Dream Theater is starting their 40th-anniversary celebrations in Europe next month, even though they officially formed in 1985.
The prog-metal group, now with original drummer Mike Portnoy, will begin a North American tour in Philly on February 7, ending in March at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall.
Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Check the band’s website for details.
“The excitement we have felt from the fans since the first tour was announced has been overwhelming!” said the band. “Now we get to bring the show to our home country and play a bunch of cities that we haven’t been together in for more than a decade. We can’t wait to continue this historic celebration of 40 years together with everyone in North America next year. We still have plenty of more exciting Dream Theater news to share in the coming weeks.”
Earlier this year, the whole band chatted with Rolling Stone about reuniting with Portnoy and how they resolved past conflicts. "Before the Covid pandemic, if you had asked me or any of these guys, ‘Was a reunion in the cards?’ I probably would’ve said, ‘I doubted that it could happen,’” Portnoy admitted. "I think if the lockdown hadn’t happened, you guys probably would’ve been on tour, and I would’ve been on tour with one of my 48 bands."
During the lockdown, the band members reached out to Portnoy, and they patched things up. They’ve been recording and preparing for the tour, which starts in England on October 20. Portnoy mentioned he’s already feeling the pressure for the first show. "We expect the first show to be an emotional experience — not only for the five of us but for everybody in the audience," he said. "I have a feeling there will be people coming in from all over the world to be present for the first show together. It’s scary because, under normal circumstances, it takes a bunch of shows to get your sea legs back. But in this case, we need to hit the ground running. That first show is going to be dissected with a magnifying glass in the age of YouTube. We can’t suck."
Fans are thrilled to see them back together!
Editor’s picks
An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary tour dates:
Feb. 7 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
Feb. 8 – Raleigh, NC @ Martin Marietta Center
Feb. 10 – Nashville, TN @ Opry House
Feb. 11 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy
Feb. 12 – Biloxi, MS @ Hard Rock Café
Feb. 14 – Houston, TX @ 713 Music Hall
Feb. 15 – Dallas, TX @ Texas Trust CU
Feb. 16 – San Antonio, TX @ Majestic
Feb. 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ Arizona Financial Center
Feb. 19 – Highland, CA @ Yaamava Theater
Feb. 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Chelsea
Feb. 22 – Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theater
Feb. 24 – San Jose, CA @ San Jose Civic
Feb. 25 – Sacramento, CA @ Safe Credit Union Performing
Feb. 27 – Seattle, WA @ Moore Theater
Feb. 28 – Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium
March 2 – Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra
March 4 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
March 6 – Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom
March 8 – Chicago, IL @ Chicago Theatre
March 9 – Cleveland, OH @ MGM Northfield Park
March 11 – Toronto, ON @ Coca-Cola Coliseum
March 12 – Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
March 14 – Wallingford, CT @ Oakdale Theater
March 15 – Boston, MA @ Boch Center
March 17 – Rochester, NY @ Kodak
March 18 – Wheeling, WV @ Capitol Theater
March 19 – Cincinnati, OH @ Brady Music Center
March 21 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem
March 22 – New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
