Dream Theater played their first live show with drummer Mike Portnoy in 14 years in London last night (October 20) – check out the footage below
The progressive metal band kicked off their 40th anniversary UK and European tour with an 18-song set at The O2 in the capital, per Setlist.FM.
Separated into two acts and an encore, the concert began with an airing of ‘Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper’ from Dream Theater’s 1992 album ‘Images And Words’ and ended with a performance of their classic single ‘Pull Me Under’.
Elsewhere, fans were treated to the first outing of ‘The Mirror’ since 2014 and the live debut of new single ‘Night Terror’. Additionally, there were rare appearances from ‘Vacant’, Stream Of Consciousness’, ‘Octavarium’ and the demo version of ‘Hollow Years’.
Prior to this gig, Portnoy hadn’t played with Dream Theater since August 2010.
Last night also saw the musician perform ‘Barstool Warrior’ and ‘This Is The Life’ for the first time. Both tracks were originally recorded with Mike Mangini, who had replaced Portnoy in the group’s line-up.
“Tonight is a momentous occasion,” said frontman James LaBrie at one point in the set. “You might have recognised somebody up on stage. Holy fuck – it’s surreal having Mike Portnoy back!”
Sharing a pair of photographs from the concert on social media, the band wrote: “A very special moment in Dream Theater history was made tonight, thank you London! 🇬🇧.” Ahead of the set, Portnoy posted an image of an empty O2, captioning it: “The Next Chapter begins tonight…”
See those posts, a selection of fan-shot videos from the show and the full London setlist below.
A very special moment in Dream Theater history was made tonight, thank you London! 🇬🇧
📸 @WorkByWolfe pic.twitter.com/eMNpaX3LpD
— Dream Theater (@dreamtheaternet) October 21, 2024
Dream Theater played:
Act I
‘Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper’ (first time since 2017)
‘Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928’
‘Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu’
‘The Mirror’ (first time since 2014, with ‘Lie’ outro)
‘Panic Attack’ (first time since 2015)
‘Barstool Warrior’ (first time with Mike Portnoy)
‘Hollow Years’ (first time since 2010, demo version)
‘Constant Motion’ (first time since 2015)
‘As I Am’ (first time since 2019)
Act II
‘Night Terror’ (live debut)
‘This Is The Life’ (first time since 2012, first time with Mike Portnoy)
‘Under A Glass Moon’ (first time since 2017)
‘Vacant’ (first time since 2006)
‘Stream Of Consciousness’ (first time since 2004)
‘Octavarium’ (first time since 2006)
Encore
‘Act II: Scene Six: Home’
‘Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On’
‘Pull Me Under’
Portnoy announced that he had rejoined Dream Theater in October 2023, writing: “I am overwhelmed with joy to be returning home and reuniting with my brothers! There is so much shared history between us all…so many memories, so much music…to think we’re coming up on 40 years since this journey began!
“The idea of creating new music together is so exciting and I absolutely cannot wait to hit the road and get to play live for a whole new generation of fans that weren’t ever able to see this line-up before…There’s no place like home!”
Upon sharing ‘Night Terror’ earlier this month, Dream Theater announced their 16th studio album ‘Parasomnia’ – which is due for release on February 7. It’ll mark their first record with founding member Portnoy since 2009’s ‘Dark Clouds & Silver Linings’.
In a statement, the band said the forthcoming LP “marks the beginning of a special new chapter for us as bandmates and as brothers”, adding: “This album represents not just our growth as musicians but also the journey we’ve embarked on together of the last four decades.”
Portnoy had previously told fans that Dream Theater were “blown away” with the material they had so far, teasing: “We cannot wait for you all to hear this… but patience, all will be revealed in due time…”
Later, the drummer shared further details about what we could expect from the album – saying “there’s a certain style that the five of us have when we write together”.
Dream Theater’s current 40th anniversary tour is set to continue throughout this month and into November before the group head to North America early next year.
