The announcement of John Petrucci’s solo album “Terminal Velocity” was met with joy from the entire prog metal population. What felt somewhat unusual, however, is the inclusion of Mike Portnoy on drums, his former Dream Theater bandmate. But now that it’s been two years since the record’s release, plus one more Liquid Tension Experiment album where they collaborated again, it’s fine with everyone.
Of course, with John Petrucci releasing his first solo album in a long time, it’s only expected to have a tour in support of it. And, what’s more, Petrucci is bringing Mike Portnoy on the road to play the drums!
Recently, Petrucci discussed the whole thing with Sonic Perspectives, explaining what it’s like to be back with Portnoy after 12 years. And, apparently, it means a lot to both of them. The guitar virtuoso said (via Ultimate Guitar):
“He left the band about 12 years ago, so our last show was a festival in Japan that we played together. The first show of this tour is in Providence, Rhode Island on October 5th, and when we step on stage, that’ll be the first time we’ve stepped on stage together and performed live since that last show in Japan.“
“So it’s a big deal; it’s kind of a personal event for the two of us. And I’m so happy that him and Dave [LaRue, bass] could do this tour with me.“
Obviously, they recorded drums and bass on ‘Terminal Velocity’, so it’s that same trio, that same band.”
“We played a bunch of shows as that same trip back in the early days of ‘G3’, so the first ones I did in 2001 — it was me, Mike, and Dave. So the band is back together. [Laughs]”
Aside from Mike Portnoy, the band also features Dave LaRue on bass who also participated in the recording sessions of Petrucci’s new album. Together, they’ve recently kicked off this tour which is currently planned to go on until mid-November.
Photo: MorganaPhotolive (Dream Theater (27153401432)), Factor Metal (MIKE PORTNOY @ Teatro ABC (37990299841))
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