unless you think it needs to be. After over a decade and 5 albums it wasn't a 'fit' or work ethic issue. But the grumblings were getting louder. As you can see on social media outlets, the overwhelming response to this is one of nostalgic bliss. This announcement created a ton of positive buzz around DT and the next album and tour are going to be hyped.
In my opinion, to the extent that fans were unhappy and unmotivated by the setlist, poor vocal performances, lack of fan engagement, or even the songwriting (all things that were brought up on this forum), that is John Petrucci's responsibility. He was the one who spearheaded the setlist; he is the one who refuses to do anything about the vocal performances; he is the one who as the leader of the band cannot fill MP's shoes on fan engagement. He did not hire MM to do any of those jobs, as was made clear from day one. Am I saying he is throwing MM under the bus? No. But I do think the growing feeling was that something was missing, it was showing up in the sales numbers, and he needed to do something to energize the fans.
3. MP in DT in 2023 will not be the same as MP in DT in 2009. I don't think MP is going to come in and pick up where he left off. I don't expect to hear any vocal backing tracks stepping all over JLB or any public criticisms regardless of how bad things get. What I expect to hear is his straight-forward rock drumming style with his signature fills and patterns. Just my opinion, but the drums will be less interesting now. Also they're still going to play MM-era songs, including their one and only grammy win, but things just won't be the same. MP cannot physically execute a faithful rendition of MM-era songs like the Alien, and he would be the first to tell you that.
5. DT is not done any time soon. I don't think this means there has been some discussion about the end. I think the guys love what they do and this was only meant to address the business side of things and try to set things on a better path for the long haul.
6. This change does not necessarily fix the issues people were complaining about in the last couple years. It probably fixes the fan engagement aspect of things because MP is so involved with the fans, but it does nothing to address the volatile vocal performances that were so widely criticized here. I don't think the band has committed to rotating setlists (something JP was free to continue in MP's absence if he wanted) so that part remains to be seen. If the song writing was bothering people, that is mainly JP and JR so unless those two are going to start changing their approach, I doubt we'll hear anything substantially different on DT16.
Nostalgia is a powerful thing but my personal opinion is that we traded a hell of a lot of technical prowess and sophistication in the drum department for a lot of feel-good vibes. I've heard what MP has to say on drums and I love the side projects that he did. But for DT, I think we've returned to a much smaller world of rhythmic possibilities at a time when we could use more.
Topic: DREAM THEATER ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF DRUMMER MIKE PORTNOY (Read 131918 times)