Speaking with Brazil's 89FM A Rádio Rock, Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess discussed the return of founding member Mike Portnoy in October 2023. The legendary drummer returned to the band after a 13 year absence.

Rudess on how the band has changed since Portnoy's return:

"It's definitely changed because he's a very strong musical personality and a strong personality in general, and so he has a lot of thoughts about things. He's a very conceptual thinker, and I think that as fine as we were just doing our own thing when he was gone, having him back, it's just like, wow, this is so great to have your mind and your spirit involved in it. It really does change things. So I think when people hear the new album that we're working on, they'll kind of see that and they'll feel that. I definitely think it's reconnecting with some of the spirit of the magic that we produced in the years that he was in the band."

"I think everybody grows, everybody changes and we bring what we learn into the mix. So, I think while we're revisiting and kind of enjoying this feeling of connecting with who we were, we're also different people, we've been through all these different experiences, so there's a lot of other things we all bring to the situation on every level, just musically, personally, everything."

Dream Theater recently announced their 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025.

The tour - presented as An Evening With Dream Theater - is the first outing since drummer Mike Portnoy’s return to the lineup joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess.

The European leg consists of stops in 23 cities and kicks off on October 20 and runs through November 24. Dream Theater will be performing classics and fan favorites from their catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music.

The band recently checked in with the following update:

"Danke Schön to all of our great fans in Germany for the first official Sold Out show of our EU/UK leg: November 21st in Frankfurt! Due to the enthusiasm of our fans we are adding a few hundred more tickets to the capacity, ensuring as many of you get to join us as possible! These extra tickets will likely sell out very quickly, so get them NOW while you still can!

More information on all tickets and VIP packages can be found here.

An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025

October
20 - London, England - The O2
22 - Berlin, Germany - Uber Eats Music Hall
23 - Koln, Germany - Palladium
25 - Milan, Italy - Forum
26 - Rome, Italy - Palazzo dello Sport
28 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
29 - Zagreb, Croatia - Arena Zagreb

November
1 - Budapest, Hungary - Budapest Arena
2 - Prague - Czech Republic - Fortuna Arena
3 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
6 - Helsinki, Finland - Metro Areena
8 - Stockholm. Sweden - Waterfront
9 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Poolen
12 - Luxembourg - Rockhal
13 - Zurich, Switzerland - The Hall
14 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
16 - Lisbon, Portugal - MEO Arena
17 - Madrid, Spain - La Cubierta de Leganés
20 - Stuttgart, Germany - Beethovensaal
21 - Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhundderthalle
23 - Paris, France - Adidas Arena
24 - Amsterdam - AFAS Live

Dream Theater has been in their DTHQ studio working on their 16th studio album and the first with Portnoy since 2009’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings. More information on the upcoming release will be unveiled in the future.

(Photo Courtesy of Dream Theater)