Mike Portnoy recently revealed that Dream Theater will be taking a short break after completing an intense run of shows. In a statement shared on Instagram, the drummer reflected on the band’s busy year and outlined what’s next for them.
“That’s a wrap on 2025! Between Oct 20th 2024 thru Oct 25th 2025 we played 123 Shows across the globe…(and we’re not done yet!),” Portnoy said. “We’re gonna take a much deserved break for the holidays and then after the new year, we’ll be back at it throughout Asia and Australia…(and even more TBA).”
He also took a moment to thank those who contributed to the success of the tour.
“Thank you to our amazing crew for getting this incredible show up and down each and every night…and to our amazing fans around the world that have made this DT’s biggest and best tour ever!” he continued.
After the holiday break, Dream Theater plans to resume touring across Asia and Australia, with more dates still to be announced.
The 2025 tour holds special significance for both Portnoy and the band, marking his first full year back with Dream Theater since rejoining in October 2023. According to IMDb, the 40th Anniversary North American Tour, which ran from February to March 2025, was Portnoy’s first U.S. tour with the band in 14 years following his departure.
The tour supported Dream Theater’s latest album Parasomnia, which saw the band performing all eight tracks live. Loudwire reported that the fall U.S. leg spanned 30 cities between September 5 and October 25, 2025. The setlist featured epic performances, including the sprawling closer “The Shadow Man Incident,” alongside a mix of classics and fan favorites.
Portnoy has been vocal about his enthusiasm for Dream Theater’s new material. As Loudwire highlighted, he named Parasomnia his favorite album of 2025 so far, praising the band’s renewed chemistry and describing it as a quintessential Dream Theater record that bridges their past and future sound.
“It definitely sounds like classic Dream Theater,” Portnoy said in a recent interview, as Metal Injection documented.
The 2025 tour also included rare performances of the fan-favorite epic A Change of Seasons. Portnoy hinted that it might not return to future setlists, and according to Wikipedia, this could be one of the last times the band performs the song live—making the tour a particularly meaningful experience for longtime fans.
