Tag: Dream Theater

Mike Portnoy Quits Dream Theater after 25 Years of Service

My heart skipped a beat when I read this news on Mike Portnoy’s forum. And at this moment it feels like a truck hit me on the freeway. I have been listening to and following this band for nearly 20 years and I am stunned.

But let’s look at it in a more positive way. Hopefully this frees the way to more cool projects like a new Transatlantic album. Their last album was called “The Whirlwind” blew me away and their live performance was totally out of this world. The best progressive, symphonic rock band I have ever witnessed playing in my life.

So here’s to Mike, the genius, master of drummers, the hardest working musician in the music business.

Cheers, mate! Good luck on your future endeavors!

Amplify’d from www.mikeportnoy.com

I am about to write something I never imagined I’d ever write:

After 25 years, I have decided to leave Dream Theater….the band I founded, led and truly loved for a quarter of a century.

To many people this will come as a complete shock, and will also likely be misunderstood by some, but please believe me that it is not a hasty decision…it is something I have struggled with for the last year or so….

See more at www.mikeportnoy.com

See this Amp at http://bit.ly/bee7HH

Revisited: Dream Theater’s Images and Words 15th Anniversary Performance

When I picked up my mail from my mailbox last Friday I was pleasantly surprised to find a package from Voices UK, the UK based Dream Theater fanclub. Since the previous issue was sent to me more than a year ago I thought that they had stopped existing or had totally forgotten about me.

As soon as I stepped into my apartment I ripped open the envelope and I found a brand new fanclub CD inside and the new issue or the fanzine. When I checked the label of the CD I just could not believe my eyes. The CD contained the 15th anniversary performance of the Images and Words album which I attended last year in Bonn, Germany. I jumped with joy! Wow! Fantastic! What a great souvenir of this fantastic concert!

Because it was already late I decided to give the CD a spin on Saturday. I played it at concert sound level and I loved it from start to finish! The sound quality of this fanclub CD is great and the performance is very good, just as I described last year in my review of the event.

What a great way to start the weekend!

(Originally posted on my Last.fm journal)

Review: Dream Theater Celebrates 15 Years Images & Words

Dream Theater (support: Riverside) – Museumsmeile – June 16th, 2007

Finally I have recuperated from my trip to Bonn, which is almost a 4 hour drive from the place where I live. Yesterday a friend of mine and myself had the privilege to see a very special Dream Theater live show. When we took off on Saturday morning to Bonn we did not have the slightest idea what would happen during that show. I can tell you I was flabbergasted and extremely happy that I was there to experience it!

But what am I talking about here? I think the people that were there and the biggest Dream Theater fans know what I am talking about. To celebrate the fact that “Images & Words” was released 15 years ago, the band played the whole album from start to finish! This was so extremely cool!!!

Continue reading Review: Dream Theater Celebrates 15 Years Images & Words

Coincidence or the Law of Attraction at Work?

More than a week ago I got a message on my cellphone from a friend of mine: “Guess what’s in my CD player right now?!”

This could mean one of two things:
1) He bought the latest Rush album “Snakes and Ladders”
2) He bought the latest Dream Theater album “Systematic Chaos”

I called him back to find out which one was true. It turned out to be the second option. He was pretty enthusiastic about the new album. I did not know that the new Dream Theater was already for sale in Holland, so after work I drove to the nearest record store and picked up a copy of the special edition.

The new record is pretty good! I have played it a couple of times now and it is still growing on me. When I listened to it the first time, tracks 1 to 4 stuck immediately! Of course I heard their free single “Constant Motion” already and saw the video of “The Dark Eternal Night” already on YouTube, so that may have helped here. The second half of the album took more time to get into, but it’s getting better and better with each spin.

Continue reading Coincidence or the Law of Attraction at Work?