Progressive metal legends Dream Theater recently unleashed their latest studio album, Parasomnia, in February 2025 via InsideOut Music. While modern technology continues to reshape the music industry, returning drummer Mike Portnoy has firmly shut the door on using artificial intelligence as a creative crutch.
During a recent conversation with Thailand’s “Overdrive Live,” Portnoy was asked if the band utilized A.I. to generate any concepts for the new record. He emphasized the group’s dedication to authentic craftsmanship, even though keyboardist Jordan Rudess has a known affinity for cutting-edge tech.
“Oh, no, no. It’s all completely organic, and that’s very important to us. Jordan Rudess is very into the technology and A.I. experimentation, but on a personal level, it hasn’t come into the band. I don’t think it will ever come into the band. I think we’re all so serious enough as it is about our own instruments and our own writing and composition that that’s something that’s sacred to just being us and has to be fully organic.”
The conversation then shifted to the physical demands of playing complex progressive metal. When asked if he ever loses his place during intricate time signatures, Portnoy admitted that slip-ups happen. However, he strongly prefers occasional human errors over relying on programmed click tracks—a rigid practice the band adopted during his extended absence.
“Well, 7/8’s easy. 19/16 and 21/16, that’s when it starts to get a little more complicated. But, yeah, sometimes we get lost. It happens. We’re human beings, and I like the fact that we’re human beings. I’m not afraid to make a mistake. I think it shows that it’s not on tracks or it’s not playing to a click. For me, it’s very important to not play to a click. That was something that I needed to establish when I came back to the band. ‘Cause I never used to do it, and I still don’t want to do it. The years that I was away, I know Dream Theater did. So one of the important things for me was to have the human element. I would rather make a mistake and be real than be perfect and boring and a machine. So it was important for me for us to be real. And every once in a while, somebody makes a mistake, and that’s okay. I think that’s what makes music real.”
Steering a massive live production back on course requires precise leadership. The legendary musician detailed his specific methods for realigning the band and crew whenever a performance goes slightly off the rails. He noted that playing strictly to a metronome alongside former drummer Mike Mangini often made recovering from on-stage mishaps much more difficult for the rest of the group.
“For me, I think it’s easier without a click track. In fact, I heard the [other] guys [in Dream Theater] talk about it, because they would say when they were playing with a click track with Mike Mangini, if there was ever a mistake, it was hard because you were tied to the [track]. You couldn’t fluctuate; you couldn’t make it work. So I personally think it’s easier without any programmed things, because you’re human and they adapt. At the end of the day, I’m the conductor — the drummer’s the conductor in the band — and I’m the one that’s setting the tempos and hitting the cues and playing the retards at the end of the songs. Everybody’s following me and watching me, including our lightman and our laser person and our video people, they’re all tied in with what I’m doing. I have an electronic pad behind the kit that I cue everybody. Only we can hear it in our ears. So I’ll cue everybody. And if ever anything falls off the track, me as the drummer and the conductor, I have to get everybody’s attention with the cowbell and bring us back together. It doesn’t happen that often, but it’s a good little trick to have.”
Fans will soon have another chance to witness this organic live energy on screen. Mike Portnoy confirmed that the band’s upcoming April 22, 2026, performance at the Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile, is being professionally filmed for a future Blu-ray release.
This upcoming video project follows their recent live album, Quarantième: Live À Paris, which arrived last November via Inside Out Music and Sony Music. Captured during their massive 40th-anniversary European tour at the Adidas Arena in France, the expansive set showcased the reunited lineup of James LaBrie, John Petrucci, John Myung, Jordan Rudess, and Mike Portnoy. The career-spanning record features live renditions of heavy fan favorites such as “Metropolis Pt. 1“, “Panic Attack“, “Octavarium“, and “Pull Me Under“.
The current era marks a triumphant return for the co-founding drummer, who officially rejoined Dream Theater in October 2023. Prior to his 2010 departure, he recorded ten foundational studio albums with the progressive metal giants, spanning from 1989’s When Dream And Day Unite to 2009’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings. Following a fourteen-year absence, his highly anticipated comeback show took place at London’s O2 Arena in October 2024.
Dream Theater Remaining 2026 Tour Dates:
- Apr 08: Monterrey, Mexico – Arena Monterrey
- Apr 10: Mexico City, Mexico – Arena CDMX
- Apr 12: San Juan, Puerto Rico – Coliseo de Puerto Rico
- Apr 16: San José, Costa Rica – Venue TBC
- Apr 18: Bogotá, Colombia – Movistar Arena
- Apr 20: Lima, Peru – Costa 21
- Apr 24: Buenos Aires, Argentina – Movistar Arena
- Apr 26: Córdoba, Argentina – Plaza de la Música
- May 03: Porto Alegre, Brazil – Auditório Araújo Vianna
- May 05: Curitiba, Brazil – Live Curitiba
- May 07: Brasília, Brazil – Dois Ipês
- May 09: São Paulo, Brazil – Vibra
- May 10: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Vivo Rio
- May 12: Belo Horizonte, Brazil – Befly Hall
