The first PDF book from DTFanClub. It talks all about Dream Theater, his history, members, albums...

1. Dream Theater - A Walk
Through the Band
by Dream Theater Fan Club
(facebook.com/DTFanClub)
PDF generated using the open source mwlib toolkit. See http://code.pediapress.com/ for more information.
PDF generated at: Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:40:26 UTC

2. Contents
Articles
Dream Theater 1
John Petrucci 21
John Myung 27
James LaBrie 34
Jordan Rudess 39
Mike Mangini 46
Mike Portnoy 49
Derek Sherinian 59
Kevin Moore 65
Charlie Dominici 70
Chris Collins (singer) 72
When Dream and Day Unite 74
Images and Words 77
Live at the Marquee (Dream Theater album) 81
Images and Words: Live in Tokyo 83
Awake (Dream Theater album) 85
A Change of Seasons 93
Falling into Infinity 95
Once in a LIVEtime 99
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory 102
Live Scenes from New York 110
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence 113
Train of Thought (Dream Theater album) 117
Live at Budokan (Dream Theater album) 121
Octavarium (album) 125
Score (album) 133
Systematic Chaos 139
Greatest Hit (...And 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) 148
Chaos in Motion 2007–2008 151
Black Clouds & Silver Linings 155
A Dramatic Turn of Events 162
References
Article Sources and Contributors 166

3. Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors 170
Article Licenses
License 171

4. Dream Theater 1
Dream Theater
Dream Theater
Dream Theater at High Voltage 2011
Dream Theater with new drummer Mike Mangini performing at the 2011 High Voltage Festival in Victoria Park, London.
Background information
Origin Long Island, New York, United States
Genres Progressive metal
Years active 1985–present
Labels Roadrunner, Warner Bros., Atlantic, Elektra, EastWest, Atco, Mechanic
Website [1]
Members
John Petrucci
John Myung
James LaBrie
Jordan Rudess
Mike Mangini
Past members
Mike Portnoy
Kevin Moore
Chris Collins
Charlie Dominici
Derek Sherinian
Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci,
John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently
dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would ultimately become Dream Theater. Though
a number of lineup changes followed, the three original members remained together along with James LaBrie and
Jordan Rudess until September 8, 2010 when Portnoy left the band. In October 2010, the band held auditions for
Portnoy's replacement drummer. Mike Mangini was announced as the new permanent drummer on April 29, 2011.
The band is well known for the technical proficiency of its instrumentalists, who have won many awards from music
instruction magazines. Guitarist John Petrucci has been named as the third player on the G3 tour six times, more than
any invited players. In 2009 he was named the No. 2 best metal guitarist by Joel McIver in his book The 100
Greatest Metal Guitarists. He was also named as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" by
GuitarOne magazine.[2] Former drummer Mike Portnoy has won 23 awards from Modern Drummer magazine and is
also the second youngest person (at the age of 37) to be inducted into the Rock Drummer Hall of Fame. His
replacement Mike Mangini has also previously set 5 WFD records.[3] John Myung was voted the greatest bassist of

5. Dream Theater 2
all time in a poll conducted by MusicRadar in August through September 2010. The band was inducted into the
Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2010.[4]
The band's highest-selling album is the gold-selling Images and Words (1992), which reached #61 on the Billboard
200 chart.[5] Both the 1994 release Awake and their 2002 release Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence also entered the
charts at #32 and #46 respectively and received mostly positive reviews. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence also led to
Dream Theater becoming the initial band reviewed in the music section of Entertainment Weekly during its opening
week of release, despite the magazine generally preferring more mainstream music. In 2007, Systematic Chaos
entered U.S. Billboard 200 at #19.[5] By 2008, Dream Theater had sold over 2.1 million albums in the U.S. and over
10 million records worldwide.[6] [7]
The band's tenth studio album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, was released on June 23, 2009. It entered the U.S.
Billboard 200 at #6 and Eurochart Hot 100 at #1, marking their highest entry on either chart. The band finished
recording a new album, A Dramatic Turn of Events, in 2011. The album, the band's first with Mike Mangini, is due
out on September 13, 2011.[8] [9]
History
Early years (1985–1988)
Formation
Dream Theater was formed in Massachusetts in 1985 when guitarist
John Petrucci, bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy
decided to form a band while attending the Berklee College of Music.
The trio started by covering Rush and Iron Maiden songs in the
rehearsal rooms at Berklee.
Myung, Petrucci, and Portnoy joined together on the name Majesty for
their newly formed group. According to the The Score So Far...
documentary, they were waiting in line for tickets to a Rush concert at
the Berklee Performance Center while listening to the band on a boom
box. Portnoy commented that the ending of the song "Bastille Day"
(from the album Caress of Steel) sounded "majestic". It was then Founding members (from left to right) John
Myung, Mike Portnoy, and John Petrucci in 1985.
decided that Majesty would be the band's name.[10]
The trio then set out to fill the remaining positions in the group. Petrucci asked his high school band-mate Kevin
Moore to play the keyboard. After he accepted the position, another friend from home, Chris Collins, was recruited
as lead vocalist after band members heard him sing a cover of "Queen of the Reich" by Queensrÿche.[11] During this
time, Portnoy, Petrucci, and Myung's hectic schedules forced them to abandon their studies to concentrate on their
music, as they did not feel they could learn more in college. Moore also left his college, SUNY Fredonia, to
concentrate on the band.
The beginning months of 1986 were filled with various concert dates in and around the New York City area. During
this time, the band recorded a collection of demos, titled The Majesty Demos. The initial run of 1,000 sold out within
six months, and dubbed copies of the cassette became popular within the progressive metal scene. The Majesty
Demos are still available in their original tape format today, despite being released officially on CD, through Mike
Portnoy's YtseJam Records.
In November 1986, after a few months of writing and performing together, Chris Collins was fired. After a year of
trying to find a replacement, Charlie Dominici, who was far older and more experienced than anyone else in the
band, successfully auditioned for the group. With the stability that Dominici's appointment brought to Majesty, they

6. Dream Theater 3
began to increase the number of shows played in the New York City area, gaining a considerable amount of
exposure.
Shortly after hiring Dominici, a Las Vegas group also named Majesty[12] threatened legal action for intellectual
property infringement related to the use of their name, so the band was forced to adopt a new moniker. Various
possibilities were proposed and tested, among them Glasser, Magus, and M1, which were all rejected, though the
band did go as Glasser for about a week, though fans reacted poorly to this decision. Eventually, Portnoy's father
suggested the name Dream Theater, the name of a small theater he ran in Monterey, California, and the name
stuck.[13]
When Dream and Day Unite (1988–1990)
With their new name and band stability, Dream Theater
concentrated on writing more material while playing more
concerts in New York and in neighboring states. This eventually
attracted the attention of Mechanic Records, a division of MCA.
Dream Theater signed their first record contract with Mechanic on
June 23, 1988[13] and set out to record their debut album. The band
recorded the album at Kajem Victory Studios in Gladwyne,
Pennsylvania. Recording the basic tracks took about 10 days, and
Dream Theater in 1989: John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy,
the entire album was completed in about 3 weeks.[14]
Charlie Dominici, Kevin Moore, John Myung
When Dream and Day Unite was released in 1989 to far less
fanfare than the band had anticipated. Mechanic ended up
breaking the majority of the financial promises they had made to Dream Theater prior to signing their contract, so
the band was restricted to playing around New York City. The promotional tour for the album consisted of just five
concerts, all of which were relatively local. Their first show was at Sundance in Bay Shore, New York opening for
the classic rock power trio Zebra.[15]
After the fourth show, Charlie Dominici was let go because the band was starting to feel the limitations of his voice
based upon the vocal style they wanted. The band was looking for more of a Bruce Dickinson/Geoff Tate type of
singer. And his stage presence was not what they wanted for a front man. Shortly after, however, the band Marillion
asked Dream Theater to open for them at a gig at the Ritz in New York, so Dominici was given the opportunity to
perform one last time.[15] It would be another two years before Dream Theater had a replacement vocalist.
The Atlantic years
Images and Words and the addition of James LaBrie (1991–1993)
Following Dominici's departure, Dream Theater fought successfully to be released from their contract with
Mechanic, and set about auditioning singers and writing material for their next album. In their search for a new
singer, they auditioned over 200 people, among them former Fates Warning front man John Arch; all were turned
down. In mid-1990, at a gig in New York, Dream Theater introduced Steve Stone as their new singer. They had
successfully recorded demos with him, which can be seen on the Images and Words Demos [16], though he only
performed one live show with them that ended up disastrous, and Stone was fired immediately. The band says he had
been dancing around the stage in a rather odd manner, seemingly doing a bad impression of Bruce Dickinson. Also,
he had infamously shouted 'Scream for me Long Beach!' several times throughout the show, although they were
actually performing in Bayshore, embarrassing the band further.[17] It was five months before Dream Theater played
another show, this time all-instrumental (under the name YtseJam). Until 1991, the band remained focused in an
attempt to hire another singer and writing additional music.[15] It was during this period that they wrote the majority
of what would become 1992's Images and Words.

7. Dream Theater 4
In January 1991, Kevin James LaBrie, of glam metal band Winter Rose, was flown from Canada to New York for an
audition. LaBrie jammed on three songs with the band, and was immediately hired to fill the vocalist position. Once
recruited, LaBrie decided to drop his first name to avoid confusion with the other Kevin in the band. For the next few
months, the band returned to playing live shows (still mostly around NYC), while working on vocal parts for the
music written before acquiring LaBrie. Derek Shulman and Atco Records (now EastWest), a division of Elektra
Records, signed Dream Theater to a seven album contract based on a three song demo (later made available as "The
Atco Demos" through the Dream Theater fan club).
The first album to be recorded under their new record contract was 1992's Images and Words. For promotion, the
label released a CD Single and video clip for the song "Another Day", but neither made significant commercial
impact. The song "Pull Me Under", however, managed to garner a high level of radio airplay without any organized
promotion from the band or their label. In response, ATCO produced a video clip for "Pull Me Under", which saw
heavy rotation on MTV. A third video clip was produced for "Take the Time", but it was not nearly as successful as
"Pull Me Under".
The success of "Pull Me Under", combined with relentless touring throughout the U.S. and Japan, caused Images
and Words to achieve gold record certification in the States and platinum status in Japan. A tour of Europe followed
in 1993, which included a show at London's famed Marquee Club. The show was recorded and released as Live at
the Marquee, Dream Theater's first official live album. Additionally, a video compilation of their Japanese concerts
(mixed in with documentary-style footage of the off-stage portion of the tour) was released as Images and Words:
Live in Tokyo.
Awake and Kevin Moore's departure (1994–1995)
Eager to work on fresh material, Dream Theater retreated to the studio in May 1994. Awake, Dream Theater's third
studio album, was released on October 4, 1994 in a hail of controversy among fans. Shortly before the album was
mixed, Moore announced to the rest of the band that he was simply no longer interested in touring, nor did he favor
the style of music Dream Theater performed and would be quitting Dream Theater to concentrate on his own musical
interests.[18] As a result, the band had to scramble to find a replacement keyboardist before a tour could be
considered.
Jens Johansson, who would go on to become a member of Stratovarius, was among the biggest names to audition,
however the band members were eager to fill the position with keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Portnoy and Petrucci had
come across Rudess in Keyboard Magazine, where he was recognized as "best new talent" in the readers' poll. The
two invited him to play a trial gig with the band at the Concrete Foundations Forum in Burbank, California.[15] For
the members of Dream Theater, the show went incredibly well, and Rudess was asked to fill the keyboardist position
permanently, however Rudess opted to tour with The Dixie Dregs instead, since it granted him more personal
latitude. Dream Theater hired fellow Berklee alumnus Derek Sherinian, who had previously toured and recorded
with Alice Cooper and KISS, to fill in for the Awake promotional tour. By the conclusion of the tour, the band
decided to take Sherinian on as Moore's full-time replacement.[10]
A Change of Seasons, Falling into Infinity (1995–1998)
Once again finding themselves with a new member, Dream Theater did not immediately start working on new
material. Fans around the world, united on the YtseJam Mailing List (the most popular form of communication
between Dream Theater fans at that point), had started placing pressure on the band to officially release the song "A
Change of Seasons". It had been written in 1989 and was intended to be a part of Images and Words, but at almost
17 minutes, it was deemed too long for studio placement. However, the band did perform it live on occasion while
continuing to revise it in the years leading up to 1995.
The petition was successful, and the group entered BearTracks Studios in New York in May 1995 to rewrite and
record the 23 minute song with Sherinian contributing significantly to the final product. To disseminate "A Change

8. Dream Theater 5
of Seasons", the band released it as an EP along with a collection of cover songs recorded live at a show they played
at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London earlier that year.
After a short run of small concerts to promote A Change of Seasons, Dream Theater took a break for a few months.
To keep busy, however, the band released a special Christmas CD through their official fan club, consisting of rare
live tracks recorded during the band's early years. They continued releasing a new CD each Christmas until 2005.[19]
Also during the break the individual members set out to write compositions for their upcoming collaborative writing
sessions.
Meanwhile, there were several changes at EastWest, and Dream Theater's main contact within the label was fired. As
a result, the new team at the company were unaccustomed to the relationship Dream Theater had with former
EastWest personnel, and they pressured them to write an album that was more accessible. In mid-1997, they entered
the studio to write their next album. In addition to pressuring the band to adopt a more mainstream sound, EastWest
recruited writer/producer Desmond Child to work with Petrucci on polishing the lyrics to his song "You or Me". The
whole band substantially reworked the music to the song, and it appeared on the album as "You Not Me" with a
chorus that was barely reminiscent of the original. Child also had a noticeable impact on the album, with a shift
towards compositions that were less complex and more radio-friendly.
The band wrote almost two CDs worth of material, including a 20 minute long follow-up to the Images and Words
song "Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper". The label, however, did not allow the release of a double
album because it felt that a 140-minute record would not be digestible by the general public. James LaBrie also felt
that the CD should be a single disc.[20] The unused songs were later released in the Ytsejam Records release The
Falling into Infinity Demos.[21]
The material that made it onto the album proper was released as Falling into Infinity, which received a mixed
reception from fans who were more familiar with the band's earlier sound. While the album was moderately
progressive-sounding, tracks such as "Hollow Years" and "You Not Me" prompted some to believe it was the dawn
of a new, mainstream-sounding Dream Theater. Overall, the album was both a critical and commercial
disappointment. Although Portnoy did not speak out publicly at the time, many years later, in the 2004 DVD
commentary for 5 Years in a Livetime, he revealed that he had been so discouraged during this period he'd
considered disbanding Dream Theater altogether.
During the European leg of the Touring into Infinity world tour, two shows were recorded for a live album entitled
Once in a LIVEtime, in France and The Netherlands. The album was released at around the same time as the video 5
Years in a Livetime, which chronicled the time from when Kevin Moore left the band up to the Falling into Infinity
promotional tour.
Addition of Jordan Rudess and Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999–2000)
In 1997, Magna Carta Records' Mike Varney invited Portnoy to assemble a progressive 'supergroup' to work on an
album, which would become the first in a long string of side-projects for the members of Dream Theater.[22] The
lineup consisted of Portnoy on drums, Petrucci on guitar, Tony Levin on bass, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess, who
had finished with the Dixie Dregs. The band assumed the name Liquid Tension Experiment, and would act as a
medium through which Portnoy and Petrucci could once again court Rudess to join Dream Theater. In 1999, he
accepted an offer to become the third full-time Dream Theater keyboardist, replacing Sherinian.[10]
With yet another new member, Dream Theater entered BearTracks Studio once again to write and record their next
album. As a result of an ultimatum from Portnoy, the label gave the band complete creative control. The follow-up to
"Metropolis Part 1", which was written during the Falling Into Infinity sessions (but not used on that album), was
taken off the shelf for reworking. They decided to expand the 20-minute song into a complete concept album, with a
story revolving around themes such as reincarnation, murder and betrayal. To avoid stirring up the fan base, a tight
veil of secrecy enveloped the writing and recording process. The only things fans were privy to prior to its release
were a track list that had been leaked against the band's wishes, and a release date. In 1999, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes

9. Dream Theater 6
from a Memory was released to high critical acclaim. It was hailed as Dream Theater's masterpiece by many fans and
critics alike, despite only reaching #73 on the US album chart.[5]
The album was mixed by David Bottrill, but only a few of his mixes made it on the final album. The bulk was
remixed by Kevin Shirley. The rest of the mixes can be heard in the band's official bootleg "The Making of Scenes
from a Memory".
A massive world tour followed recording the album, taking over a year to complete, by far their largest to that point.
The concerts reflected the theatrical aspect of the album. They played the entire Scenes From a Memory album from
start to finish, with a video screen on the back wall of the stage showing a narrative companion to the story of the
album. In addition to playing the album in its entirety, the band also played a second set of Dream Theater songs, as
well as a few covers and improvisations of old Dream Theater material. For one extra special show, at the Roseland
Ballroom in New York City, actors were hired to play characters in the story, and a gospel choir was enlisted to
perform in some sections of the performance.
This show, the last North American date of the tour, was recorded for the band's first DVD release. After many
technical delays, the DVD, titled Metropolis 2000, was released in early 2001. Shortly after, the band announced that
an audio version of the concert, with the entire four-hour long set-list (some of which had to be cut from the DVD to
save space), would be released.
The cover for the CD version of the concert, titled Live Scenes from New York, depicted one of Dream Theater's
early logos (the Images and Words-era burning heart, modeled on the Sacred Heart of Christ) modified to show an
apple (as in "Big Apple") instead of the heart, and the New York skyline, including the twin towers of the World
Trade Center, in the flame above it. In an unfortunate coincidence, the album was released on the same date as the
September 11 attacks. The album was quickly recalled by the band and was re-released with revised artwork later,[23]
though some copies were sold, and have since become rare collectors items for fans.
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2001–2002)
Putting the whole ordeal behind them, Dream Theater once again entered BearTracks Studios to record their sixth
studio album. Four years after they first petitioned EastWest to allow them to release a double album, they finally got
their chance with Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. The first disc consisted of five tracks of 7–13 minutes in length,
and the second disc was devoted entirely to the 42-minute title track, which is to date the longest song Dream
Theater has written. The genesis of that song came when Rudess wrote what would become the "Overture" section of
"Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence", and the band took some different melodies and ideas contained within it and
expanded them into chapters of a complete story.[10]
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ended up being received very well by critics and the press. It was the most
publicized of Dream Theater's albums since Awake, debuting on the Billboard charts at #46[5] and the Billboard
Internet charts at #1.[24] Throughout the next year and a half they toured the world once more, with an expanded live
show including a select few special "album cover" gigs (see Cover songs section, below), in which they played
Metallica's Master of Puppets and Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast in their entirety.
Train of Thought (2003–2004)
During 2003, Dream Theater entered the studio to write and record another album. Since Scenes from a Memory was
written and recorded simultaneously in the studio, in the spirit of change, the band took a different approach by
setting aside three weeks for writing prior to recording. In the middle of the recording sessions for the album, a
special tour with two other progressive metal bands, Queensrÿche and Fates Warning, was undertaken in North
America. The "Escape from the Studio American tour", as it was referred to in Dream Theater's promotional
material, featured Queensrÿche and Dream Theater as co-headlining acts with Fates Warning performing supporting
act duties. As a finale for each concert there was an extended encore in which both Dream Theater and Queensrÿche
performed together on stage simultaneously, often playing cover songs.

10. Dream Theater 7
At the completion of the tour, Dream Theater returned to the studio to finish the recording of their seventh album,
Train of Thought, the follow-up to sixth double disc album Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. They concentrated
more on writing a great song-oriented album, a mindset inspired by covering Master of Puppets and Number of the
Beast on their previous concert tour. As a result, the more straight-forward metal sound of those two albums seemed
to creep into Train of Thought.[25] The album was a critical success, but it alienated a fair proportion of Dream
Theater's fans who preferred traditional progressive rock, such as Yes or King Crimson. Regardless, it seemed to
expand Dream Theater's fan base into new territory, capturing many more metal fans.[10]
Another world tour followed, during which Dream Theater performed support act duties for one of their major
influences, Yes. A modest North American tour was completed by the two bands, after which Dream Theater
continued to tour the world with their so-called "An Evening With Dream Theater" shows.
Their next move was to release another live CD/DVD combination, this time recorded at the famous Nippon
Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on their Train of Thought World Tour. Live at Budokan was released on October 5,
2004.
Octavarium (2005–2006)
Upon the completion of their Train of Thought
promotional tour, Dream Theater entered the Hit
Factory studios in NYC to record their eighth album.
As it turned out, they would be the last group ever to
record in that famous studio, and after they wrapped up
their final session, the lights were turned off at the
studio forever.[26]
Octavarium was released on June 7, 2005, and took the
band's sound in yet another new direction. Among its
eight songs is a continuation of Portnoy's Dream Theater after a concert in Paris during the first European leg
"Twelve-step" saga ("The Root of All Evil", steps 6-7 of their tour (2005). From left to right: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci,
in the 12-step plan), as well as the title track, a James LaBrie, John Myung and Jordan Rudess
musically versatile 24 minute epic rivaling "A Change
of Seasons". Octavarium received mixed reviews from fans and has been the subject of spirited debate. Octavarium
was the last album under their seven-album deal with Elektra Records, which had inherited the contract upon its
absorption of EastWest Records.
Dream Theater toured extensively throughout 2005 and 2006 to celebrate their 20th Anniversary as a band, including
a headlining spot on Gigantour alongside Megadeth and put together by frontman Dave Mustaine, also featuring Fear
Factory, Nevermore and Symphony X. During a show on August 2, 2005 in Dallas, the band paid tribute to Pantera's
late guitarist Dimebag Darrell by performing the song "Cemetery Gates" as an encore. In addition was the
unexpected appearance of fellow musicians Russell Allen (Symphony X vocalist), Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory
vocalist) and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth vocalist/guitarist), who joined the band on stage to perform parts of the
song.
Dream Theater later departed from Gigantour a few dates before it ended and continued on with their own series of
concerts. Several concerts were recorded and released for the Fanclubs. The 20th anniversary tour concluded with a
show at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 1, 2006. Though the show had minimal promotion, it was
sold out days after tickets were made available. This show, which was recorded for a CD/DVD called Score released
on August 29, 2006 through Rhino Records, was the band's first concert accompanied by an orchestra (the
"Octavarium Orchestra").

11. Dream Theater 8
The Roadrunner years
Systematic Chaos and Greatest Hit (2006–2008)
After the show at Radio City Music Hall, the band decided to take the summer off for the first time in bands career.
Dream Theater later entered Avatar Studios in September 2006 to record their follow up to 2005's Octavarium, once
again being self produced by John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy, with legendary Studio Engineer, Paul Northfield
handling engineering and mixing duites. Dream Theater's 9th studio album, Systematic Chaos was released on June
5, 2007. The record marked their first with new label Roadrunner Records, a subsidiary of the band's previous label
Atlantic Records. Roadrunner implemented increased promotion for the album, and as a result, Systematic Chaos
reached number 19 on the Billboard 200. It also saw the release of a video for "Constant Motion" on July 14, the
band's first music video since Hollow Years in 1997. An authorized book entitled Lifting Shadows, detailing their
first twenty years, was also released in 2007, with an updated and expanded edition released in 2009[27] Systematic
Chaos contains eight tracks, but technically only seven songs. The album contains an epic titled "In the Presence of
Enemies", bookending the album as tracks 1 and 8, Portnoy's continuing AA Saga with the song "Repentance", and a
song of political nature, "Prophets of War".
The 2007/2008 Chaos In Motion World Tour started off in Italy. Dream Theater played in the Gods of Metal concert
on June 3, 2007.[28] Dream Theater also appeared at the Fields Of Rock Festival in the Netherlands on June 17,
2007.[29] They also played at various other European festivals including the UK's Download Festival and the French
festival Hellfest Summer Open Air with other bands such as Megadeth, Korn, Mastodon and Slayer.
Dream Theater returned to perform the North American leg of the tour on July 24 in San Diego, California and
wrapped up on August 26 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They played with opening acts Redemption and Into
Eternity. The "Chaos In Motion" tour continued for the rest of the year and into 2008, playing shows in Asia, South
America and, for the first time, Australia.[30]
On April 1, 2008, a two-disc compilation album entitled Greatest Hit (...and 21 Other Pretty Cool Songs) was
released by the band. The title jokingly references the song "Pull Me Under", the band's only significant radio hit. It
also includes three song re-mixes from their second album, Images and Words, five edited versions of previously
released songs, and a track from a single B-side. Unlike most greatest hits compilations, Dream Theater was actively
involved with the album, coming up with the tracklisting that they felt best represented their musical careers.
Mike Portnoy, after the release of Greatest Hit, organized a new tour called Progressive Nation 2008. Unlike
previous Dream Theater tours, performances were held in cities that they had not visited before in the past (such as
Vancouver, Canada) or cities they had not played in for several years. This tour also marked the first time, since the
release of Images and Words, where the group performed in small venues and performance halls.
After this tour, the band released a DVD set called Chaos in Motion 2007–2008, a compilation of songs from the
tour supporting their 9th album, Systematic Chaos. There were two sets of DVDs released. One was a regular two
disk set while the Special Edition set contained three CDs of music that went along with the DVDs. It was released
on September 30, 2008.
Black Clouds & Silver Linings and Mike Portnoy's Departure (2008–2010)
On October 7, 2008, Dream Theater again, entered Avatar Studios to begin work on their 10th album, resuming their
relationship with Paul Northfield to engineer and mix the record. The album, titled Black Clouds & Silver Linings,
was released on June 23, 2009.[31] In addition to the standard CD, the album is available on vinyl LP, as well as a
3-disc Special Edition CD that includes the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six
cover songs from artists such as Queen and Rainbow. On July 1, 2009, the album debuted at #6 on Billboard's Top
200 album chart, with first week sales totalling 40,285, making their highest entry on the chart.[32]
Mike Portnoy spoke to Metal Hammer about the new album and commented the song 'The Shattered Fortress' was
the last in a series of songs about his 12 Steps recovery from alcoholism, 'The Best of Times' "is a real heavy

12. Dream Theater 9
personal subject about my dad who passed away during the making of the album," adding, "He was battling cancer
throughout its making."[33]
The band also embarked on a second Progressive Nation tour, including the tour's first performances in Europe.
Opeth, Unexpect and Bigelf supported Dream Theater in Europe, while Zappa Plays Zappa, Pain Of Salvation, and
Beardfish were slated to perform on the North American leg. However, Pain of Salvation and Beardfish were unable
to tour with Dream Theater and Zappa Plays Zappa because of financial troubles within their respective record
labels. The two new bands that filled the vacated slots for the Progressive Nation 2009 tour in North America were
Bigelf and Scale The Summit with Bigelf performing on both European and North American legs.
After the Progressive Nation Tour, Dream Theater entered the studio right after New Year's to write and record a
brand new instrumental track for inclusion on the God of War III soundtrack EP God of War: Blood & Metal. Titled
"Raw Dog", God (of) War reversed, the instrumental was sent to Roadrunner Records January 8, 2010. This marked
the first time that the band has written and recorded an exclusive track for an outside project.[34] "Raw Dog" includes
the first ever commercially recorded harpejji track, performed by Jordan Rudess, as well as Dream Theaters final
recorded performance with Mike Portnoy on drums. In December 2009, during their Black Clouds & Silver Linings
tour whilst visiting Australia, Dream Theater appeared with one support act, Pain of Salvation.[35] In March 2010,
they toured South America with Bigelf. Afterwards, during the summer of 2010, Dream Theater supported Iron
Maiden on the US and Canadian legs of their summer tour which were the last shows DT played during 2010.[36]
On Wednesday, September 8, 2010, Mike Portnoy announced he had left Dream Theater.[37]
In his official statement he said:
"Dream Theater was always my baby...and I nurtured that baby every single day and waking moment of my
life since 1985...24/7, 365...never taking time off from DT's never-ending responsibilities (even when the band
was "off" between cycles)...working overtime and way beyond the call of duty that most sane people ever
would do for a band....But I've come to the conclusion that the DT machine was starting to burn me out...and I
really needed a break from the band in order to save my relationship with the other members and keep my DT
spirit hungry and inspired.
"We have been on an endless write/record/tour cycle for almost 20 years now (of which I have overseen
EVERY aspect without a break) and while a few months apart from each other here & there over the years has
been much needed and helpful, I honestly hoped the band could simply agree with me to taking a bit of a
"hiatus" to recharge our batteries and "save me from ourselves"...
"Sadly, in discussing this with the guys, they determined they do not share my feelings and have decided to
continue without me rather than take a breather...I even offered to do some occasional work throughout 2011
against my initial wishes, but it was not to be..."
The rest of the band did not agree and decided to continue on without him. Because of this decision, Portnoy decided
he will be leaving Dream Theater.[38]
Portnoy, who had recently finished recording Avenged Sevenfold's most recent studio album, "Nightmare" in place
of their late drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, appeared to have an in with Avenged Sevenfold after his departure
from Dream Theater. After the members of Avenged Sevenfold decided to continue on without Portnoy, he went
back to the members of DT to try to reconcile. Unfortunately, the band had already moved on and any chance of
rekindling their working relationship had already passed. Portnoy wrote, “Just for the record, this is indeed
true…Fairly recently, I reached out to the guys to try and make amends and offered to reconcile for the sake of
having peace back in our lives…(plus I know how much it meant to a lot of the fans…),”. Portnoy also wrote online,
“I figured it was still possible to try and save us, because they hadn’t made any announcements yet or begun any
public activity with another drummer…but sadly, they declined my offer (well, actually their lawyer did…they didn’t
even tell me themselves…)”.[39]

13. Dream Theater 10
The addition of Mike Mangini and A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011–present)
After Mike Portnoy's Departure, auditions to find a new drummer were to begin in October.[40] An interview with
James LaBrie conducted on October 8, 2010 confirmed that there were seven world-class drummers lined up for
auditions,[41] which would be taking place through the rest of October. On January 3, John Petrucci stated on his
Twitter account that Dream Theater entered the studio to begin recording their eleventh album, but still had not
revealed who the new drummer was.[42] Two months later, Petrucci posted on his Facebook page that the band had
finished writing the next album and would soon begin the tracking process.[43]
On March 17, 2011, John Petrucci addressed on his forum page, since there was frustration among the fan base about
who the new drummer was, he commented: "I appreciate everyone's patience regarding the announcement (or lack
thereof!) of DT's new drummer. I know it has been very frustrating to have to wait for the news. Believe me, we are
busting at the seams to tell everyone and rest assured that our decision will not disappoint on any level!".[44]
On April 21, 2011, the band released a trailer for an upcoming documentary, entitled "The Spirit Carries On", in
reference to a song from the album "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory, about the search for their new
drummer. This trailer revealed the seven drummers who auditioned; Mike Mangini, Virgil Donati, Marco
Minnemann, Peter Wildoer, Thomas Lang, Derek Roddy and Aquiles Priester.[45] On Friday April 29, 2011, Dream
Theater revealed over YouTube, in the third and final episode of the documentary, that they chose Mike Mangini as
Portnoy's replacement.[46]
On May 24, 2011, John Petrucci announced that they will be working with legendary producer Andy Wallace for
mixing the album.[47] On June 7, 2011, John Petrucci revealed over Facebook and Twitter that the title of the band's
upcoming album will be A Dramatic Turn of Events.[48] A track listing of the new album was revealed on June 8,
2011.[49] On June 28, 2011 Mixing and mastering of the album had been completed, and on the following day
released their first single from the album, "On the Backs of Angels".[50]
Logo and imagery
Despite the band's being forced to change their name, Dream Theater adopted a
custom logo (known as the Majesty symbol) and wordmark which has appeared
on the vast majority of their promotional material and on the front cover of
almost every Dream Theater studio album. The Majesty symbol is derived from
Mary, Queen of Scots' mark,[51] [52] which was re-worked by Charlie Dominici
for use on the album artwork for When Dream and Day Unite.[53]
Dream Theater wordmark and
In September 2010, a fan of Dream Theater discovered that all of the letters of "Majesty" symbol
"DOMINICI" fit together perfectly into the Majesty symbol.[54] When Charlie
discovered this, he laughed and mentioned that "it only took them 25 years to figure out the 'Dominici Code!'"[55]
This has earlier also been discovered as shown on the comment section of DTFAQ[53] and in the DTNorway Podcast
Episode 2 from 2008, with Charlie Dominici.[56]
Musical style
Dream Theater is well noted for being one of the early progenitors of the progressive metal genre.[57] The original
two members, John Petrucci and John Myung have strong influences from bands such as Rush, Yes, Iron Maiden,
various speed metal bands, and even the hair metal of the day.[58] This synthesis created a unique metal that was not
traditional of the day: it had distorted guitars and fast riffing, but the music focused more on technical proficiency
and precise execution than on heavy metal riffs. The band's music has focused on three main elements: metal,
melody, and progressive roots.[59] In terms of style and ability, they have been compared to the commercially more
successful Winger.[60]

14. Dream Theater 11
Live performances
Throughout their career, Dream Theater's live shows have gradually become bigger, longer, and more diverse. The
most obvious example of this is their rotational set list policy. That is, every single night of every tour has had its set
list devised by Portnoy using a meticulous process that ensures its uniqueness. Factors such as set lists from previous
cities are taken into account to ensure that people who see Dream Theater multiple times within the same area will
not see the same songs performed twice, and even the set list from the last time the band was in a particular city is
taken into account for the benefit of fans who see the band on successive tours.[61] Whether or not this practice will
continue following Portnoy's departure remains to be seen.
For this to be possible, the band prepared to play the
majority of its catalogue at any performance, depending
on what Portnoy decided to program for that night. This
process also required the employment of a complex
lighting system to load pre-configured lighting cues
based on the individual songs.
Some of Dream Theater's more notable touring partners
include Porcupine Tree, Symphony X, Between The
Buried And Me, Deep Purple, Emerson, Lake &
Palmer, Iron Maiden, The Dixie Dregs, Joe Satriani,
King's X, Marillion, Megadeth, In Flames, Pain of
Salvation, Opeth, Queensrÿche, Riverside, Spock's
Rudess and Petrucci dueling in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2008).
Beard, Fear Factory, Enchant, 3, Yes and Zappa Plays
Zappa. In 2005, Dream Theater toured North America
with the Gigantour festival, co-headlining with Megadeth, and have played with Megadeth and Iron Maiden
physically on stage.
The band's full world tours, since Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, have predominantly been so-called "Evening
with..." tours, in which the band performs for at least three hours with an intermission and no opening act. The show
that was recorded for Live Scenes From New York was nearly four hours in length, and resulted in Portnoy almost
being hospitalized after acquiring severe food poisoning from the food he ate before the show.[62] [63]
There is also a significant amount of humor, casualness, and improvisation attached to a Dream Theater concert. In
the midst of "A Change of Seasons" it is quite common for themes such as those for Major League Baseball and The
Simpsons to be quoted, and Rudess routinely modifies his solo section in the song and others, often playing the
ragtime section of "When the Water Breaks" from Liquid Tension Experiment 2. Several songs included on Once in
a LIVETime include snippets of others' pieces, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight
of the Bumblebee." Other quotations include "Mary Had a Little Lamb" during "Endless Sacrifice" on the Gigantour,
a calliope-inspired break between verses of "Under a Glass Moon", a quote of "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina"'s main
melody played by Petrucci while performing the intro solo of "Through Her Eyes" in Buenos Aires, the Turkish
March at a concert in Istanbul, and the opening riff of Rush's "A Passage to Bangkok" at a show in Bangkok,
Thailand. On the "20th Anniversary World Tour" Rudess has even thrown in a short "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star"
theme in a break during "Endless Sacrifice", and during a concert in Israel he started a spontaneous "Hava-Nagilla"
later accompanied by the rest of the band.
Occasionally, a member of the audience is picked at random to perform on stage, an example of which can be seen
during Portnoy's drum solo on the Live at Budokan DVD. There have also been many impromptu renditions of
"Happy Birthday" when a member of the band or crew has a birthday corresponding to a tour date, which normally
results in a birthday cake being thrown at the subject.

15. Dream Theater 12
Perhaps the best example of Dream Theater's unpredictable concert structure is that during Derek Sherinian's time
with the band. At selected shows the band members all swapped instruments and performed an encore as the
fictitious band dubbed Nightmare Cinema. They usually performed a cover of Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers",
and, on one occasion, Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution". At some shows, Sherinian, Petrucci and Portnoy would
take the stage together under the name "Nicky Lemons and the Migraine Brothers". Sherinian, wearing a feather boa
and novelty sunglasses, would perform a pop-punk song entitled "I Don't Like You" with Petrucci and Portnoy
backing. In Chaos in Motion tour, in several concerts before "Trial of Tears", Portnoy and Petrucci would change
positions and play.
Dream Theater's largest audience as a headlining act was 20,000 in Santiago, Chile on December 6, 2005.[64] This
was during their first tour of South American countries other than Brazil (which they had visited in 1997 and 1998).
The show was released on DVD through Portnoy's YtseJam Records.
In the Score and Chaos in Motion DVDs, an animation has accompanied certain parts of the songs, showing the band
playing along to the music as cartoon characters. On the Score DVD, during the song Octavarium, the band is seen
performing in an octagonal shaped maze. As the animation continues Jordan Rudess spontaneously turns into Santa
Claus and John Petrucci catches fire.[65] In "The Dark Eternal Night" from the Chaos in Motion DVD, the band
battles against a monster by shooting fireballs from guitars, throwing drum sticks, and screaming.[66]
In 2007, after their show in Salt Lake City on July 30, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. signed a proclamation officially
marking July 30, 2007 as Dream Theater Day in the state of Utah.
In 2008 Dream Theater started the "Progressive Nation '08" tour, along with Opeth, Between the Buried and Me, and
3. The tour is the brainchild of Mike Portnoy, who stated, "I've been wanting to assemble a package tour like this for
many years now. With all of the festivals and package tours that go through America, I've been talking with our
manager and agent for over 10 years now about doing something that focuses on the more progressive,
musician-oriented side of hard rock and metal. I decided it was time to stop talking the talk, lace up and finally walk
the walk."[67]
On February 13, 2009, Dream Theater announced the official line up for their Progressive Nation 2009 tour. The tour
was originally set to feature bands including Swedish bands Beardfish and Pain of Salvation, as well as Zappa plays
Zappa. On June 22, 2009, Mike Portnoy announced that Pain of Salvation and Beardfish would not be touring the
North American leg of the Progressive Nation 2009 tour because of record label complications. In the same
announcement, Portnoy stated that the bands Scale the Summit and Bigelf would replace Pain of Salvation and
Beardfish on the tour.[68] This lineup change has put Bigelf on both the North American and European legs of the
Progressive Nation 2009 tour. The tour's North American leg ran throughout July and August 2009. On March 26,
2009 it was announced that Dream Theater would take the Progressive Nation tour to Europe for the first time
alongside Opeth, Bigelf and Unexpect. The tour ran throughout September and October 2009.[69]
In June/July 2010 Dream Theater were the opening band for Iron Maiden during the first leg of their Final Frontier
Tour which included Madison Square Garden as one of the many venues. On December 7, 2010, Dream Theater
announced on their website that they would be headlining the High Voltage Festival alongside Judas Priest in 2011.
In July 2011 they started a new tour to promote their newest release.

16. Dream Theater 13
Cover songs
Dream Theater has covered other artists' work throughout their career. During the promotional tour for Six Degrees
of Inner Turbulence, during shows in Barcelona, Chicago and New York City, they covered Metallica's Master of
Puppets album in its entirety after a full set of Dream Theater material.
On the next leg of the tour they covered Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast and received a similar reaction to
Master of Puppets, although it was already known that a cover was to be performed that night because the tour
itinerary included two successive gigs in a single city. On October 11, 2005, Dream Theater covered. Dream
Theater's official webpage stated that the second sets of the second nights in Amsterdam, London, Buenos Aires, São
Paulo and Tokyo (October 11, October 25, December 4, December 11 and January 13 respectively), and also the
second set of the January 15 show in Osaka, would be a classic album covered in its entirety. The Dark Side of the
Moon was played again on October 25 in London. However, in Buenos Aires (December 4) and São Paulo
(December 11) the 'classic album' played was Dream Theater's own Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory, to
make up for not having visited Argentina and Brazil in their Metropolis 2000 tour. On January 13, 2006 (Tokyo) and
on the 15th (Osaka), Dream Theater covered Deep Purple's live album Made in Japan. Portnoy said that he had
planned one more cover show, but refused to reveal when it would occur, or what album would be covered.[70]
Under Mike Portnoy's drum solo under the instrumental track, Ytse Jam, from the Images and Words: Live in Tokyo
DVD, he covered the beginning of Pantera's "By Demons Be Driven" from their sixth album, Vulgar Display of
Power.
During Gigantour 2005, Dream Theater did a cover of Pantera's "Cemetery Gates" as a tribute to "Dimebag" Darrel
Lance Abbott. As an added bonus, they had Burton C. Bell of Fear Factory, and Russell Allen of Symphony X do
guest vocals and Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, do the main solo for the song.
In March 2006, Dream Theater played the Rush song "Jacob's Ladder" at a show in Toronto. John Petrucci said a
few days later in Asbury Park, New Jersey, prior to the night's show, that "Rush wouldn't play it, so we thought we'd
play it for them."
In addition, Dream Theater performed several live cover songs on their EP A Change of Seasons, including songs
from Elton John, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Genesis, Journey, Kansas, and Dixie Dregs.
In 2008, they recorded a version of Iron Maiden's "To Tame a Land" for a Kerrang magazine compilation entitled
Maiden Heaven.[71] This song was later included on the special edition of Black Clouds and Silver Linings.
Also in 2007/2008, they performed portions of "Sugar Mice" by Marillion at various live shows, including in Seoul,
Korea.
Dream Theater also recorded a number of cover songs for their 2009 album Black Clouds & Silver Linings. The
songs came as a bonus disc in the special editions version of the album.
Dream Theater played "Hava Nagila", the traditional Jewish song, during "Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the
Sleeper" at a sold-out concert in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 16, 2009.[72]
On August 14, 2009 during a Toronto show, Dream Theater played the Rush song "The Camera Eye", which was
originally released on Rush's Moving Pictures album.
Dream Theater also performed "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd eight times during their 'Escape The Studio'
Tour, accompanied by Queensrÿche from July 12 - August 2, 2003.[73]

17. Dream Theater 14
Bootleg culture
Dream Theater have released a series of official bootlegs, demos and other rarities through YtseJam Records, headed
by Portnoy.[74]
Demo series
• The Majesty Demos 1985–1986
• When Dream and Day Unite Demos 1987–1989
• Images and Words Demos 1989–1991
• Awake Demos
• Falling Into Infinity Demos
• Train of Thought Instrumental Demos 2003
Studio series
• The Making of Falling Into Infinity
• The Making of Scenes From a Memory
Live series
• New York City – 3/4/93
• Tokyo, Japan – 10/28/95
• Old Bridge, New Jersey – 12/14/96
• Los Angeles, California – 5/18/98
• Bucharest, Romania – 7/4/02
• When Dream and Day Reunite – 5/6/04 CD/DVD
Cover series
• Master of Puppets (CD)
• The Number of the Beast (CD)
• Made in Japan (CD)
• Uncovered 2003–2005 (CD)
• The Dark Side of the Moon (CD/DVD)
Discography
Studio albums
• When Dream and Day Unite (1989)
• Images and Words (1992)
• Awake (1994)
• A Change of Seasons (EP) (1995)
• Falling into Infinity (1997)
• Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999)
• Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (2002)
• Train of Thought (2003)
• Octavarium (2005)
• Systematic Chaos (2007)
• Black Clouds & Silver Linings (2009)

18. Dream Theater 15
• A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
Tours
• Majesty Shows (1986–1988)
• Early Dream Theater Shows (1989)
• When Dream and Tour Unite (1989)
• Pre-Images and Words Shows (1990–1992)
• Images and Tour (1992-1993)
• Music in Progress Tour (1993)
• Pre-Awake Shows (1994)
• Waking Up the World Tour (1994–1995)
• A Change of Seasons Tour (1995)
• Home for the Holidays (1995)
• The Fix for '96 (1996)
• An Evening of New Music (1997)
• Touring into Infinity (1997–1998)
• Deep Purple/ELP/Dream Theater Tour (1998)
• An Intimate Evening with Dream Theater (1998)
• Pre-Scenes From a Memory (1999)
• Scenes From a Memory Tour (1999)
• Metropolis 2000 (2000)
• World Tourbulence (2002)
• Escape From the Studio (2003)
• Train of Thought Tour (2004)
• Octavarium Tour (2005–2006)
• Gigantour 2005 (2005)
• Chaos in Motion Tour (2007–2008)
• Progressive Nation 2008 (2008)
• Black Clouds & Silver Linings Tour (2009–2010)
• Progressive Nation 2009 (2009)
• The Final Frontier World Tour (2010)
• A Dramatic Turn of Events Tour (2011)
Band members
Current members Former members
• John Petrucci – lead guitar, vocals • Mike Portnoy – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• John Myung – bass guitar, Chapman Stick • Kevin Moore – keyboards
• James LaBrie – lead vocals, percussion • Chris Collins – vocals
• Jordan Rudess – keyboards, Continuum, lap steel guitar • Charlie Dominici – vocals
• Mike Mangini – drums, percussion • Derek Sherinian – keyboards

19. Dream Theater 16
Awards and certificates
RIAA gold and platinum certifications[75]
1. Images and Words (Gold) – February 2, 1995
2. Metropolis 2000: Live Scenes From New York (Gold) – November 8, 2002
3. Live at Budokan (DVD) (Platinum) – January 26, 2005
4. Live in Tokyo/5 Years in a Livetime (Platinum) – March 22, 2006
5. Score (DVD) (Platinum) – October 11, 2006
6. Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory (Gold) – 2010
Keyboard Magazine
Jordan Rudess was awarded the following Keyboard Magazine Reader's Poll award:
1. Best New Talent (1994)[76]
Burrn Magazine
Jordan Rudess was awarded:
1. Best keyboards player of the year (2007)
Guitar World
The album Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory was ranked #95 on the magazine's list of the 100 Greatest
Guitar Albums of All Time.[77]
Total Guitar Paul Gillard
John Petrucci won Guitarist of the year award (2007)
Ultimate Guitar Archive
In 2009, Dream Theater were placed on the Top 10 in Ultimate Guitar's The Greatest Metal Bands of the Decade.[78]
Classic Rock magazine
Dream Theater won The Spirit of Prog Award at the Classic Rock Roll of Honour 2009 in London.[79] [80] They were
also nominated for the Album of the Year Award for their newest record, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, but lost to
AC/DC's Black Ice.[81]
Rolling Stone
In July 25th, 2011, Dream Theater were placed on the list "The Best Prog Rock Bands of All Time", chosen by the
Rolling Stone Magazine's readers poll.[82]
MusicRadar
The MusicRadar readers poll placed them amongst "The 30 greatest live acts in the world today" (as of 2010). They
peaked #5 on the list, placed over artists like Metallica, Muse, U2 and Coldplay.[83]
John Myung, from August through September 2010, was voted the greatest bassist of all time. In the same time
frame, Mike Portnoy was voted the second best drummer ever, losing out to Joey Jordison. In December 2010,
James LaBrie was voted the 15th best frontman of all time (with Axl Rose coming first and Freddie Mercury in
second). Jordan Rudess was voted the best keyboardist of all time in a poll conducted from June to July this year,
with John Petrucci coming second in a shred-guitarist poll conducted in May this year (losing out to Al Di Meola.
Other recognitions
• At Dream Theater's Salt Lake City show, Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. signed a proclamation making July 30,
2007, "Dream Theater Day".[84]
• Dream Theater played twice on Xbox 360s Game With Fame event. They played Halo 3 in December 2007[85]
and Call of Duty: World at War in June 2009.[86]
• On November 2010, Dream Theater was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame.

20. Dream Theater 17
References
[1] http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net
[2] "Top Shredders of All Time" (http:/ / www. randyciak. com/ guitar/ top_shredders_of_all_time. htm). RandyCiak.com. . Retrieved
2008-02-26.
[3] "World's Fastest Drummer" (http:/ / www. worldsfastestdrummer. com/ mikemangini. htm). . Retrieved 30 June 2011.
[4] "Dream Theater's John Myung: "Being Inducted Is Like Passing An Important Mile Marker In Our Career..."" (http:/ / www.
roadrunnerrecords. com/ news/
Dream-Theaters-John-Myung-Being-Inducted-Is-Like-Passing-An-Important-Mile-Marker-In-Our-Career-22417. aspx).
Roadrunnerrecords.com. 2010-11-17. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[5] Billboard Chart history for Dream Theater can be seen at Billboard.com (http:/ / www. billboard. com/ bbcom/ retrieve_chart_history.
do?model. vnuArtistId=14435& model. vnuAlbumId=681399).
[6] "‪Dream Theater - The Spirit Carries On Episode 1‬‫( "‏‬http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=L609JsPFmmI& feature=relmfu). YouTube.
2011-04-21. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[7] "Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy talks about sharing the road" (http:/ / www. goldminemag. com/ article/
dream-theater-mike-portnoy-talks-about-sharing-the-road). GoldmineMag. 2010. . Retrieved 2010-08-29.
[8] "Rock Interview: Dream Theater" (http:/ / gmgradiocdn. co. uk/ audio/ 2011/ 05/ 5cn5cw7ufh. mp3). rockradio.co.uk. . Retrieved
2011-05-31.
[9] "Dream Theater's official website" (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ news_dreamtheater. php#pressrelease). 2011. . Retrieved 2011-06-28.
[10] This was referenced in the documentary "The Score so Far", on the second disc of the Score DVD.
[11] Portnoy, Mike (2003). "The Majesty Demos 1985-1986" [CD Liner Notes]. New York: Ytsejam Records.
[12] "The Dream Theater FAQ - Graphic Version" (http:/ / www. gabbo. net/ dt/ faq/ ). Gabbo.net. . Retrieved 2009-01-02.
[13] Portnoy, Mike (2004). And Nathan Edmonds help produce "When Dream and Day Unite Demos" 1987-1989 [CD Liner Notes]. New York:
YtseJam Records.
[14] Dominici, Charlie. When Dream And Day Unite liner notes (2004 re-release).
[15] Please see MikePortnoy.com tourography (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/ dates/ tourography/ ?tour=4) for more information on this
tourdate.
[16] http:/ / dreamtheater. wikia. com/ wiki/ Images_and_Words_Demos
[17] Portnoy's tourography: June 9, 1990 tour date (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/ dates/ tourography/ ?show=28)
[18] EastWest Records Press Release.
[19] Nine Christmas CDs were released through Dream Theater's fan club before it was closed down in 2005. See DTIFC on Dream Theater.net
(http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ dtifc. php?p=annualcd).
[20] LaBrie, James. (Summer '97) Images & Words No. 14, pg. 5
[21] "Falling into Infinity Demos" (http:/ / www. ytsejamrecords. com/ ProductCart/ pc/ viewPrd. asp?idcategory=6& idproduct=26).
Ytsejamrecords.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[22] Portnoy, Mike (1998). "Liquid Tension Experiment" [CD Liner Notes]. New York: Magna Carta Records.
[23] "Mike Portnoy FAQ" (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/ aboutmike/ faq/ answers/ 12. aspx#213). .
[24] DreamTheater.net (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ archive_dreamtheater. php?y=2002#billboard) reported that Six Degrees of Inner
Turbulence had reached #1 on the Billboard Internet Charts.
[25] Mike Portnoy (2007) "In Constant Motion" Instructional DVD, Train of Thought album analysis.
[26] Moldstad, Frank. "New York's Hit Factory Gets a New Identity" (http:/ / digitalprosound. digitalmedianet. com/ articles/ viewarticle.
jsp?id=45690). Digital Pro Sound. .
[27] "Lifting Shadows - The Authorised Story Of Dream Theater" (http:/ / www. dreamtheaterbook. com/ ). Dreamtheaterbook.com. . Retrieved
2009-01-02.
[28] "Gods of Metal official website" (http:/ / www. godsofmetal. it/ ). Godsofmetal.it. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[29] " DREAM THEATER Begins Recording New Album, Seeks New Label Home (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ blabbermouth. net/
news. aspx?mode=Article& newsitemID=59931)". Blabbermouth.net (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ blabbermouth. net)
[30] " OPETH To Support DREAM THEATER In North America (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ blabbermouth. net/ news.
aspx?mode=Article& newsitemID=81636)."
[31] "Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings" (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/ forum/ m2268614. aspx). Mikeportnoy.com. .
Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[32] "Dream Theater debut's at 6 on Billboard Top 200, The Gauntlet" (http:/ / www. thegauntlet. com/ article/ 1124/ 16276/
Holy-Shit-Dream-Theater-debuts-at-6-on-Billboard-Top-200. html). Thegauntlet.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[33] "Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy Pens Tribute To Late Father" (http:/ / www. metalhammer. co. uk/ news/
dream-theater’s-mike-portnoy-pens-tribute-to-late-father/ ). Metalhammer.co.uk. 2009-05-01. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[34] Portnoy, Mike. "MP's Forecast for 2010" (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/ forum/ m2443312. aspx). mikeportnoy.com. .
[35] Mark Bredius (2011-06-14). "tour dates for Australia, December 1–12, 2009" (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ tourdates.
php#dtnzaustralia). Dreamtheater.net. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.

21. Dream Theater 18
[36] "Dream Theater to tour with Iron Maiden this summer 2010" (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ news/
Dream-Theater-To-Tour-With-Iron-Maiden-This-Summer-21029. aspx). Road Runner Records. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[37] Portnoy, Mike. "Mike Portnoy's Press Release" (http:/ / www. facebook. com/ notes/ mike-portnoy/ mike-portnoy-leaves-dream-theater/
137362372974878). Facebook. . Retrieved 2010-08-30.
[38] Mark Bredius. "Dream Threater - The Official Site" (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ news_dreamtheater. php#mppressrelease).
Dreamtheater.net. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[39] Name: (2010-12-20). "Rejected! Mile Portnoy Tried To Rejoin Dream Theater" (http:/ / gunshyassassin. com/ news/
rejected-mike-portnoy-tried-to-rejoin-dream-theater/ ). Gun Shy Assassin. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[40] John Petrucci on (http:/ / twitter. com/ JPetrucci) Twitter
[41] "DREAM THEATER Singer Says Seven 'World-Class' Drummers Will Audition For Band In Two Weeks - Oct. 8, 2010" (http:/ / www.
roadrunnerrecords. com/ blabbermouth. net/ news. aspx?mode=Article& newsitemID=147378). Blabbermouth. . Retrieved 2010-11-01.
[42] "John Petrucci's Twitter account" (http:/ / twitter. com/ JPetrucci/ status/ 21907283457867776). 2011. .
[43] "John Petrucci's Facebook account" (http:/ / www. facebook. com/ johnpetrucciFB/ posts/ 169479939770693). 2011. .
[44] "Petrucci Forum account" (http:/ / www. petrucciforum. com/ forums/ showthread. php?72949-Update-from-JP). 2011. .
[45] "Facebook teaser video of Seven Auditionees" (http:/ / www. facebook. com/ pages/ Dream-Theater/
7677942180?sk=app_108468622525037). Facebook.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[46] "Dream Theater, The Spirit Carries On – Episode 2 : Mike Mangini" (http:/ / www. radiometal. com/ en/ article/
dream-theater-the-spirit-carries-on-episode-2-mike-mangini-2,35867). Radio Metal. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[47] "Roadrunner Records announces Andy Wallace as mixer" (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ news/
Dream-Theater-Album-To-Be-Mixed-By-Andy-Wallace-23023. aspx?utm_source=Facebook& utm_medium=FB+ (DT+ Andy+ Wallace)&
utm_campaign=FB+ (DT+ Andy+ Wallace)). 2011. .
[48] "John Petrucci's Facebook" (http:/ / www. facebook. com/ johnpetrucciFB/ posts/ 191937184190827). 2011. .
[49] "Dream Theater official MySpace blog" (http:/ / www. myspace. com/ dreamtheater/ blog/ 543196705#pm_cmp=O_5785_notif). 2011. .
[50] "Dream Theater To Debut New Track!" (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ news/ Dream-Theater-To-Debut-New-Track-23075. aspx).
Roadrunnerrecords.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[51] The mark used by Mary, Queen of Scots, is available on DreamTheater.net (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ pics/ marysymb. jpg).
[52] "An embroidery showing the Mary, Queen of Scots, symbol in use" (http:/ / www. marie-stuart. co. uk/ images/ sun embroidery. jpg). .
Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[53] Dixon, Brad et al. " What is the 'symbol' DT use? (http:/ / faq. dtnorway. com/ question/ 29)".
[54] "What does Dream Theater, Majesty and Dominici have in common?" (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=jfdRfcCe_NM). YouTube.
2010-09-13. . Retrieved 2010-09-28.
[55] "Someone finally figured out the "Dominici Code!"" (http:/ / www. dominici. com/ forum/ index. php?topic=421. 0). DOMINICI.com
Forum. 2010-09-28. . Retrieved 2010-09-28.
[56] "Echo's Hill Podcast" (http:/ / dtnorway. com/ podcast. xml). DTNorway. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[57] "Progressive Metal" (http:/ / allmusic. com/ explore/ style/ progressive-metal-d2952). Allmusic. . Retrieved 2010-12-12.
[58] York, Will. "Dream Theater" (http:/ / www. rhapsody. com/ dream-theater). Rhapsody. . Retrieved 2010-12-12.
[59] Portnoy, Mike. "Dream Theater - Interview - part 1" (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=vlbhILPW80A& feature=related).
TheCrookedStep.com. . Retrieved 2010-12-12.
[60] ^ Kip Winger Interview at Heavy Metal and Power Metal Portal www.1heavymetal.com
[61] Campbell, Courtney. " Mike Portnoy - Dream Theater (http:/ / www. earplugsrequired. com/ bands/ dreamtheater/ dreamtheatermike. html)".
Earplugs Required.
[62] See the Metropolis 2000: Scenes From New York DVD
[63] Hansen, Scott & Portnoy, Mike. " What’s this I hear about Mike being really sick after the Roseland (DVD) show? What happened? (http:/ /
mikeportnoy. com/ about/ mpfaq/ showquestion. asp?menu=about& faq=1& fldAuto=102)". MP FAQ (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/
about/ mpfaq).
[64] Voices UK: Dream Theater Fan Club "Dream Theater News: Record crowd" (http:/ / voicesuk. net/ news. php)
[65] "Octavarium animation" (http:/ / www. clevver. com/ music/ video/ 24600/ dream-theater-octavarium-animation. html). Clevver.com. .
Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[66] NADS Animation By: Mika Tyyska (http:/ / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=XLK4xtZ3H78)
[67] "Progressive Nation 2008 - Press Release" (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ news_dreamtheater. php#prognation). dreamtheater.net (Dream
Theater). 2007-11-05. . Retrieved 2008-05-11.
[68] Mark Bredius. "Progressive Nation 2009 North American Tour - Lineup Change" (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ news_dreamtheater.
php#pnlineup). Dreamtheater.net. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[69] Mark Bredius (2011-06-14). "Progressive Nation Tour Dates" (http:/ / www. dreamtheater. net/ tourdates. php). Dreamtheater.net. .
Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[70] Hansen, Scott & Portnoy, Mike. " What are all the aspects involved in covering an entire album by another band? What does Mike take into
consideration when picking an album? (http:/ / www. mikeportnoy. com/ about/ mpfaq/ showquestion. asp?fldAuto=353)". MP FAQ (http:/ /
www. mikeportnoy. com/ about/ mpfaq).

22. Dream Theater 19
[71] "Maiden Heaven track listing revealed!" (http:/ / www2. kerrang. com/ 2008/ 06/ maiden_heaven_track_listing_re. html). .kerrang.com. .
Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[72] "Video of Dream Theater playing in Tel Aviv, they play "Hava Nagila"" (http:/ / whiplash. net/ materias/ news_874/ 091017-dreamtheater.
html). Whiplash.net. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[73] "Dream Theater setlist of the mini-tour with Queensryche" (http:/ / www. setlist. fm/ setlist/ dream-theater/ 2003/
kahuna-summerstage-wilmington-de-5bd6d390. html). Setlist.fm. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[74] "YtseJam Records - The Official Dream Theater Bootlegs" (http:/ / www. ytsejamrecords. com). Ytsejamrecords.com. . Retrieved
2009-01-02.
[75] "listing of Dream Theater awards" (http:/ / www. riaa. com/ goldandplatinumdata. php?resultpage=1& table=SEARCH_RESULTS&
action=& title=& artist=dream theater& format=& debutLP=& category=& sex=& releaseDate=& requestNo=& type=& level=& label=&
company=& certificationDate=& awardDescription=& catalogNo=& aSex=& rec_id=& charField=& gold=& platinum=& multiPlat=&
level2=& certDate=& album=& id=& after=& before=& startMonth=1& endMonth=1& startYear=1958& endYear=2010& sort=Artist&
perPage=25). Riaa.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[76] "Jordan Rudess biography" (http:/ / www. jordanrudess. com/ jr/ index2. html). Jordanrudess.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[77] "Dream Theater's Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory ranks #95 on Guitar World's 100 greatest guitar albums of all time" (http:/ /
rateyourmusic. com/ list/ Boggs1027/ guitar_worlds_100_greatest_guitar_albums_of_all_time). Rateyourmusic.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[78] Ultimate Guitar's Best Metal Bands of the Decade! http:/ / www. ultimate-guitar. com/ columns/ features/
the_top_ten_bands_of_the_decade_metal_continues_to_rule_supreme. html
[79] "‪Канал користувача ArtisanNewsService‬‫( "‏‬http:/ / www. youtube. com/ user/ ArtisanNewsService#p/ search/ 4/ bWBma2xE4q4).
YouTube. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[80] "Dream Theater won The Spirit of Prog Award at Classic Rock Roll of Honour 2009!" (http:/ / www. classicrockmagazine. com/ news/
iggy-pop-awarded-living-legend-at-classic-rock-roll-of-honour-2009/ ). Classicrockmagazine.com. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[81] "Classic Rock » Blog Archive » Classic Rock Roll Of Honour ‘09 Nominations!" (http:/ / www. classicrockmagazine. com/ news/
classic-rock-roll-of-honour-09-nominations/ ). Classicrockmagazine.com. 2009-06-26. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[82] Greene, Andy. "Readers Poll: The Best Prog Rock Bands of All Time" (http:/ / www. rollingstone. com/ music/ photos/
readers-poll-the-best-prog-rock-bands-of-all-time-20110720/ 0318489). Rolling Stone. . Retrieved July 25, 2011.
[83] "The 30 greatest live acts in the world today" (http:/ / www. musicradar. com/ news/ guitars/
the-30-greatest-live-acts-in-the-world-today-462684). MusicRadar.com. 2011-06-16. . Retrieved 2011-07-18.
[84] "Utah Governor Declares DREAM THEATER Day - July 31, 2007" (http:/ / www. roadrunnerrecords. com/ blabbermouth. net/ news.
aspx?mode=Article& newsitemID=77886). Blabbermouth.net. . Retrieved 2010-11-02.
[85] "Xbox.com - Game with Fame - Game with Fame: Dream Theater Recap" (http:/ / replay. waybackmachine. org/ 20081015200636/ http:/ /
www. xbox. com/ en-US/ community/ calendar/ gamewithfame/ 2007/ 1218-dreamtheater-recap. htm). Archived from the original (http:/ /
www. xbox. com/ en-US/ community/ calendar/ gamewithfame/ 2007/ 1218-dreamtheater-recap. htm) on 2008-10-15. .
[86] "Xbox.com - Events - Play Call of Duty: World at War with Dream Theater" (http:/ / replay. waybackmachine. org/ 20090619014130/ http:/
/ www. xbox. com/ en-US/ community/ calendar/ gamewithfame/ 2009/ 0620-dreamtheatre. htm). Archived from the original (http:/ / www.
xbox. com/ en-US/ community/ calendar/ gamewithfame/ 2009/ 0620-dreamtheatre. htm) on 2009-06-19. .
Further reading
• Bredius, Mark. Dream Theater - The official site (http://www.dreamtheater.net). (Retrieved February–April
2005.)
• Dixon, Brad et al. Official Dream Theater FAQ (http://faq.dtnorway.com). (Retrieved February–April 2005,
moved c. 2007.)
• Hansen, Scott & Portnoy, Mike. Dream Theater Tourography (http://www.mikeportnoy.com/dates/
tourography.asp?menu=dates). (Retrieved February–April 2005.)
• King, Brian. (2003). "JaM Progductions! Interview with John Petrucci and Mike Portnoy". Theater of Dreams 29,
pp. 14–20.
• Hansen, Scott. (2003). "James LaBrie: As this man thinks". Theater of Dreams 27/28, pp. 26–30.
• Hale, Mark (1993). "1731 Majesty". Headbangers (First edition, second printing ed.). Ann Arbor, Michigan:
Popular Culture, Ink. ISBN 1-56075-029-4.

23. Dream Theater 20
External links
• Official website (http://http://www.dreamtheater.net)
• 2011 interview with James LaBrie on Prog Sphere (http://www.prog-sphere.com/2011/07/11/
resurfacing-an-interview-with-james-labrie/)

24. John Petrucci 21
John Petrucci
John Petrucci
John Petrucci with Dream Theater in Rio 2008.
Background information
Birth name John Peter Petrucci
Born July 12, 1967
Kings Park, Long Island, New York
Genres Progressive metal, instrumental rock, progressive rock, jazz fusion
Instruments Guitar, vocals, bass, drums, programming
Years active 1985–present
Labels Roadrunner, Sound Mind Music, Magna Carta
Associated acts Dream Theater, Liquid Tension Experiment, Explorers Club, Eric Johnson, Jon Finn Group, Nightmare Cinema, G3
Website [1]
www.johnpetrucci.com
Notable instruments
• Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci Signature Model
John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member
of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all
Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory. He is also a backing
vocalist for Dream Theater. Petrucci was named as the third player on the G3 tour six times, more than any other
invited guitarists. In 2009 he was named the No. 2 Best metal guitarist by Joel McIver in his book The 100 Greatest
Metal Guitarists.[2] He was also named as one of the "Top 10 Greatest Guitar Shredders of All Time" by GuitarOne
magazine.[3]

25. John Petrucci 22
Biography
John Petrucci was born on July 12, 1967 in Kings Park New York
to an Italian American family. He picked up the guitar at the early
age of 8 because his older sister was allowed to go to bed later in
order to practice the piano. However he decided to quit the guitar
when his attempts to stay up late were unsuccessful. He would
later pick up the guitar again at the age of 12 when his childhood
friend and future Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore invited
John to join his cover band.
John attended Berklee College of Music in Boston with childhood
friend John Myung (bass), where they met future bandmate Mike
Portnoy (drums). These three in addition to Kevin Moore, formed
the band Majesty, which would later become Dream Theater.
John Petrucci performing live.
While Dream Theater is what Petrucci is most commonly
associated with, he is also a part of the project band Liquid
Tension Experiment and has appeared as a guest on several records by other artists such as the Age of Impact album
by the Explorer's Club.
Petrucci has released a guitar instructional video, "Rock Discipline", which covers warm up exercises, exercises to
avoid injury while playing, alternate picking, sweep picking, chords and other techniques for developing one's guitar
playing. Petrucci also has a book named "Guitar World presents John Petrucci's Wild Stringdom", which was
compiled from columns he wrote for Guitar World magazine, bearing that same title.
In 2001, John Petrucci was invited by Joe Satriani and Steve Vai to tour with them on the popular G3 guitar tour,
which exposed him to a massive number of new fans and inspired him to record a solo album. The album, Suspended
Animation, was released on March 1, 2005, and was made available for order from his web site. Petrucci also
appeared on the 2005 and 2006 G3 tours, and in 2007, went on G3 tour again, this time with Paul Gilbert and Joe
Satriani. In a recent video with Larry DiMarzio, Petrucci revealed that he's been working on a follow up to his 2004
album, "Suspended Animation" along with the new Dream Theater album.[4]
Petrucci also wrote and recorded two instrumental soundtrack songs for a Sega Saturn game titled Digital Pinball:
Necronomicon. Each track is roughly two minutes long and they are simply titled "Prologue" and "Epilogue".
According to the spoof rock band Nightmare Cinema (the Dream Theater members changing instruments playing a
gig) he got the "alternate stage name" Johnny James.
Dream Theater bandmate Jordan Rudess revealed in an interview that Petrucci is a practicing Catholic.[5] He
currently lives in St. James, New York with his wife Rena Sands, a guitarist in the all-female heavy metal band
Meanstreak, and they have 3 children, Samantha and Reny (who are twins), and Kiara. He is also an avid fan of
bodybuilding and dedicates much of his off time to weight training.[6]
He is a voting member of NARAS.
Musical style
Guitar Technique
Petrucci is respected for his variety of guitar styles and skills. One of the most notable of these is his high speed
alternate picking which, as he himself claims, requires a "strong sense of synchronization between the two [playing]
hands." John is notable for frequent use of the seven-string electric guitar, which he states is used as a "writing tool",
taking advantage of the extended range both for heavier riffing (The Mirror) and to play extended range runs as part

26. John Petrucci 23
of a solo (This Dying Soul). Petrucci has also been known to directly incorporate riffs and solos from other bands
into live Dream Theater performances. For example, Pink Floyd's 'Have a Cigar' and Metallica's 'Enter Sandman' are
referenced during the performance of 'Peruvian Skies' from the 'Once in a Livetime' live album. Another example
occurs in Dream Theater's live DVD 'Chaos in Motion', during the extended version of 'Surrounded'. Here, Petrucci
incorporates the guitar solo from 'Mother' by Pink Floyd. The varied examples of this further demonstrate Petrucci's
wide range of influences.
In addition, Petrucci is the only band member to have contributed lyrics to every album; he's written lyrics for at
least three songs for every single album. These include, among others, the fan favorite Metropolis, Pt. 1: The
Miracle and the Sleeper, the heartfelt The Spirit Carries On, the politically-charged The Great Debate and the epic
In the Presence of Enemies. Furthermore, Petrucci has used real-life experiences for lyrical inspiration, which
includes songs as The Count of Tuscany, A Nightmare to Remember, and Endless Sacrifice.
Singing
Petrucci has been Dream Theater's backing vocalist since the Awake's Tour. His singing is much darker than James
Labrie's and is often used in bridges like "Solitary Shell", and in choruses of songs such as "Forsaken" and "In The
Name of God". On the EP Wither Petrucci performs lead vocals on an alternative, demo version of the title track. He
had previously done his own vocals for "The Spirit Carries On". During live performances before the departure of
Mike Portnoy, he only sang small sections of backing vocals or harmonies.
Guitar Rig
Studio albums
Album Amplifiers
Majesty/When Dream And Day Unite Randall RG100ES
Images and Words Mesa Quad Preamp, Mesa Triaxis/2:90, Marshall JMP1 for Metropolis Pt.1, Roland JC120 for cleans
Awake Only album to be quadruple layered. 2 takes using Dual Rectifier, 2 takes using Mark IIC+
A Change Of Seasons Mark IIC+, Mark IV, TriAxis
Falling Into Infinity Dual Rectifier, Mark IIC+, Mark IIB, Mark IV, TriAxis
Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From A Memory Mark IIC+, Mark IV, TriAxis, Formula, Dual Rectifier
Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence Mark IIC+, Dual Rectifier (for The Glass Prison)
Train Of Thought Road King Series I
Octavarium Road King Series I, Mark IV, Lone Star
Systematic Chaos Lone Star, Mark IV
Black Clouds & Silver Linings Lone Star, Mark IV, Mark IIC+, Mark V
Suspended Animation Roadking Series 1, Mark IIC+
Liquid Tension Experiment TriAxis, 2:90 power amp
Liquid Tension Experiment 2 Mark IIC+, Mark IV

27. John Petrucci 24
Live
• I&W Tour: 2 Triaxis Preamps (one for backup), 2:90 power amp, Mesa Abacus+Mesa Midi Matrix for switching
• Scenes From NY: Triaxis, Dual Rectifier, Mark IIC+, Mark IV, Formula Preamp, 2:90 power amps
• Live At Budokan: Road King Series 1 (x3), Lonestar (x2)
• Score: Custom Built "Nunya" Preamp, Formula Preamp, mesa 2:100 power amp, 4 Mesa 4x12's and 4 Mesa
2x12's. Midi switching by Steen Skrydstrup.
• 2005 G3 Tokyo: Dual Rectifier (x2) Road King (x2)
• 2007 G3 tour: Mark IV (x2), Formula preamp
• 2007 Systematic Chaos Tour: Mark IV (x2), Lonestar (x1), TC Electronic 2290, M3000, Eventide Ultra
Harmonizer, Jim Dunlop rack wah & various stomp boxes. Midi switching by Axess Electronics.
• 2009 BC&SL Tour: Mark V(x3), 3x Mesa/Boogie Mark V, 1x TC Electronics C400XL Compressor/ Gate, 3x TC
Electronics M3000, 1x TC Electronics 1210 Spatial Expander/Stereo Chorus/Flanger, 1x Eventide H7600
Harmonizer, 1x Dunlop DCR-IFC Rack Wah, 1x Keeley Modded Tube Screamer TS-9DX Flexi, 1x MXR EVH
Flanger, 1x MXR EVH Phaser, 1x Axess Electronics FX-1 Midi Foot Controller w/ expander,2x Dunlop
DCR-IFC Wah Controllers (one for pedalboard and one on center stage for solos), 1x Ernieball 25k Stereo
Volume Pedal,1x Boss TU-2 Tuner
• 2010 Iron Maiden Supporting Tour: Mark V (x3), Dunlop Rack Wah, Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Ultra
Since the Train of Thought World Tour, John has used two footrests made by Patrick Slaats (who also designs
Jordan Rudess's keyboard stands), such that they are book-ends for his pedalboard. These are utilised whenever
Petrucci plays difficult-to-play passages within his songs, as he practices using proper classical guitar techniques -
meaning that he must rest his guitar on his left thigh when sequences get difficult. Before this, he used regular stage
monitors to do this. He stated in the Live at Budokan DVD that he also has "spit shields" around his cabinets, in
order to avoid getting them defaced by Mike Portnoy's "gobs of goobers" (spat-out chewing gum). It would seem
that this isn't used, now that Mike Mangini is in the band.
Discography
Year Title Label Notes
1986 The Majesty The Original CD had no label. It A rare CD recorded for Berklee College of Music with Kevin Moore as their
Demos was just for the students at keyboardist and Chris Collins as their singer. Ytse Jam Records then re-released the
Berklee. Ytse Jam Records then album as an official bootleg. They play a song of this album called Another Won on
re-released the album in 2003 their 20th Anniversary DVD, Score.
1989 When Dream and MCA/Mechanic First Dream Theater studio album.
Day Unite
1992 Images and Words Atlantic/ATCO Again with Dream Theater, introducing the new lead singer James LaBrie.
1993 Live at the WEA International First Dream Theater live album.
Marquee
1994 Awake EastWest The last Dream Theater album with Kevin Moore as keyboard player.
1995 A Change of EastWest Dream Theater EP, introducing Derek Sherinian as new keyboard Player.
Seasons (EP)
1996 Working Man Magna Carta A Rush tribute.
1997 Falling into Elektra Last Dream Theater studio album with Derek Sherinian.
Infinity
1997 Dragon Attack CNR Music A tribute to Queen
1998 Guitar Battle Viktor Various Artists