Mike Portnoy's DRUMEO video series

[nobloodyname]

This video reaction made me ROFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAWBSm1D3M

It amazes me people can make a living doing those videos.

[Chino]

This video reaction made me ROFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAWBSm1D3M

It amazes me people can make a living doing those videos.

I don't know why, but the way he holds the whiskey glass throughout the entire video really distracts me.

[Setlist Scotty]

I'm really really hoping the learning challenge is playing a MM era DT song.

I imagine some MM era songs are going to have to be played. I'm curious it MP will stay true to them or add his own flavor. Manghini seemed like he stayed pretty close to the source material, while occasionally taking some liberties on things like the outro of Finally Free.

Well given that MP never played his own parts exactly as they are on the album, you can be sure he'll be doing his own interpretations of the MM material as well. Just look at how he handled the drums for the PSMS shows - especially the Planet X stuff - to see he won't play things exactly as the original.

[Adami]

Didn’t they say the learn a song thing would be a different genre for him?

While it would be cool to see him do a MM song, I sincerely doubt it will be with Drumeo.

[axeman90210]

Yeah, I'd be comfortable wagering a large sum of money that they won't throw a MM era DT song at him.

[hefdaddy42]

I'm really really hoping the learning challenge is playing a MM era DT song.

That would be a dick move from Drumeo.

[Samsara]

I'm really really hoping the learning challenge is playing a MM era DT song.

That would be a dick move from Drumeo.

Why, hef?

I mean, Mike's the drummer of DT, he's still friends with Mangini and there's no animosity. It'd be cool to see Portnoy have to figure one of MM's DT songs out on there. I think it'd be fun, and not disrespectful at all.

[gzarruk]

I'm really really hoping the learning challenge is playing a MM era DT song.

That would be a dick move from Drumeo.

Why, hef?

I mean, Mike's the drummer of DT, he's still friends with Mangini and there's no animosity. It'd be cool to see Portnoy have to figure one of MM's DT songs out on there. I think it'd be fun, and not disrespectful at all.

This.

It'd be wrong if Mike P was still out of DT and they went like "oh here's a track you definitely haven't heard before  ", but he's back in the band so at some point he's gotta learn at least one or two MM era songs, specially if he intends to acknowledge and be respectful of the previous era of the band (which he said he will). I wouldn't see it as a bad move from them at all.

Also, with MP's reurn to DT there's already talk out there about whether he's able to nail MM's drum parts or not and there's going to be a lot of focus on the drumming for the upcoming DT album and shows. Even more so, Drumeo is a drum centered platform made by drummers and for drummers, so it'd be very interesting from that perspective. It would be the perfect oportunity too for MP to shut up all the people saying he can't play the MM era stuff and convert back some of the fans who aren't totally sold on the lineup change yet.

In the end, we have no clue what song or from what band they made him learn and play anyway

[hefdaddy42]

I'm really really hoping the learning challenge is playing a MM era DT song.

That would be a dick move from Drumeo.

Why, hef?

I mean, Mike's the drummer of DT, he's still friends with Mangini and there's no animosity. It'd be cool to see Portnoy have to figure one of MM's DT songs out on there. I think it'd be fun, and not disrespectful at all.

Comparison is inevitable in the fanbase, but it's not really helpful and usually only leads to antagonism toward one or the other party.  It's going to happen anyway, no reason for Drumeo to stoke those fires.

If I were MP and they pulled that shit, I would not be happy.

[Schurftkut]

there's already a youtubechannel with a MP copycat playing MM songs the way MP probably would. It's a pretty simple conversion really...

[The Letter M]

I wonder if JP and/or JR will bargain with MP about playing an MM-era song, and if they pick one, maybe he'll get to pick a pre-MM-era song that he really wants to play live, like a deep cut or a song the band hasn't played since he was last in the band.

-Marc.

[Stadler]

I wonder if JP and/or JR will bargain with MP about playing an MM-era song, and if they pick one, maybe he'll get to pick a pre-MM-era song that he really wants to play live, like a deep cut or a song the band hasn't played since he was last in the band.

-Marc.

I don't know; I don't see "playing MM songs" being a problem.   

[nobloodyname]

It would be the perfect oportunity too for MP to shut up all the people saying he can't play the MM era stuff and convert back some of the fans who aren't totally sold on the lineup change yet.

What, you mean you and about three others here?

I fully acknowledge it's unlikely MP will adhere to all the intricacies but to the vast majority of the fanbase, that won't matter one iota.

[gborland]

It's literally his job to play DT songs, so getting him to play a DT song (that he may not have learned yet) is neither disrespectful nor a dick move!

[Schurftkut]

JMX even played LTE songs 

[HOF]

It's literally his job to play DT songs, so getting him to play a DT song (that he may not have learned yet) is neither disrespectful nor a dick move!

I think the issue would be that you know having him play a MM era song on the fly opens up all sorts of scrutiny. It’s less about whether or not MP would be willing to play a MM song with proper practice and rehearsal and more about putting him an an awkward spot where if it doesn’t go well it opens him to all sorts of fan criticism.

[devieira73]

It's literally his job to play DT songs, so getting him to play a DT song (that he may not have learned yet) is neither disrespectful nor a dick move!

I think the issue would be that you know having him play a MM era song on the fly opens up all sorts of scrutiny. It’s less about whether or not MP would be willing to play a MM song with proper practice and rehearsal and more about putting him an an awkward spot where if it doesn’t go well it opens him to all sorts of fan criticism.

Totally this! In theory, it would be something really cool to see (I would LOVE to), but, in practice, it would only open a giant can of worms, unfortunately.

[Lonk]

It's literally his job to play DT songs, so getting him to play a DT song (that he may not have learned yet) is neither disrespectful nor a dick move!

He will get there, but I get what Hef is saying and I think he is right, it would be a *blip* move.

No only is the point of the channel to hear a drummer's take on songs different from their usual style, but asking someone to play (on the spot without prior notice) a technical song that most likely will require some practice or more time than a drumeo video can allow, would not necessarily be a smart move. It would be like asking your subway drummer to play bleed from Meshuggah on the spot (if they never heard the song before).

And there's not upside to that. If he plays the song, "Cool, he's supposed to play it. He is DT's drummer". If he messes up, "See, they should've stay with MM".

[bosk1]

It's literally his job to play DT songs, so getting him to play a DT song (that he may not have learned yet) is neither disrespectful nor a dick move!

He will get there, but I get what Hef is saying and I think he is right, it would be a *blip* move.

No only is the point of the channel to hear a drummer's take on songs different from their usual style, but asking someone to play (on the spot without prior notice) a technical song that most likely will require some practice or more time than a drumeo video can allow, would not necessarily be a smart move. It would be like asking your subway drummer to play bleed from Meshuggah on the spot (if they never heard the song before).

And there's not upside to that. If he plays the song, "Cool, he's supposed to play it. He is DT's drummer". If he messes up, "See, they should've stay with MM".

Yeah, pretty much that.  Yes, it's his job in DT to play whatever DT songs they collectively decide to play.  It's NOT his job to play any DT song on demand on the spot that somebody outside the band asks him to play. 

But I don't think it's about "messing it up" as much as just asking him to do so without absorbing the nuances of MM's playing and being able to take the time to think through what he would want to play for something so complex would just invite unfair comparison, and that's not good for ANYBODY but the trolls who love to make such unfair comparisons.  So, yeah, Hef is right.

[Samsara]

It's literally his job to play DT songs, so getting him to play a DT song (that he may not have learned yet) is neither disrespectful nor a dick move!

He will get there, but I get what Hef is saying and I think he is right, it would be a *blip* move.

No only is the point of the channel to hear a drummer's take on songs different from their usual style, but asking someone to play (on the spot without prior notice) a technical song that most likely will require some practice or more time than a drumeo video can allow, would not necessarily be a smart move. It would be like asking your subway drummer to play bleed from Meshuggah on the spot (if they never heard the song before).

And there's not upside to that. If he plays the song, "Cool, he's supposed to play it. He is DT's drummer". If he messes up, "See, they should've stay with MM".

Yeah, pretty much that.  Yes, it's his job in DT to play whatever DT songs they collectively decide to play.  It's NOT his job to play any DT song on demand on the spot that somebody outside the band asks him to play. 

But I don't think it's about "messing it up" as much as just asking him to do so without absorbing the nuances of MM's playing and being able to take the time to think through what he would want to play for something so complex would just invite unfair comparison, and that's not good for ANYBODY but the trolls who love to make such unfair comparisons.  So, yeah, Hef is right.

After reading Hef's reply, and then some of the other comments, I get it, and now agree. Not a good move if Drumeo did that.

I do, however, look forward to MP playing the more recent DT material. I happen to really like the last two DT records, and it'd be a shame if that stuff became obscure. I imagine the set moving forward would be new material and the old material with MP. But a cut or two from the Mangini era would be nice to keep in rotation.

[Sycsa]

This video reaction made me ROFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAWBSm1D3M

It amazes me people can make a living doing those videos.

I don't know about making a living, but maybe you're thinking about videos where they just play the original video and make faces to it, without really adding anything substantial to it. The linked video is definitely not one of those, the guy actually has quite a lot of interesting insight & commentary. I was skeptical at first, but (after skipping the first few minutes) I was thoroughly entertained.

About the 'making a living' part, since it has copyrighted music, it probably wouldn't yield any YouTube revenues in the first place (which would be measly for a few tens of thousands of views anyway). These content creators are usually sponsored directly by fans through Patreon or some such, so it's quite a meritocratic system.

[Lonk]

This video reaction made me ROFL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHAWBSm1D3M

It amazes me people can make a living doing those videos.

I don't know about making a living, but maybe you're thinking about videos where they just play the original video and make faces to it, without really adding anything substantial to it. The linked video is definitely not one of those, the guy actually has quite a lot of interesting insight & commentary. I was skeptical at first, but (after skipping the first few minutes) I was thoroughly entertained.

He has some really good videos about DT or other topics. I stopped watching his stuff a while ago, but this video was really interesting:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjkdGwHe5qg

There's also another video where he talks about The Astonishing.

[gborland]

Up next will be the Dance of Eternity!
https://www.facebook.com/mikeportnoyofficial/posts/pfbid02TVDzdy9q2s1HPpeBgUyTyUp8YiPQSMXATYh5djRFz5tv36MTcxcin61kp4rLPs4Tl

[Lonk]

And here is the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49h2BivkQ0s

[Sycsa]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

[nikatapi]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

That would never happen. We'll be lucky if the band wants (which i hope they will) to play MM era songs from now on.

[Sycsa]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

That would never happen. We'll be lucky if the band wants (which i hope they will) to play MM era songs from now on.

No way they'll ditch Breaking all Illusions forever. As for the rest, I guess anything goes. Damn, is BAI the only must-play song from the MM-era?

[Zydar]

I wonder if The Alien will be played since it won a Grammy.

[MirrorMask]

Not even Pull Me Under and Metropolis are "must play" songs. DT over the years changed their setlists enough to avoid the "must play" songs. So any of the better received songs from the Mangini era is potentially fair game.

[hefdaddy42]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

That would never happen. We'll be lucky if the band wants (which i hope they will) to play MM era songs from now on.

We'll get them.  I don't even understand where anyone gets the idea that they wouldn't.

[Lonk]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

That would never happen. We'll be lucky if the band wants (which i hope they will) to play MM era songs from now on.

No way they'll ditch Breaking all Illusions forever. As for the rest, I guess anything goes. Damn, is BAI the only must-play song from the MM-era?

We spoke about this recently. I don't think they will ditch all MM era songs, and we certainly won't see MP playing them for the first time on Drumeo.

Songs that I think are on the table to include on future setlist:

On the Backs of Angels
BAI
The Looking Glass
Surrender to Reason
Our New World
Untethered Angel
Barstool Warrior
At Wit's End
The Alien
Answering the Call
Transcending Time
Awaken the Master (specially if JP records another song with an 8 string guitar)

All songs are probably on the table, but I see them including at least 1 of those songs next tour.

[Sycsa]

I wonder if The Alien will be played since it won a Grammy.

Indeed, that's a solid candidate, would even be above BAI for that reason. So, we're up to two songs.

Going by YouTube view count, we have a few more players:
Our New World - 6,3 million views
The Looking Glass - 4,6
The Enemy Inside - 3,7
The Gift of Music - 3,6

[devieira73]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

Maybe I'm wrong, but MP only made a comment about the TDOE parts being played faster live within Instrumedley, but I don't think they announced MP will play Instrumedley next on Drumeo.

[Lonk]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

Maybe I'm wrong, but MP only made a comment about the TDOE parts being played faster live within Instrumedley, but I don't think they announced MP will play Instrumedley next on Drumeo.

They did towards the end of the video. He said he did a video of Instrumedley, and then the video says "Coming Soon".

[Kram]

Dance of Eternity and the next video will be Instrumedley. I'm a bit disappointed, if there's one thing we don't need more of, it's footage of MP playing these. I guess they didn't dare to pull any MM era songs out.

That would never happen. We'll be lucky if the band wants (which i hope they will) to play MM era songs from now on.

We'll get them.  I don't even understand where anyone gets the idea that they wouldn't.

Exactly Hef.  Remember, this is Mike Portnoy we're talking about.  He gives the fans what they want, as he's a fan himself.  I don't see him shying away from these.  He'll probably be writing the setlists again - so we'll be getting some of these for sure.