link
if you don't want to be bored by long drum solos (like Roger;-)), start checking it out around 1:40 onward.
Mike won't have the 'personna' as the previous Mike, but it will be fun to see him do the one-handed bit whilst standing up and egging on the crowd.
Hope they give him a minute or two during the upcoming tours, since, for some reason, Portnoy never did a solo during the concerts we saw them perform over the past 5+ years.
Now if they only limit their excessive indulgences and put out a decent album (there's nothing wrong with limiting songs to seven minutes on occasion with upbeat lyrics)
I think DT are doomed without Portnoy. I admire their optimism at the moment, but Mike was the soul of the band. Still, I'm looking forward to hearing what they'll come up with without him.
I don't think they're doomed. I can definitely see another drummer filling his shoes.
I think it's crappy what they did to him, not letting him back into the band, but I am definitely excited over the next DT record!
ShipOfFools wrote:
"I think it's crappy what they did to him, not letting him back into the band"
But from their perspective - Portnoy left because he burned out, and they wanted to get on with their careers. Dream Theater is their bread and butter (they don't have a bunch of side projects like him), and they couldn't wait for him to mentally and emotionally recharge for a couple years like he asked for. Portnoy realized a few months later that he made a mistake, but they had already moved on to find another drummer, having gone through the mental and emotional side of losing him. They couldn't just go back and pretend nothing happened.
Maybe Mangini is just keeping Portnoy's seat warm, but no doubt Mangini will the guy for the next couple years, at least.