Electric guitar titan John Petrucci announced today that he will embark on his first-ever solo headlining tour this fall.
For the shows, Petrucci will be backed by bass guitar player Dave LaRue (best known for his work with Steve Morse) and, notably, his former Dream Theater bandmate, drummer Mike Portnoy. LaRue and Portnoy previously served as the rhythm section for Petrucci's 2020 solo album, Terminal Velocity.
As of now, Petrucci has announced only three gigs in total, in Boston, New York and Washington D.C. (on October 7, 13 and 15, respectively), but promised in his announcement that more dates will be announced "soon." Thrash-metal legends Meanstreak will serve as the opener for each of the shows.
In a 2021 Guitar World interview, Petrucci praised Portnoy's contributions to Terminal Velocity, which was his first solo LP in 15 years, and only his second overall. In an interesting twist on standard procedure, Portnoy's drum tracks for the album were recorded only after Petrucci had already laid down his complex final guitar parts.
"Mike banged out all his parts in six days, which is amazing since there are a lot of weird tempo changes and crazy arpeggios on there as well as a lot of different musical styles," he said. "And his playing is so lively and spirited and he played with so much energy. The whole experience was great.”
Petrucci and Portnoy also teamed up in 2021 to reunite Liquid Tension Experiment – their band with bassist Tony Levin and Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess – and record Liquid Tension Experiment 3, the band's first album together in 22 years.
These fall shows, however, will serve as the first time Petrucci and Portnoy have toured together since the latter departed Dream Theater in 2010.
For tickets and more info on the dates, visit Petrucci's website.
