Mike Portnoy invites Dream Theater to 50th birthday bash

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Drummer Mike Portnoy says he'd love to perform the 12 Step Suite with his former Dream Theater bandmates – but admits it's unlikely

A photograph of Mike Portnoy
Mike Portnoy (Image credit: Getty)

Mike Portnoy has extended “an open invitation” to his former Dream Theater bandmates to join him for his planned performance of his 12 Step Suite at his 50th birthday bash next year.

The drummer recently revealed that he’ll perform all five tracks of the 12 Step Suite in their entirety and in sequence on the Cruise To The Edge floating festival, which sets sail from Tampa, Florida, on February 7 and runs until February 11.

The 12-Step Suite is made up of five tracks, each of which featured on separate Dream Theater albums and Portnoy said he alway intended to play it live.

Now he adds that he’d love his former bandmates to join, but he says he doubts that will happen.

Portnoy tells The National Student: “I would love nothing more than to perform it with them. But they’ve made it clear that they have no intention in reuniting at any point. So, life is short, this is going to be my 50th birthday and it just felt like the right time and place to finally play this music.

“I wrote all five of these songs with the intention of them being performed from start to finish, and I would have loved nothing more than to be doing it with Dream Theater. But it’s obviously not on the cards for them.

“I can’t sit around waiting for a reunion that may not happen. That being said, all four Dream Theater guys have an open invitation to join me on the cruise. I would love nothing more than for them to be there with me.”

Portnoy wrote the collection of tracks to deal with his experience of alcoholism. He turns 50 on April 20, 2017.

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Stef Lach

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.