A sad day for Dream Theater

[Big Poppa]

You know what? You really wont know until you hear the next chapter....In the mean time Portnoy is alive and kickin with Avenged and John is still writing all the music for DT


Really guys...25 years? Hats off! No.. animals were harmed...nobody died...A drummer changed bands. A band gets a new drummer.....lets have fun waiting to hear it and save the intrique for the NAMM show and what we are bringing!

 

[beej]

That is an incredible amount of time to spend in the same gig ... hard to imagine.

Normally by then I'd have expected at least one drummer to have died in a bizarre gardening accident.

 

[Marcus2]

That is an incredible amount of time to spend in the same gig ... hard to imagine.

Normally by then I'd have expected at least one drummer to have died in a bizarre gardening accident.

Or, spontaneously combusted!

 

[douglasspears]

maybe they can get this guy....

or this guy....

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG5lhcSoPfM]YouTube - Crazy Drummer - Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top[/ame]

 

[maciek]

Somehow I knew it was coming, but now I'm quite disappointed...

 

[Brand X]

Hmmm - I was hoping for a live release of the last tour on YTSE Jam........wonder whose gonna run that show now?

 

[GoKart_MoZart]

It WON'T be easy finding someone who can fill Mike's shoes and do justice to that position...

Yeah, man. But I remember thinking the same thing when Bruford left Yes (I'm dating myself here). But they found White, and he fit right in. And played great. There's another drummer out there (or two...) that can do the same for DT.

The thing that's different here, it seems to me, is all of the other things that MP was doing besides drumming -- YTSE, overseeing videos, etc. One busy guy.

 

[kbaim]

I'm always a little sad when longtime band members split in some form. Though who can blame them? Things change--people change.

I hope DT finds someone who can fill in for Mike and inspire the band. They will. I wonder if Rod Morganstein of the DREGS is available.

Good luck guys

 

[ErlendDL]

Regarding all the non-musical stuff Mike worked on, I'm sure the 4 others can pull it off if they share the work load. If he could do it alone, 3-5 other guys should be able to do it together.

Sad to see him leave, but I really hope this isn't the end of Dream Theater. The rest of the band is too good to quit.

 

[leftyguitarblue]

You know what? You really wont know until you hear the next chapter....In the mean time Portnoy is alive and kickin with Avenged and John is still writing all the music for DT


Really guys...25 years? Hats off! No.. animals were harmed...nobody died...A drummer changed bands. A band gets a new drummer.....lets have fun waiting to hear it and save the intrique for the NAMM show and what we are bringing!

hell yes! game changer anyone?

 

[waynesworld91]

This is truly a sad day in DT history.

This is Jordan's reply...it's just such a beautiful song that fits the mood. I hope that everything else will go on and they find an amazing drummer. I'm still kinda thinking on why he himself didn't just take a break and come back instead of just leaving in general...or maybe he mentioned in the post somewhere.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgqm8g95wwI&feature=sub]YouTube - Jordan Speaks[/ame]

 

[That Guy]

What I would have done is have Mike look for a temporary replacement that could emulate his style (or if he thought a different type of drummer would be a nice fit) for the few years he'd be gone and let him have his break. When the break is over the temps career takes a nice jump and MP is still in the band. All is well. Maybe it's not too late?

I hope Mike is as successful as he was in DT, and the same for DT without Mike. Good luck!

 

[Hendog]

Jeez.....VH used to be my fave band - and they imploded.....since 2003 it's been Dream Theater...and this....damn! LOL

After some careful thought - I think this may be a good thing.....

a) I think James will be less dictated to now and be able to create a bit more. The lyrics and vocals on his solo albums are superb.

b) They had always been varied in music styles, but less so recently - was this down to MP.....don't know.....only time will tell.

I don't think it's a sad day at all.......very surprising, especially as the only one that made Mike do all these other projects to make him feel burned out was Mike himself.........

Knee jerk reaction maybe? Who knows....just glad I've been able to see them twice over the last couple of years...

All being said though - from a drumming perspective, a very tough act to follow, not just with his ability - but with his stage presence etc...

Bingo.

He comes back from all these other projects and want DT to put everything on hold because he burned himself out??? If I was DT I would have told him the same thing.

Dont get me wrong, DT is what it is because of him but he is being a little rediculous as far as I'm concerned.

 

[slukather]

You know what? You really wont know until you hear the next chapter....In the mean time Portnoy is alive and kickin with Avenged and John is still writing all the music for DT


Really guys...25 years? Hats off! No.. animals were harmed...nobody died...A drummer changed bands. A band gets a new drummer.....lets have fun waiting to hear it and save the intrique for the NAMM show and what we are bringing!

Yep, i agree. I'll wait eagerly.

 

[That Guy]

You know what? You really wont know until you hear the next chapter....In the mean time Portnoy is alive and kickin with Avenged and John is still writing all the music for DT


Really guys...25 years? Hats off! No.. animals were harmed...nobody died...A drummer changed bands. A band gets a new drummer.....lets have fun waiting to hear it and save the intrique for the NAMM show and what we are bringing!

Indeed! I sense some tasty lookin' Black Sugar JPXs coming my way.

 

[roburado]

Roubster, I think that you've expressed my feelings about their recent work. I think a break would have been a great thing for them creatively. It would have been great for them to explore other things musically--as MP was hoping to do--and to return rejuvenated with a renewed creative vigor. I have loved DT for years, but in recent years, I agree, that they got stuck in repeating a formula. For me, Black Clouds and Silver Linings was a little too much of a repeat of the Systematic Chaos formula, which seemed to go as follows:

1. Get together in a studio and jam.

2. Piece together an epic tune or two from what came out in the improv jams.

3. Put together a few other songs to fill out the album.

4. Everyone go their separate ways and write lyrics while tracking.

4a. JP watches some documentary or the news or reads a book and writes lyrics about it. Thinks of something kind of mysterious or scary to write about, because his life seems to him to be too mundane a thing to write for which to write lyrics to a metal song (which is something I totally disagree with. I thought "Endless Sacrifice," "Another Day," "Take Away My Pain," and "As I Am" have some good lyrics.)

4b. Portnoy writes a 12-step song lyric and some things about family issues.

4c. James LaBrie writes the lyrics to a song in which he butchers the English language by doing things like confusing the words "Consciousness" and "Conscience." He writes some melodies that allow him to explore different ways to use his voice, which he loves to do.

5. They record vocals.

6. Mix, master, promote, and release.

7. Tour

8. Rinse and repeat.

I think they got in too much of a routine, and I can see how MP would feel a bit like he'd be going through the motions. I almost felt like DT were going through the motions on BC & SL. There, more than on any album, it seemed like they were recycling a formula. Every other album seemed to break new ground until BC & SL. To me, it almost felt like DT needed to shake things up somewhat, and maybe, a break would have been a good thing for them. Maybe, they would have found some other inspiration for lyrics.

Look at Systematic Chaos and BC & SL. Their lyric formula seemed to be encapsulated by what I wrote above. JP writes about something that's kind of scary, spooky, or mysterious. MP writes a 12-step song and a family-issue song. LaBrie gets one pet project. On BC & SL, JP even wrote about not being able to write (i.e., "Whither). DT had always been about progress, but in the last five years, or so, there hasn't been much progress, unfortunately. They finally got into a rut.

I think MP was right from a creative standpoint. I would have liked to have seen a break, but I can also understand that they are at their peak in popularity and that they need to strike while the iron is hot and put some money in the bank. Unfortunately, the need to have a break to renew creative juices and the need to keep building came at the same time.

 

[roburado]

My hope for DT is that the new blood that comes in can help reignite the fire in the band. Who knows? He might be a master lyricist that can add something that takes DT in a grander direction. I'm optimistic about what new blood could bring. These guys are all fantastic musicians. I have high hopes for their future.

As some have said, I'll continue to support MP and DT, for sure. Who knows? Maybe, they'll reunite sometime in the future, and they'll be better than ever. In the meantime, good luck to all of them! I thank them for all the wonderful musical things they brought me over the years.

Honestly, I think the split is a good thing for all of them. I hope they remain good friends and will enjoy playing together again sometime--even if its a side project or a jam or a one-off reunion. Maybe, this is the thing that could allow for a LTE 3 sometime in the future.

 

[roburado]

I hope DT finds someone who can fill in for Mike and inspire the band. They will. I wonder if Rod Morganstein of the DREGS is available.

That could be interesting!

 

[roburado]

I just hope that this gives the other members, especially JP, to do some solo stuff and side projects. I'd love it if JP did a mini tour.

I was thinking that this would be a good time for JP to get on with some solo material while they search for a new drummer.

 

[Big Poppa]

Wow rob as someone who is on the inside reading your synopsis,I have to say you just might be a tad off in your understanding of the process