In a new Instagram post, Mike Portnoy reflected on his first Dream Theater show in London in 14 years.
“So many thoughts, so many emotions, I don’t even know where to begin…I’m seeing so many posts from fans who were in attendance last night, so I’ll just let their images and words do the talking…,” the drummer wrote along with a photo from the night.
He continued, “I’ll just sum it up by saying it was one of the most incredible evenings in my life! Thank you London and all of the amazing fans that travelled from all over the world to join us for this reunion & celebration and to kick off our 40th Anniversary Tour!! So excited to do this again night after night for all of you around the world!”
Dream Theater had their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on Sunday at the O2 Arena in London. Portnoy co-founded the band in 1985 with John Petrucci and John Myung. He played on 10 albums over 20 years before leaving in 2010 and rejoining last year.
The London show kicked off Dream Theater’s 40th-anniversary tour, which will last through 2024 and 2025. The tour, called ‘An Evening With Dream Theater,’ will travel across Europe until November 24.
New tour dates for 2025 will be announced in February, along with a new album titled ‘Parasomnia.’ The first single, ‘Night Terror,’ was released earlier this month, accompanied by a music video directed by Mike Leonard.
The song received mostly positive reviews in its first week, and Portnoy told fans on Instagram, “Incredible! Almost 2 million views on YouTube in under a week. Thank you all for the overwhelming response to ‘Night Terror…’ it’s been great reading the comments, watching the reaction videos and covers, etc. The excitement is palpable! Cannot wait to share the rest of the album with you all in February.”
The new album ‘Parasomnia’ will be released on February 7 through Inside Out Music. This is the first album featuring Portnoy since 2009’s ‘Black Clouds & Silver Linings,’ and it is produced by Petrucci.