Originally published in Louder Videos (TeamRock) YT channel · July 2014
John Petrucci interview
InterviewJohn Petrucci2 min read
TeamRock: How do you feel to be playing Sonisphere?
John Petrucci: It feels amazing; it’s so cool. It was great pulling up on the ground, seeing the house and just knowing what’s gone on here. We were thinking about busting into the ‘Immigrant Song’ at some point but we’ll see.
TR: Do you feel there is a resurgence of prog at the moment?
JP: I think that it’s really been growing over the last few years, and I love it. This is a style of music that we’ve always loved and have played since the beginning. We were young guys and we just kind of naturally played that style. We didn’t really think too much about it and it’s always been sort of like uncool for the longest time, but now I see a lot of splintering in the genre, and a lot of young bands incorporating elements of prog and metal, and I just think it’s awesome.
TR: How is Mike Mangini settling in?
JP: He’s totally settled. He is just really, really on it 100%. This is our second album with him and second world tour, and he’s one of the family. He has a lot to handle on his plate as the drummer; there’s a lot of responsibility and he just handles it in stride.
TR: What can fans expect next from Dream Theater?
JP: We’re kind of in the midst of a touring cycle right now, so we have a few more areas of the world to cover. We’ll be in South America, we’ll be in Asia, and then we’ll see what happens next year, but right now we’re still pretty much in tour mode and that’s what’s kind of in the near future.
TR: Are there any plans to celebrate the anniversary of Awake?
JP: Awake came out 20 years ago and on this tour, we pay tribute to that album; we play a whole suite of songs from that. The fans have really been enjoying that. In fact, one of the songs that we play – ‘Space-Dye Vest’ –we’ve never played before live, and so that’s ended up being a really cool point in the show. So that’s what we’re doing right now to celebrate.
TR: How does John Petrucci unwind?
JP: How do I unwind? Probably like most typical husbands and fathers in suburban society. I like to barbecue and use my smokers at home, I like to stay fit and go to the gym, and of course spend a lot of time with my family and my kids are growing up way too fast. That’s just life. We like to vacation and have fun and that’s what keeps me happy.