Mike Portnoy interview (excerpts)

Kevin Cassels: I couldn’t help but notice the structure of Dream Theater concerts back in the day; different setlists every night. ‘Beyond This Life’ could be nine minutes one night, and in Tokyo, 20 minutes. Pure improvisation. You’ve got ‘Bombay Vindaloo’, [you’re] doing all kinds of crazy covers, like you guys did ‘The Necromancer’ and these deep cuts. And notably, doing full albums such as Made in Japan and stuff like that. I couldn’t help but think it seems like you were structuring it almost based on the way that Phish and the Grateful Dead structure their shows. How much of that was an influence? I mean, especially covering the albums, Phish was really the first to really make that kind of a thing.

Mike Portnoy: You’re absolutely right, 100%. Back in the 2000s especially, I would write a completely different setlist for every show for Dream Theater, each and every night. We would have this tradition where if we were doing two nights in the same venue, the second night we would cover an album its entirety. We did Metallica’s Master of Puppets, we did Iron Maiden’s Number of the Beast, we did Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, Deep Purple’s Made in Japan, and it absolutely was something that I modeled after Phish. And Phish was my gateway to Umphrey’s; that’s how I discovered Umphrey’s. A lot of people knew that I was really into Phish and them doing these one-off covers and cool setlists and jams, so that’s why I checked out Umphrey’s to begin with. But to backtrack a little, I guess [in] the late ‘90s/early 2000s, I started realizing what Phish was doing, and I loved that they would have all these different setlists each night and do all these cover albums. They did the Beatles’ White Album and they did The Who’s Quadrophenia and Talking Heads. I just thought it was the coolest thing ever as a fan, as a music lover, so I wanted to integrate that into Dream Theater and make us kind of like the Phish of prog metal. It became a big, big part of what Dream Theater was doing at least throughout the 2000s before I left in 2010. And like I said, that’s what led me to Umphrey’s few years later: people turning me on to Umphrey’s doing a similar thing doing a lot of covers, a lot of jams. I also like that Umphrey’s had more of a prog and a metal background more than Phish. I was never a Grateful Dead fan to be to be honest; musically it just wasn’t my cup of tea. So Phish was kind of in that wheelhouse, but I loved that they had all these cool covers of classic rock bands and stuff. But Umphrey’s was doing covers of like Metallica and Rush and King Crimson and stuff, so that appealed to me even more. It was kind of like the Phish mentality, but a little bit more musically in sync with the world that I am a part of.

KC: The question I have as a Dream Theater fan is what’s it going to be once you guys are up and running again – is that going to return? Or is it more like you’ve been away for 13 years or so and you kind of have to just kind of see how it is for a little bit; you’re not really in charge of these things anymore I guess yet.

MP: Yeah, you pretty much nailed it right there. Back in the day, that was all my department and the guys were always so cool to give me free rein. Whatever my imagination could think up for the setlist, they went with it. If I said, “Hey, I wanna cover a Queen song tonight,” we would do it. There was never any argument or resistance. So for all those years, the setlists and doing these crazy, unique ideas and shows, that was always my baby and something that I just really, really loved for the band. I think the fans really liked it and appreciated it too. After I left Dream Theater, for the last 13 years or so, from my understanding – I haven’t followed it too closely – but from my understanding, they’ve been more doing static setlists and things like that. So in answer to your question, is it gonna be like the way it used to be? Like you just said at the end of your question, I think I need to just get in and get comfortable first and see where we are at this point in 2024. We’re older; it’s been a lot of time apart. So I think there’ll probably be a process of just getting comfortable and everybody finding their place in the new chemistry. That being said, I would have no problem with the static setlist for a little while because it’s been so long for me. I’ve been gone for so long, and there’s gonna be a whole new generation of fans coming to these shows that never saw the band with me in it. So even if we went out for this first world tour with a static setlist of doing all the classics, it’s been so long for me that each and every night is going to be special and exciting within itself. For me, changing the setlist for all those years with Dream Theater, a lot of it was a reaction to me kind of – I don’t wanna say ‘getting bored’ – but you get a little complacent playing the same songs over and over and over and over. So I would switch it up a lot, not only for the fans, but for ourselves to keep it fresh. But now, coming back after 13 years, it’s gonna be fresh every night for me. So that in itself will be exciting. All that being said, I think the band really does want to interject those kinda things back into the live show. They have expressed to me that they kind of have been missing it and that they kind of want me to take the reins with the setlist and with the ideas of crazy sets and crazy shows and unique things. John Petrucci and I talked about it briefly – I think he really wants me to take those reins again. So fingers crossed that it will evolve naturally and organically to get to that point soon enough, because it really is such a unique thing, and I know a lot of the Dream Theater fans have missed it in the last decade or so. So it would be nice to interject it back in.

KC: Yeah, because it’s not just like Ripper or Blaze coming in for an album, too. I mean, you’re essentially the new guy in a lot of ways. I mean they’ve done a lot of material...

MP: Well, rather than Ripper and Blaze, I think this is more like Bruce or Halford coming back.

KC: I mean you were gone for a lot longer than just a couple of albums.

MP: Right. I get your point.

KC: I have a feeling though that what you’re saying [is] the band wants to be led in that way that you used to lead.

MP: I think there’s a lot of areas where they’re probably very happy with the way they function now, so those would be the areas that I have to be a team player on and take a step back and realize that I’m not running the show like I used to. So I have to respect that. But I think there are other areas where they definitely have expressed missing my input in a lot of other areas. Those would be the areas that, if they want me to take the reins, then I will happily do so. But I need to be respectful of the time that I’ve been away, and I don’t wanna step on their toes. But no matter which way you slice it, it’s exciting and I can’t wait to get back on stage. But I remember talking with a bunch of the guys when I did the Umphrey’s gig, because one of them had a list of like hundreds of songs on top of their amps. I’m like, “Holy f***!” I was like, “Do you have all these at your fingertips?” And they were like, “Yeah,” and they write a completely different setlist for every show. I remember talking to Joel about it as well, just the whole idea about writing setlist and changing setlists. Because for me with Dream Theater, I would spend hours upon hours for on each setlist making each one unique and looking at whatever we played in a particular city the previous two or three tours and writing a setlist that didn’t repeat anything. And if you were doing two nights in a row, not repeating anything. It was a very meticulous chore. I would literally spend my nights off doing that – preparing for the coming shows in the next day or two. It seems that Umphrey’s has a very, very similar process which is something that I so can respect and admire, because I know how much time and effort it takes to do that and put those kind of shows together and those kind of setlists.

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KC: When you talk about jam bands, it’s impossible to mention true improvisational rock without talking about Deep Purple and talking about even Led Zeppelin back in the day doing half hour versions of No Quarter on the 1977 tour. Cream and Blue Cheer, and even Sabbath was doing 17-minute versions of ‘Wicked World’ back in in the early ‘70s. What are some of your favorite early ‘70s improvisational rock moments from Purple or from other bands – Blue Cheer or whoever?

MP: For starters, you brought up a great example with Deep Purple and you mentioned it earlier, but one of the albums we did cover in its entirety was Deep Purple’s Made in Japan, and when we covered that, we learned it – I don’t want say note-for-note – but we really learned it, like we learned the jams. There’s like a 20-minute version of ‘Space Truckin’ on there that we learned. [laughs] It was actually a great exercise in kind of studying the way bands jam, learning that album and learning all of these live versions, and trying to recreate them it gave us a real good insight on what how these jam bands think. Not that Purple was a jam band, but I just mean that concept. And like you mentioned Zeppelin, those early Zeppelin live recordings are just so great because every night is completely different. To me, ‘Dazed and Confused’ and ‘Whole Lotta Love’ were two of the big centerpieces for them to jam on. There’s live versions of ‘Dazed and Confused’ that go on for 40 minutes. Another one that comes to mind is The Who. I love Live at Leeds – like the live version of ‘My Generation’ would just go off on these tangents and do all these other things. So those are the prototypes and I miss bands like that. That’s why I love a band like Umphrey’s doing it, and that’s why I connected to a band like Phish when I discovered them back in the ‘90s; those are the bands that are still doing this. I learned a lot from Umphrey’s that night, just a lot about jamming. Just the one show I played with them, the one set I played with them really inspired me, and I learned a lot about listening and improvising. There’s a few things that I picked up from them that I definitely want to integrate in any bands I utilize jamming with in the future.

KC: That’s fantastic. I was speaking to the guys [in Umphrey’s McGee] about the whole thing and you’re a guy that likes to do side projects to keep yourself interested, and I think doing side projects helps a band. You go out there and you pull all these other things, and then you come back to your band with this new fresh sense. I know Ryan especially was like, “I’d love to do something with Mike.” I would assume you’d be open, perhaps to doing some sort of side project with the guys or some sort of work in the future with them, right?

MP: Yeah, absolutely. I really, really love the guys not only as musicians and players – they’re all each so phenomenal – but I love them all individually as people, their personalities. They were so easy to work with and get along with and hang with, so yeah, I would welcome working with those guys again anytime soon. I mean, the fact of the matter is, I’ve spent the last 13 years doing all these projects and side projects and things, now that I’m back in Dream Theater, that is gonna be my focus for a while. So I’m not looking to start anything new right now, I’m looking to go back home for a while and just focus on that. But of course, I would welcome working with any of these guys in any capacity whenever I’m able to, if and when I actually could, I would love to.

KC: What are you most excited about playing when you’re back on the road with Dream Theater? I just read a recent interview with John that said the writing hasn’t really started yet or the recording hasn’t really started yet on something new. I don’t know if you guys are going to do a tour with the old stuff first to warm up, but what are you looking forward to playing the most that you haven’t played with the guys in a while?

MP: I’m looking forward to playing anything with them, because I haven’t played with them in 13 years! We start work on a new album in about two weeks, and we’re going in with a clean slate. At least in my day in the band, that’s the way we always made records towards the end. So many of our albums were written in the studio with a clean, blank canvas to work with, and we just bounce ideas off of each other and build from scratch. So yeah, that’s how we’re gonna do this next record. And as excited as I am to make a new record and write new music with the guys, personally, the thing I’m most excited about is getting on the road and playing shows. That’s, to me, the more fulfilling outlet. I love being able to play to an audience and feel their energy and their excitement. And I know the energy and excitement from the fans at these shows are just gonna be electric. I can’t even imagine what the vibes are gonna be like. I felt a little bit of it when John Petrucci and I did his solo tour about a year and a half ago. You could really feel the energy and excitement in the room, and we were seeing grown men crying every night, just at me and John just being up there together. But now, to have the five of us up there together, to be playing these classic songs that are such a part of our history, and like I mentioned earlier, there’s gonna be a whole new generation of people – younger people – that never saw this lineup together. So to me, that’s what I’m most excited about, is getting on stage and playing for the fans.