John Petrucci, John Myung, Jordan Rudess comments

John Petrucci: It is a tremendous honor for us to be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Having grown up on LI and having lived here for most of my life, it has a very special meaning to me. The roots of DT stem all the way back to my home town of King Park where John Myung and I spent countless hours writing and playing music together.

Being part of a band with a 25 year history who went from playing the local Long Island clubs to headlining at the iconic Jones Beach Theater has been an amazing experience and the induction on Tuesday night is a great testament to that journey.

John Myung: I am excited to be part this event. Being inducted is like passing an important mile marker in our career that tells us we’re on the right path and inspires us to keep moving forward. Music is one of the greatest artforms and to be recognized for our achievements in music as a band is truly and honor.

Jordan Rudess: It is so cool that on my career path I ended up in a band with a bunch of guys from Long Island NY. I grew up in Great Neck, and I lived on the island from the age of 7 until 18. I actually had very little to do with rock music during my time there however. In fact I was a Juilliard trained classical pianist, having spent much of my young life traveling back and forth to New York city for my lessons. Years later, after leaving Juilliard and discovering synthesizers, my path had changed significantly, leading me into the world of rock music.

In 1994 I got the call from Dream Theater – a bunch of Long Island guys doing a very cool blend of Prog and metal. I remember this all feeling very synchronous to me, since I grew up in a neighboring town! Not only that, but there must be something in the water on the island, because I could totally relate to this wild blend of prog and metal combined with a healthy dose of virtuosity! Skip forward though to 1999 when I actually joined the band, after a few years to think about it!!

It’s been a great ride with the boys and it’s so cool that although I came into the band at a different point in time and from another LI town, that we could share this history and now be honored together as Dream Theater by the Long Island Hall Of Fame! We are each very connected with our roots, so this is induction feels especially awesome!