In a recent interview with This Day in Metal, Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie shared insights into Mike Portnoy’s role in shaping the band’s performances. He explained that Portnoy is once again in charge of the setlist, and he does an exceptional job.
“We actually handed [it out] to Mike Portnoy again so he’s back at the helm of that. He does it most admirably because Mike first and foremost is the biggest fan of the band, so he’s very analytical about the way that he goes about it, where you start, and how you produce something that is going to satisfy each pretty much each and every fan so that when they walk away from the show, at the end of the day, are they saying, ‘Oh my God, I was able to hear so many songs that I was hoping would be in the setlist?'”
LaBrie also mentioned the excitement surrounding Octavarium on their current tour. “In this current tour, we’re playing ‘Octavarium,’ a big epic piece. So, many people are flipping out about that, going, ‘Oh, my God I love that song, and the fact that you’re playing it in its entirety. It’s complete, it couldn’t be better.'”
The frontman went on to explain how Portnoy crafts a fresh setlist for each show. “So, Mike will look at things like, ‘Okay what was played on the last tour what was played the last time we came into this territory?’ So, he’s ensuring that this setlist will be something different for people if we play in Lithuania and the last time they saw us, what was this and this? So, we’re not playing those songs. Basically it’s just trying to really bring something new to the areas that we’re going in that we haven’t played in quite some time.”
While the band frequently adapts their setlist based on the location, Portnoy also discussed how they adjust their sound as they age. “There weren’t any songs that we stayed away from. Everything was fair game,” he said during a chat with Metal Pilgrim. “But there were some of the older songs where maybe we had to make some adjustments to the vocal melodies just because James isn’t 20 years old anymore. There’s physical limitations to what a voice can physically do.”
He added, “So there were some of the older songs, maybe from ‘Images and Words’ or ‘Awake,’ where we had to look at the melodies and make some adjustments to accommodate that. And the same could be said for the drums. Not that I’m making any adjustments, but the drums are also, like the vocals, a very physical instrument. And your body can only do so much.”
The band will continue their tour with their next show on February 7 in Philadelphia. On the same day, they will release their upcoming studio album, ‘Parasomnia.’
