Dream Theater kicked off their 40th Anniversary Tour 2024-2025 with a barrage of 18 tunes off nine of their previous albums.
Along the way, the prog metal masters treated the sold-out audience Sunday (10/20) at the O2 Arena with a live debut of "Night Terror" from their forthcoming LP, Parasomnia.
The 10-minute lead single is far from the longest tune off the new wax, due in February. Parasomnia, the band's 16th studio record, has a song that clocks in at double that length. Late night radio DJs around the world, take note for those wee-hour potty breaks.
The tour and album are a return for Mike Portnoy, a founding member of the group who departed after 2009’s Black Clouds and Silver Linings tour.
Fans were not only treated to the joyous reunion with the drummer who was born on 4/20, but they also got to hear a plethora of tunes the band hasn't played in years and years and a pair the group had never performed before with Portnoy.
"Stream of Consciousness hadn't been rocked out in 20 years, "Octavarium" and "Vacant" hadn't been heard live since 2006, "Hollow Years" hadn't been performed live since 2010.
It had been since 2015 that fans heard "Constant Motion" and 2016 for "Panic Attack." "Metropolis Pt. 1..." and "Under a Glass Moon" hadn't been on a setlist since 2017. And "As I Am" hadn't entertained crowds since 2019.
The two tunes Portnoy had personal live debuts with were "This Is The Life" and "Barstool Warrior."
Portnoy’s celebrated drumming is just part of what he has contributed to the band. In the early 2000s, he composed a series of original tunes known as "The Twelve-Step Suite," which detailed his journey through working the program against alcoholism.
The songs were spread out through five Dream Theater albums tarting with “The Glass Prison” from Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence and concluding with “The Shattered Fortress” from Black Clouds.
The suite has been so important to the drummer that while he was away from Dream Theater he played the entire collection with his supergroup called Mike Portnoy's Shattered Fortress. In 2017 they live debuted the completed suite on Cruise to the Edge, a rock n' roll cruise ship.
The band announced Portnoy's return exactly a year ago this week in a move that more than delighted their fanbase.
Guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and the drummer formed Dream Theater in the mid-'80s at the Berklee School of Music, where they bonded over their shared love of Iron Maiden and Rush.
“I’m incredibly excited to welcome Mike Portnoy back into Dream Theater," Petrucci said last year.
"As an original founding member, longtime friend and incredibly talented and creative drummer, I know that his return will bring a renewed spirit, passion and energy into DT that all of us, including our fans, will joyfully welcome. I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get back into the studio together!”
The band's singer James LaBrie added to enthusiasm by stating, "things have a way of going full circle and in this case, it makes perfect sense. I am excited with the prospects of this classic DT lineup being reunited. I can say with absolute confidence this will be the final incarnation of DT with many chapters still to be written well into our future."
Dream Theater share more with Rush and Iron Maiden than you'd think.
Canadian artist Hugh Syme created the album covers for each of the groups, as well as several for Dream Theater - including the new one.
Hugh is also responsible for the shocking, yet simple, Get A Grip album cover by Aerosmith.
Dream Theater continues their tour around Europe through the end of November. In February they begin their U.S. leg.
Tickets are available on the band's website.
Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour
Oct 22: Berlin Uber Eats Music Hall, Germany
Oct 23: Koln Palladium, Germany
Oct 25: Milan Forum, Italy
Oct 26: Rome Palazzo dello Sport, Italy
Oct 28: Munich Zenith, Germany
Oct 29: Zagreb Arena Zagreb, Croatia
Nov 01: Budapest Arena, Hungary
Nov 02: Prague Fortuna Arena, Czech Republic
Nov 03: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
Nov 06: Helsinki Metro Areena, Finland
Nov 08: Stockholm Waterfront, Sweden
Nov 09: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
Nov 10: Copenhagen Poolen, Denmark
Nov 12: Rockhal, Luxembourg
Nov 13: Zurich The Hall, Switzerland
Nov 14: yon Halle Tony Garnier, France
Nov 16: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Nov 17: Madrid La Cubierta de Leganés, Spain
Nov 20: Stuttgart Beethovensaal, Germany
Nov 21: Frankfurt Jahrhundderthalle, Germany
Nov 23: Paris Adidas Arena, France
Nov 24: Amsterdam AFAS Live, The Netherlands
US Leg
Feb 07: Philadelphia The Met, PA
Feb 08: Raleigh Martin Marietta Center, NC
Feb 10: Nashville Opry House, TN
Feb 11: Atlanta Coca-Cola Roxy, GA
Feb 12: Biloxi Hard Rock Cafe, MS
Feb 14: Houston 713 Music Hall, TX
Feb 15: Dallas Texas Trust CU, TX
Feb 16: San Antonio Majestic, TX
Feb 18: Phoenix Arizona Financial Center, AZ
Feb 19: Highland Yaamava Theater, CA
Feb 21: Las Vegas Cosmo, NV
Feb 22: Los Angeles Youtube Theater, CA
Feb 24: San Jose San Jose Civic, CA
Feb 25: Sacramento Safe Credit Union Performing, CA
Feb 27: Seattle Moore Theater, WA
Feb 28: Portland Keller Auditorium, OR
Mar 02: Reno Grand Sierra, NV
Mar 04: Salt Lake City Maverik Center, UT
Mar 06: Denver Mission Ballroom, CO
Mar 08: Chicago Theatre, IL
Mar 09: Cleveland MGM Northfield Park, OH
Mar 11: Toronto Coca-Cola Coliseum, ON
Mar 12: Montreal Place Des Arts, QC
Mar 14: Wallingford Oakdale Theater, CT
Mar 15: Boston Boch Center, MA
Mar 17: Rochester Kodak, NY
Mar 18: Wheeling Capitol Theater, WV
Mar 19: Cincinnati Brady Music Center, OH
Mar 21: Washington The Anthem, DC
Mar 22: New York Radio City Music Hall, NY
