After a staggering 5,177 days since his last performance with Dream Theater, drummer Mike Portnoy has officially made his long-awaited return. Portnoy, who last performed with the prog-metal giants during the final show of the Black Clouds & Silver Linings tour in August 2010 at the Makuhari Messe Kokusai Tenjijou Hall in Chiba, Japan, made his triumphant return as Dream Theater launched their 40th anniversary celebrations at the O2 in London.

Portnoy returned to Dream Theater almost exactly a year ago, saying, “I am overwhelmed with joy to be returning home and reuniting with my brothers! 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 line-up before…There’s no place like home!”.

Earlier this month, the band unveiled a new single titled “Night Terror,” marking their first release since Portnoy’s return. They also announced that their 15th studio album, Parasomnia, will be released in February. The final piece of the puzzle was their return to live performance, which took place last night in East London, where they delivered a successful three-hour set.

The band opened their set with Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper from their 1992 album Images and Words and closed the night with the iconic Pull Me Under. During the show, Night Terror made its live debut after the intermission, while Portnoy—playing behind a drum kit equipped with three bass drums—performed Barstool Warrior and This Is The Life for the first time, both of which were originally recorded with his successor, Mike Mangini.

photo by Boris Georgiev

Act I
Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper
Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu
The Mirror
Panic Attack
Barstool Warrior
Hollow Years
Constant Motion
As I Am

Act II
Night Terror
This Is The Life
Under A Glass Moon
Vacant
Stream Of Consciousness
Octavarium

Encore
Act II: Scene Six: Home
Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
Pull Me Under

Το άρθρο DREAM THEATER: PLAY LIVE WITH M. PORTNOY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 14 YEARS! εμφανίστηκε πρώτα στο Myth Of Rock.