Holy Shit! This was INCREDIBLE 🙌 Thank you so much @elestepariosiberiano for this amazing tribute!! 🙏 I’m humbled to have played a small part in the incredible drummer YOU are! 🔥 (and I’m glad I helped get you to lay some good pipe!) 😉😝 I’m going to share this on my socials now as well…

Probably one of the few rare instances when Dance of Eternity helped someone to lay some pipe 😆😆😆. And very well deserved brother!

I just saw Mike Portnoy play with John Petrucci on John's solo tour. In the middle of one song, Mike starts playing catch with his drum tech. Seriously, the man was throwing his drum stick towards the side of the stage, kept playing without missing a note, then proceeds to catch the drum stick when it was throw back to him. The man is awesome! Also, it was amazing seeing Portnoy and Petrucci together again. An undeniable duo. 🤘

What is really amazing about Mike's performance is that you can actually hear the whole band on his isolated drum tracks.

Hey there! Thanks for stopping by! if you want to support my work, just comment whoever you want me to react next! THANKS!

Mike Portnoy's musicality is what makes him my favorite drummer. I first listened to Dream Theater in the 90's when I got the Awake cassette. 6 O'clock intro fill still puts a smile on my face every time I hear it. Great story, great break down of the song ,your a monster on the kit!

For me the most amazing part of these reactions of yours is the lack of unhealthy ego. You are amazingly strong soul not because of your muscles (which now I know are necessary for your healthy spine) but because of your strong heart, honesty and humble approach and respect for everything you do. I think you have very little idea HOW MUCH you are contributing to the shift of consciousness on this planet in the field of love for music. THANK YOU

I got this exact video on VHS, in the 90’s. It changed my life and showed me a world of drumming that I didn’t know existed. I’ve been a DT fanatic ever since, and have seen them live over 10 times (mostly in the Portnoy era). You’d be hard-pressed to find a drummer who created as many phenomenal drum parts over the years.

portnoy is a legend. He delivers some insane drum parts with the utmost taste, creativity and energy. When it comes to the greats it's not about technique, but it's the overall feel and groove they bring to the music. Him and Gavin Harrison are my two favorite drummers.

The Mirror beginning drum part switching while the guitar part stays the same or whatever is happening in that song is one of my favorite DT moments.

I find that Mike has a lot of Neil Peart in his playing, the way he constructs his drum parts, almost in the way Neil did, take all the elements away and you can still identify the song. The drums are as much a part of the song as the lyrics, Neil was a master at this and Mike too has this in his drum part construction.

And yes, we all have heard a lot of drummers all around the world but the MUSICALITY of Mike is unique and maybe on top of the drumming history!

Love Portnoy’s work with Liquid Tension Experiment. Phenomenally creative drumming.

I try to figure out what impresses me more: the backstory or the fact that it took you only 7 days to learn the Dance of eternity. I hope you two did the pillow-Dance of eternity after you played the Song 😂

Is incredible how can you basically hear the other instruments in your head only with the drum track 🤯

Mike Portnoy is one of those rare drummers who made a difference in Metal and drummers who are wanting to learn new stuff to play. One of the best drummers in hard rock.

Mike Portnoy has to be my favorite drummer of all time!

"no one has seen before" hahah, I bought that DVD when it came out

What's fantastic about The Dance of Eternity is that Mr. Portnoy not only managed to write one of the most iconic drum lines ever created for a progressive piece, he also made it with rudiments and patterns every drummer in a basic to intermediate level is able to play. Not only that, every groove fits like a glove with the melodic parts of the song. The drums in this song are so musical they don't need thousands of extra notes, it's just what's necessary to make the drums, like Stepario says, flow with the song.

Damn, that is the best and most detailed breakdown of this masterpiece I have ever seen! I may not be a drummer, but I did understand his explaining and all those things that I feel listening to this song (a few tenths of thousands of times that I have) came to a deep understanding to me. We all thank the god himself, Mike Portnoy for the stellar talent, the hard work and the love for the fans. And for sharing with us the creative genius he and Dream Theater are!

Perfect timing. Was just drumming the Outro to The Glass Prison a few minutes ago.

Sin duda, hubo una época en la que portnoy era el tío más original y creativo en el mundo de la batería, logrando sobresalir en un grupo en el que todos los músicos eran mastodontes.

His pure honesty is refreshing! He is incredibly talented and it's an honor to watch his videos!!!🤘

His 'Purple Monster' is my number 1 drum sound I have ever heard, I can't never replicate those masterpiece of set

Mike Portnoy is one of my biggest inspirations for getting into drumming. I remember spending hours upon hours listening to Panic Attack over and over to learn it's drum parts... I practiced until my fingers bled!

Right there with ya! Big fan since '92. Folks knock Portnoy for whatever reason, but his creativity creating drum parts is why he's won so many awards and way early induction to the Modern drummer hall of fame. Others can play the parts, but the creative mind to "write" these parts is what sets him apart.

my 7 year old son is about to get his first set. he loves to see you play. I am going to have him do some of the exercises in your videos. You are amazing.

When I was learning drums I felt like I could come up with interesting grooves but my fills were boring. My teacher asked, "Can you play KKRL?", which I could, and he then sat on the kit to demonstrate lots of variations: different tom and snare combinations, accents, placements, crashes and splashes in every possible place, etc. and they all sounded great. "You already now how to play fills, you just have to create them." Mike Portnoy's drumming always reminds me of this. Linear patterns, solid hits and, most importantly, lots of attention to the music can take you really far.

Mr. Mike Portnoy is not a gift to the drums but to the music… and that’s why he’s not replaceable. Saludos desde Chile, bestia!!

THANK YOU!!! To me musicality is something that alot of drummers have lost. It's all about how fast we can go or how amazingly technical we can be when we should just sit back and find what the song needs. I promise you if you try to play everything as fast as possible it's gonna sound like spazzing out shit lol. Musicality, remember the word. Great vid bro 🤘

Excellent presentation brother, what I love the most about him is how smooth he can travel throughout the nuances of the other players. I discover this band back in 1992 and it help me deal with a broken heart...I had lost my brother and music from them helped and inspired me to become a better drummer. Hands down to you hermano...Como el me ha inspirado en 30+ años, tu has logrado mi respeto como batero. Cheers

Nunca he tocado una batería, nunca había puesto tanta atención a una, pero como lo muestras invita a escuchar, aprender y experimentar mucho más del mundo de las percusiones. Tienes un talento único.

Impresionante. Yo me he quedado hipnotizada oootra vez con este hombre. Mike Portnoy es una fantasía, un espectáculo 🖤

Portnoy and Carey are probably the best creative modern day prog metal drummers. Favourites of mine for sure.

Cualquiera que practique horas y horas, puede tocar Dance of eternity, pero solo alguien con un talento increible puede componer "Dance of eternity".

Thanks for this video! Mike Portnoy's drumming can looks "simple" but when you listen to the details it's amazing! and to play it right on time with the band is incredible!

Este video, lo miraba iba a la secundaria con 15, 16 años... Grande Mike un Bestia de la bateria! Saludos desde Argentina!

MP was a significant part of my musical education so the dance of eternity is engraved in my memory. As for the next drummer, either Marco Minnemann or Virgil Donati.

I taught myself using this dvd. It is an absolutely incredible tool for drum learning and progression, from one of the greatest drummers ever. Amen to every sentiment in this video

Literally one of my 3 fav drummers. Him, Neil Peart, and The Rev all made me want to play drums.

This was awesome. One of my favourite drummers has always been Nicko McBrain from Iron Maiden. I’m not a drummer but have always loved the musicality even with his 1000 piece kit.

Great sounding drums Mike's using, especially that snare. The huge purple Tamas!

Brilliant drumming from both gentlemen in this video. Your understanding of drumming is very impressive. Mike Portnoy is just so good. Not just a great drummer but an amazing musician. I'm so grateful for this video. 🙏

Used to watch this DVD every day. In the menu you had the option of selecting different camera angles. Loved this DVD man

How great it would have been to have had Mike portnoy and Neil peart do a drum battle together... Neil you are missed..... Mike is a beast....

Muy buena Estepario 👏👏👏 siempre es un gusto ver que alguien que realmente sabe de este maravilloso instrumento honra al genial Mike Portnoy 👍 Ojalá hagas más videos con esta temática y.. long live the máster Mike!!

Man, I love this Guy! I love watching you play, I love the way analyze each individual part show it’s complications! Thank you for all your videos there’s not one that I can say was OK, they’re all awesome. Just stay humble and appreciative like you always have been! Rock🤟On

Thanks so much for your videos. You’re fantastic to listen to when you’re just playing, but your breakdowns and reactions actually explore technique and theory instead of just dropping your jaw at how awesome the other drummer is. I’m not a drummer, and I can hear how awesome good drummers are already. If I’m watching a reaction from someone who can play like you, this is what I want! Tell me what they’re doing so as to deepen my appreciation for the music I’m hearing. You do such a wonderful job of that. Like, I absolutely did not hear the way the pattern was repeating; I was just digging the sounds. But knowing what he’s doing, and how it twists in my mind to make me feel that more is happening is incredible. It’s brilliant! And I thank you for helping me understand that.

So, the chance of getting your leg over is probably the key motivator for practice. Noted. ;-) Fun Fact: I saw Mike sing the ending few bars of "Surrounded" after James threw a huge tantrum and stalked offstage in a fit of pique - Nottingham Rock City, 1992.

Absolutely amazing... For me this is the best drum track ever and he is the best in business. Thanks for existing Mike!

I listened to this song so many times in the early 2000s that I can still hear it along with the drums

Thank you for not overlaying the drums with the music. I was surprised, that I really could hear the music from my memory and recognize the song parts he was drumming. Such amazingly musical drumming.

Scenes from a memory es uno de mis discos favoritos de todos los tiempos

Portnoy is the youngest Modern Drummer Hall of Fame inductee ever for good reason.

Two of my favorite drummers! I can't believe you pulled this off in a week! There are videos just breaking down the time signature changes on this one! Legend!

This is the most METAL KZfaq video EVER!! Portnoy’s work in The Dance of Eternity one of the best drum tracks of all time! This video deserves the biggest devil horns of all time!! 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

Nunca tuve un álbum favorito hasta que me sugirieron escuchar Metrópolis PT2.Cuanto derroche de talento y creatividad por parte de Dream Theather, su música es una fuente de inspiración y recursos inagotables.Grande Mike Portnoy!!!Excelente reacción bro...Saludos✋🏻

El más grande de todos llevo más de 15 años aprendiendo con ese mounstro, cada composición en Dream Theater es una locura y en LTE y OSI es magnífico lo que hace, por los siglos de los siglos siempre será el #1 para mí. Gracias Mike Portnoy 🔥

Great video! Liquid drum theater is a gem from start to finish, Portnoy is a true legend, and those few years at the turn of the millennium were just pure magic... miss those times.

I always enjoy your videos, and of course, I am big van of Mike Portnoy as well. You have such a great philosophy for life. One that I am drawn to. And of course, I love your drumming. Keep doing what you do! and Thank You for sharing your music and words of wisdom. :)

Portnoy is the most creative metal drummer. This song is a masterpiece! My favorite drummer...

Thank you for great vids ! do Neil Peart next. He also my favourite drummer as portnoy as.

Awesome video, Portnoy was huge for my development as well. I had a similar experience when I learned Schism from Tool, it really blew my mind open to what can be done on the drums.

Aside from amazing chops, his mind for composition is other-worldly. I love his hi-hat, ride and splash accents on 'These Walls'. Absolutely my favorite drummer of all time.

This why MP is much better than Mangini into the DT music and a better musician at all. He has a sort of symphonic approach with drum orchestration that fit perfect with other instruments not just in rhythm but in melody too. That is the reason for the huge amount of pieces of his kits.

La magia de Portnoy es hacer que todos los demás brillen, su musicalidad y acompañamiento son increíbles, mi número uno.

Man I love how excited you get when hearing awesome drums,! Love your videos!

Two high level drummers giving each other props is great to see....and hear.

Who else thinks this guy should make a paid membership lesson thing. I love hearing him explain the drums in my favourite songs and it really helps when learning that piece.

Mr. Mike Portnoy never been the best drummer, but he still IS one of the best composer/musician/songwriter/producer, etc all in one. His musicality is flowless, and He is a living legend. He was very kind in person too, such a great memory, I feel lucky that I could talk to him and he was very patient :) His DT Era is one of a kind, but also his side projects too, absolutely love his work from around 98-2006 (and eversince) both in DT and in other bands. SDOIT one of the most underrated DT album, but his drumming on that album IMO one of his best work ever throughout the double disk. Live at Budokan drum cam full video is something every musicians should watch at least ones. I watched it 1000x times though :D

I heard this song by chance and as soon as Mike came in with the drums I was locked in until the song was over. I had to listen to it over and over again just to understand everything that was happening, it's been so fun coming back every time and picking it apart a little more so I can get an even deeper look into it.

Jorge, your passion and your innate goodness bring me to tears. What a great analysis . I'm gonna go listen to the song now if I can find it . ❤

Just so everyone knows, YES, Neil Peart was doing those high-hat accents with arm cross-over sticking LONG before Mike Portnoy. He was ALSO doing tom fills from low to high tom before Mike Portnoy. FACT: Mike Portnoy was HEAVILY influenced by Neil Peart.

I miss Portnoy in DT ;-(

Thank you so much for , discussing this tune, in your way, very informative, especially when you gave an advice for singing the difficult part instead of to calculating

At last one video about the king of the musically friendly drumming... Thank you for all mike.. You are my inspiration for my playstyle..

Gavin Harrison???

Tremendo análisis te mandaste Estepario!!! 👏👏👏 La primera vez que escuché a Mike quedé pirando (flipando, como dicen ustedes) por un buen tiempo. Saludos desde Uruguay!!! 🇺🇾

Ciao Esterpario, I've been following you for at least 1 year now. Thanks for all the all quality content, every single of yours is entertaining and inspiring. This track is also part of my youth, and to see that broke down so effectively makes me want to sit on a drum kit again. But having said that, here's my suggestion: I'd love to see some video react with any of the Symphony X's songs. Cheers from Italy, wish we could see you live one day ;)

Very well done video. Mike Pourtnoy is amazing. The way you dissected and studied the breakdown of the different sections was done very well.

On a less technical level, there is a drummer that's legendary in my circles for the musicality he used to bring to his drum tracks, a real ability to elevate simple songs to another level. Listen to Uli Kusch's work from back when he was the drummer for Helloween.

So AWESOME, never heard of the son. Dude is on it. Must listen to the song with the other members.

Fantastic video and great breakdown of one of my favorite DT songs played by my favorite drummer and hero Mike Portnoy. The best way to describe these drum parts is tastefully complicated.

Wow 1st Mario on here & now Mike.. Feel privileged to be part of this community. Another insightfull awesome lesson/video. Thanks dude.. excellent work laying pipe 🤣😂.. anyone who can learn this in a week deserves a reward. 🍻

Thanks so much! So glad to see this review of the king! I'd also love to hear you do a review of some of Haken's stuff. Ray is the next Portnoy!

Es genial todo el trabajo que vienes logrando, y que Portnoy dedique esas palabras muestra lo inmenso que es y un poco también hasta donde llego el Estepario!

Same! Hearing and learning Dream-Theater songs really changed my drumming. Just like what you said, it opened up a lot of ways for me on how to play the drums. First song I learned was A fortune in lies and it took me a while to learn it. Then I heard Ytse Jam and Metropolis - Part I: "The Miracle and the Sleeper". Those songs changed everything! So thank you Mike Portnoy. You changed a lot of lives. Stay inspiring!

I'm not a drummer but I really enjoy his creativity and musicality... it change the way i see music... and it helps me in my music career...

I grow up with that hole album doing "air drumming" with my old brother. Two years ago I saw DT on live. This song is basically the most important song of my life, maybe.

I truly enjoy watching you play, if so effortless and yet I know what kind of discipline that took to achieve that. and I love when you do funny stuff on your videos, those are really good. thanks for always sharing

Thank you so much for this video. I love Mike Portnoy and DT as well. He is the Reason why I love drums. And he do have, just like you, a great and Amazing quality: watching the both of you playing, tough I ma sure I’ll never reach your level, makes me wanna stop everything I am doing and go practice and playing drums. Thank you.

This is the best analysis of TDOE I've ever seen, incredibly informative and also very funny at the same time. And yeah, Mike is a genius, my favorite drummer ever since I heard him for the first time almost 22 years ago.

This song DEFINITELY affected my playing. I used to play along to most of this album... One of my favorites.

La danza de la eternidad...Desde que escuche esa canción y vi ese mismo video que estas mostrando de Portnoy.Mi vida cambió por completo.Sin dudas Mike Portnoy es uno de los que dió esa vuelta de rosca en la bateria.Sigo admirandolo tanto a el como a vos Siberiano! Sos una Bestia total..Podes tocar los temas de Portnoy hasta con una mano.Veo que lo admiras mucho.Seguí con estos videos que enseñan a la gente algo diferente.Te mando un saludo

This guy is awesome. His playing is as good as I've heard, plus he's got a great attitude on everything

You're quickly becoming my favorite KZfaqr/drummer. Not only are you a badass drummer but you're extremely educational and hilarious and motivating. Thanks 🙏

I JUST LOVE YOUR HONEST AND STRAIGHT FORWARD ATTITUDE .

Extremely interesting … and so much more fun than seeing you playing with one hand over and over again (I know there are likes and therefore money in that). In this video you talk about musicality and not just showing off … love it. Cause this show how great a drummer you are when it comes to creating music ❤️

Amazing.. breakdown, knowledge, skill .. very educational, bad ass, and great back story ... brilliantly explained... and quite straightforward and hella funny. Much respect to Mike Portnoy and your tribute to him. Always phenomenal ✨️

You're Amazing man.... Never seen such a gifted drummer as you for hard Rock and Metal... Wish you the best. ERric, from France