‘I Bring a Looser Kind of Lars Ulrich Style’: Mike Portnoy Compares His Style to Neil Peart, Recalls Seeing Neil for the Last Time

UG Exclusive: “I had no idea it would be my last time to see him in person. So I cherish that memory.”

Justin Beckner

Oct 16, 2025 04:46 PM

Although one of the most skilled and influential drummers who came out of progressive rock and progressive metal genres, Mike Portnoy feels like he’s a “looser” and more metal-oriented as opposed to drummers like Rush’s Neil Peart.

Portnoy and Peart were somewhat close before the Rush drummer passed away. With Dream Theater taking inspiration from traditional prog rock bands like Rush, there are some expected similarities between the two drummers. However, Dream Theater is rooted in metal, which Portnoy sees as somewhat of his primary calling, if you will.

Preparing for the release of Dream Theater’s new live album Quarantième: Live à Paris, which will be out this November, Mike Portnoy sat down with Ultimate Guitar, discussing how his playing compares to that of late Neil Peart.

This is for Ultimate Guitar. You are a drummer, but that’s okay, we love drummers too… Actually, do you play guitar? I don’t think I’ve ever asked you that.

Not very well, but yeah. I prefer the bass. I’m a better bass player than I am a guitar player. But yeah, I can play everything just to kind of get around. Not very well, but at least to communicate ideas and stuff.

I know you were close friends with Neil Peart. What’s your fondest memory of Neil?

Yeah, there are so many. You know, it was such an honor to have gotten to become friends with him over the last 15 years or so before he passed. I guess maybe my fondest memory would be the last time I saw him, just because it was the last time I saw him.

I wanted to take my son Max to see Rush before they retired. So, Neil invited us out to see the farewell tour. We spent the afternoon with Neil at his drum kit, and he let Max sit at the kit and gave Max his sticks and a drum head and everything. He opened up his dressing room to us for that night, and just being able to share that experience with my son, it was like a rite of passage.

I grew up with Rush and Neil was my hero. So for Max to be able to see them live and see Neil live before they retired and before he passed, and for Neil to be so generous and gracious with welcoming us and always being so hospitable, that’s probably my best memory. I had no idea it would be my last time to see him in person. So I cherish that memory.

What sort of things, technically, did you take from Neil’s playing?

Well, even though I grew up with Neil and he was one of my biggest heroes and Dream Theater’s music is very closely interwoven with Rush’s music, they were such a big, big influence on us, all of that aside, I think we’re very, very different players, to be honest.

The things I got from Neil were the big, giant drum kit. I used to stare at the pictures of his drum kit and just imagine all of those things on a drum set. Also, the way that he was so musical with the way he constructed his drum parts, the way that they developed from section to section to section on such a musical level. I think that was the stuff that really inspired me.

But like I mentioned, I think we’re very different players. I’m way more rooted in metal. I bring the Lars Ulrich and Vinnie Paul elements to Dream Theater, whereas Neil was a little bit more grounded in traditional Prog.

Also, Neil was very, very methodical in terms of always playing his drum parts the same consistently every night. He was great at that, being able to play consistently. I’m horrible at that. I need to be able to just be in the moment and just jam.

So I bring a little bit more of a looser kind of Lars Ulrich style to my playing. You know, I’m somewhere between Lars and Neil, for better or for worse.