The run begins in Philadelphia next February
After previously announcing their 40th Anniversary Tour across Europe and the UK, Dream Theater have confirmed a North American run for next year. A tour announcement that has been fourteen years in the making, the GRAMMY®-winning progressive metal titans Presented as An Evening With Dream Theater, the run is the band’s 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 40th Anniversary Tour begins with a European leg that kicks off this fall, consists of stops in 23 cities and kicks off on October 20 and runs through November 24. The North American run will begin on February 7 at The Met in Philadelphia, wrapping up on March 22 at Radio City Music Hall. Dream Theater will be performing classics and fan favorites from their catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music.
Check out the full tour itinerary below.
“The excitement we have felt from the fans since the first tour was announced has been overwhelming,” Dream Theater said in a statement. “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.”
The “more exciting Dream Theater news” is quite possibly a new song, and an album update. The band has been in their DTHQ studio working on their sixteenth studio album. The record will be the band’s first with Portnoy since 2009’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings.
Last October, it was announced that Portnoy was back in Dream Theater. A founding member of the group, Portnoy left the band in 2010. Now, over a decade later, he has rejoined the storied progressive metal pioneers. He replaced Mike Mangini, who took over for Portnoy thirteen years ago.
“I am overwhelmed with joy to be returning home and reuniting with my brothers,” Portnoy said in a statement. “There is so much shared history between us all…so many memories, so much music…to think we’re coming up on 40 years since this journey began! The idea of creating new music together is so exciting and I absolutely cannot wait to hit the road and get to play live for a whole new generation of fans that weren’t ever able to see this lineup before…There’s no place like home!”
Mangini gracefully articulated his exit from the group after more than a decade behind the kit.
“I understand Dream Theater’s decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time,” Mangini said. “As was said from Day 1, my place was not to fill all the roles that Mike held in the band. I was to play the drums in order to help the band carry on. My main role of keeping our live show working tightly on a nightly basis was an intense and rewarding experience. Thankfully, I got to experience playing music with these iconic musicians, as well as some fun times laced with humor. I also really enjoyed spending lots of time with the crew. And then there’s the GRAMMY® win, which was amazingly satisfying. To the fans: thank you so much for being amazing to me. I cherish the pictures I have of you all losing your minds and having fun. Finally, I really love the band, crew and management and wish them and the entire organization all the best.”
“Mike Mangini’s drumming is otherworldly and I’m extremely grateful for the time he spent with us in Dream Theater. I’m very proud of all the amazing music we made together that culminated in our first GRAMMY win last year and the countless magical moments that we’ve shared on stage over the past 13 years. I wish him all the best of success in his future musical endeavors,” explains guitarist John Petrucci. “I’m incredibly excited to welcome Mike Portnoy back into Dream Theater! As an original founding member, longtime friend and incredibly talented and creative drummer, I know that his return will bring a renewed spirit, passion and energy into DT that all of us, including our fans, will joyfully welcome. I can’t wait to roll up our sleeves and get back into the studio together!”
“It’s great to be back true to form with our original drummer Mike Portnoy. We started playing together as Majesty almost 40 years ago and I am excited to see what this next phase of Dream Theater creates for the future. I wish nothing but the best for Mike Mangini for all the blood, sweat and tears he put into DT during his 13-year tenure with the band,” adds John Myung.
“Having Mike Mangini with us all these years has been, quite simply, a terrific ride. He is one of the most amazing and naturally gifted drummers I have had the pleasure of working with. Thank you Mike. Life is a very strange ride and I guess that’s what makes it all the more interesting and forever engaging. Having Mike Portnoy back in the band is exactly where we and things should be. Things have a way of going full circle and in this case, it makes perfect sense. I am excited with the prospects of this classic DT lineup being reunited. I can say with absolute confidence this will be the final incarnation of DT with many chapters still to be written well into our future. Onward and upward guys!! Welcome back MP,” states James LaBrie.
“Mike Mangini is one of the most exceptional drummers on earth and I feel privileged that we got to create a whole body of work with him. I will always be grateful for the time we shared in the Dream Theater Universe,” Jordan Rudess continues. “We are so excited to reunite the core Dream Theater family. There is a resonance of spirit and vision that is unique and goes beyond words within our relationship with Mike Portnoy. On the stage and off there is no denying the magic that happens when we are together. I’m thankful we have the opportunity to work together again as Dream Theater and am looking forward to sharing our excitement and passion with our amazing fans for a long time to come.”
Progressive metal pioneers Dream Theater share a unique bond with one of the most passionate fan bases around the globe as evidenced by their three GRAMMY® Award nominations, 2022 GRAMMY® Award win in the Best Metal Performance category for “The Alien” and 15 million records sold worldwide. The 1992 opus Images & Words received a gold certification and landed on Rolling Stone’s coveted “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All-Time.”Guitar World placed the follow-up Awake at #1 on “Superunknown: 50 Iconic Albums That Defined 1994.” 1996’s A Change of Seasons notably soundtracked NBC’s coverage of Downhill Skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Fans voted the 1999 Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory the “Number One All-Time Progressive Rock Album” in a 2012 Rolling Stone poll. Not to mention, it ranked as the “15th Greatest Concept Album” by Classic Rock. 2009 saw Black Clouds & Silver Linings crash the Billboard Top 200 at #6 as A Dramatic Turn of Events [2011] and Dream Theater [2013] maintained a three-peat in the chart’s Top 10. In 2016, the band returned with their second concept album and sci-fi novel of the same name, The Astonishing.
Beyond three platinum and two gold videos, the group was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2019, the band continued to expand its audience when they released Distance Over Time to critical and commercial acclaim. On their 15th full-length and second studio release for InsideOutMusic / Sony Music, A View From The Top Of The World the band continue to challenge themselves and push their musical envelope – something they have done for over 30-years performing together. The band launched the inaugural DREAMSONIC Tour in 2023 – a traveling progressive music spectacle that will return for more runs in the future. In 2024, founding drummer Mike Portnoy reunited with the iconic lineup of guitarist John Petrucci, vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung and keyboardist Jordan Rudess to overwhelming fanfare. Dream Theater has been in the studio currently working on their upcoming 16th studio album and first for this lineup in over 15 years.
October 20 – London, England – The O2
October 22 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Eats Music Hall
October 23 – Koln, Germany – Palladium
October 25 – Milan, Italy – Forum
October 26 – Rome, Italy – Palazzo dello Sport
October 28 – Munich, Germany – Zenith
October 29 – Zagreb, Croatia – Arena Zagreb
November 1 – Budapest, Hungary – Budapest Arena
November 2 – Prague – Czech Republic – Fortuna Arena
November 3 – Lodz, Poland – Atlas Arena
November 6 – Helsinki, Finland – Metro Areena
November 8 – Stockholm. Sweden – Waterfront
November 9 – Oslo, Norway – Spektrum
November 10 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Poolen
November 12 – Luxembourg – Rockhal
November 13 – Zurich, Switzerland – The Hall
November 14 – Lyon, France – Halle Tony Garnier
November 16 – Lisbon, Portugal – MEO Arena
November 17 – Madrid, Spain – La Cubierta de Leganés
November 20 – Stuttgart, Germany – Beethovensaal
November 21 – Frankfurt, Germany – Jahrhundderthalle
November 23 – Paris, France – Adidas Arena
November 24 – Amsterdam – AFAS Live
February 7 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met
February 8 – Raleigh, NC – Martin Marietta Center
February 10 – Nashville, TN – Opry House
February 11 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
February 12 – Biloxi, MS – Hard Rock Café
February 14 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
February 15 – Dallas, TX – Texas Trust CU
February 16 – San Antonio, TX – Majestic
February 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Center
February 19 – Highland, CA – Yaamava Theater
February 21 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea
February 22 – Los Angeles, CA – YouTube Theater
February 24 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Civic
February 25 – Sacramento, CA – Safe Credit Union Performing
February 27 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theater
February 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
New dates in BOLD
Tickets and VIP packages will be available HERE