Mike Portnoy Won’t Revisit Dream Theater Material After Shattered Fortress Tour: ‘This Is Closure for Me’
For his 50th birthday bash, Mike Portnoy booked a slot on Yes' Cruise to the Edge excursion, revisiting a piece of his past with Dream Theater under the moniker Shattered Fortress. The band performed the "12-Step Suite" which is comprised of a number of tracks featured on various Dream Theater albums as Portnoy chronicled his recovery from alcohol abuse in sonic form. The group has shows lined up around the world throughout 2017, but don't look for it to continue beyond this tour.
Speaking with Metal Talk, the legendary drummer discussed the current status of Shattered Fortress, its inception and the unexpected success of the unique performance. "Initially, it was going to be a one-time thing for my birthday, but once word got out, I started to get offers from festivals in Europe, an American prog festival in September and then after that there were more offers from local promoters to play in other places," began Portnoy. "It's now blossomed into a full European tour, dates in Australia and a run down in South America. It's way beyond what I had ever anticipated."
While fans are ecstatic at the chance to see Portnoy playing Dream Theater material again, he cautions not to expect more in the future. "As far as the music goes, this is closure for me. I don't ever plan on revisiting Dream Theater material beyond this tour. This is the finite ending of the Dream Theater journey for me," the skinsman explained. "I've been doing so many other things during the last six years without touching the Dream Theater material. After I do it on this tour, I have no plans of ever revisiting it. I have so many other things in my life and career. This is the end of that career musically, but lyrically the twelve steps are something I have to have in my life for the rest of my life," he added.
Just over one month ago, however, Portnoy responded to comments made by Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess and John Petrucci, who both inferred the drummer was too busy to rejoin the band if that were an option. The drummer chalked it up to some lighthearted joking around, but insisted he is not too busy and has yet to receive an invitation to play with the prog legends once more.
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