Prog rock/metal icons Dream Theater will spend their summer supporting Iron Maiden on the band’s month-long tour of major US and Canadian markets. The tour launches on June 9 and runs through July 20, and includes a stop at the storied Madison Square Garden in NYC, marking the first time in a lengthy and respected career that Dream Theater will have played the world’s most famous arena. This tour will mark another milestone in Dream Theater’s history, which continues to expand and evolve, twenty-five years deep.

Of touring with Iron Maiden in North America, drummer Mike Portnoy said, "It is a bit of a dream come true for us. After 25 years together, at this stage in our career, there's honestly only three bands Dream Theater would consider opening for and Maiden is one of them. It is an absolute honor. Through the years, we've done many one-off shows with Maiden and they've almost all been overseas. It is very exciting to finally be doing a full tour with them and on our side of the pond, no less. These are gonna be amazing shows that the fans won't want to miss. Up the f***ing irons!"

Playing MSG for the first time is also a huge accomplishment for the band and they are thrilled about the prospect. "Dream Theater has achieved so many dreams through the years, from playing the Budokan in Tokyo to Wembley Arena in London to Radio City Music Hall in NYC," Portnoy recalled. "But the one remaining dream that has eluded us through all of these years was to play at Madison Square Garden. Well, on July 12, along with Iron Maiden, that dream will finally be fulfilled."

Guitarist John Petrucci was equally stoked about the MSG play, saying, "I am unbelievably excited to be finally playing Madison Square Garden, and with the almighty Maiden to boot! They have been heroes to the band since the beginning and are iconic in our eyes. There is nothing like achieving success and recognition in your own country, in your own city. It's going to be an incredible night for sure."

Portnoy has proof of this career-long dream, saying, "About a month ago, my family and I were watching a video of my first band Intruder from back in 1983, and in the video before the show, I was interviewed and asked what my dream goal was. I responded ‘To play the Garden.’ It took almost 30 years, but it’s surreal that I will now be able to check it off the list."

Dream Theater’s Black Clouds & Silver Linings was released in 2009 and debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 Sales chart.

Tour dates for the Iron Maiden/Dream Theater run are as follows:

June 9 – Superpages.com Center – Dallas, TX

June 11 -The Woodlands - Houston, TX

June 12 - AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX

June 14 – Fiddler’s Green – Denver, CO

June 16 – The Pavilion (formerly Journal Pavilion) - Albuquerque, NM

June 17 – Cricket Wireless Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ

June 19 - San Manuel Amphitheatre – San Bernardino, CA

June 20 – Sleep Train Pavilion – Concord, CA

June 22 – White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA

June 24 – General Motors Place – Vancouver, BC

June 26 – Rexall Place – Edmonton, AB

June 29 – Credit Union Centre – Saskatoon, SK

July 3 – Molson Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON

July 7 – Bell Centre – Montreal, QC

July 9 – International Summer Festival – Quebec City, QUE

July 11 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ

July 12 – Madison Square Garden – New York, NY

July 14 – Post Gazette Pavilion – Pittsburg, PA

July 15 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH

July 17 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI

July 18 – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL

July 20 – Jiffy Lube Live – Washington, DC

DREAM THEATER

RELEASE DOCUMENTARY ROAD VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE ’WITHER’

THE PROGRESSIVE ROCK TITANS ARE NOW IN MIDST OF TOURING AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

BAND PLANS TO HIT SOUTH AMERICA IN THE WINTER-SPRING

“Of the 10 videos we've done through the years, I felt we have never been truly captured ‘in our element...which of course is on tour, playing to our fans, with our lighting and video show. So I thought it was time to do a video that showed us in our ‘real world’ (unlike the ‘fake worlds’ that are usually created when shooting a promo video),” says Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater about the band’s new documentary road video for their new single “Wither” from their 10th studio release Black Clouds and Silver Linings (Roadrunner).  See interview with Portnoy about the video below.

Directed by Ramon Boutviseth, who did the same honors for the first clip for the album’s first single  “A Rite Of Passage,” the “Wither” video was shot on location in the U.K. (London, Manchester), France (Paris, Lille) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands) as part of DREAM THEATER’s September/October 2009 headlining “Progressive Nation” tour reaching 15 countries. See the video here: Dream Theater - Wither

Meanwhile, the legendary progressive metal masters just launched their headlining down under tour December 1, encompassing seven shows in Australia and New Zealand, wrapping December 12 in Perth, with special guests Pain of Salvation will join the band on all dates except in New Zealand. Look for the band to head to South America in the winter-spring.

2009 continues to be a watermark year for DREAM THEATER--James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar, vocals), Mike Portnoy (drums, percussion, vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards, Continuum)--as a recording act and touring powerhouse. They achieved a #1 debut on the Billboard European chart and 12 Top Ten album chart debuts around the world including the U.S. with Black Clouds and Silver Linings, a highlight of their 25-year career that was praised by Mojo magazine’s Paul Elliott in his July 2009 review: “…their lofty ideals remain intact.   By modern criteria, Black Clouds and Silver Linings is as highbrow as The Mars Volta, as grandiose as Muse and as heavy as Metallica.” They were also honored with the "Spirit Of Prog" achievement award at the 2009 Classic Rock Awards in London (November 2).

Q&A with Mike Portnoy about the “Wither” video:

How do you feel the song's somber emotional theme works in the context of a documentary tour video?  There's a weariness to the road (the traveling to and from the shows, NOT the onstage moments) that is captured here.

“I think this video captures the reality of what it's really like for us on the road. Sure, the two hours on stage are amazing and ultimately why we do this....but the reality is, there are another 22 hours throughout the day which consists of a lot of traveling, interviews, meet & greets and sometimes a tremendous amount of sitting around and waiting....which sometimes can be very lonely.”
 
What are your thoughts about how the video turned out and how it represents the recent European tour?

“I love the final outcome of this video...it really captured the day to day and hour to hour activities that surround a day on the road with Dream Theater...not only for us, but our crew and our fans as well.”
 
Can you talk about the experience of performing overseas and connecting with your fans there?

“Touring in Europe and the UK are always some of our best shows and are always among the highlights throughout a World Tour for us....the ‘Wither’ shoot alone captured three amazing audiences and venues for us: The Zenith in Paris, The Ahoy in Rotterdam and Wembley Arena in London....all three of these cities, venues and fans are always favorites of ours!”
 
Dream Theater - New Zealand / Australia 2009 Tour Dates

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