Portnoy Gets a Wee Bit Upset

Don't know but if he learned to set his own stuff it wouldn't happen. That way he'd know there was problems before he sat behind it. Countless pro drummers don't set their own stuff up.
 
So wait, he was mad because his set wasn't setup right during soundcheck?

Isn't that one of the reason sound check exists?

To be honest I can't blame him that much, he's probably been under a lot of stress lately considering he's constantly doing things with more bands than I can possibly keep track of, but calling out the road crew by saying "I hate these ****** ******* messing with my drums" is taking it way too far.
 
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His version:

" Not to excuse my actions, but at least to explain the situation:
This PSMS tour has been VERY difficult on all of us in terms of gear and production. The only way we have been able to make it to such far away places such as Manila, Russia, Israel, Indonesia, etc (where it is normally VERY expensive to tour unless you are a "name" band that has been around for many years) is we've have had to make concessions by using supplied gear and local techs at each show.

Granted, WE agreed to these terms and are willing to make it work - however, on at least a half dozen occasions on this tour we have been incredibly frustrated to arrive at the venue only to find the band's gear requirements were simply blatantly ignored (wrong keyboards, wrong amps, Zildjian cymbals, etc) AND were not setup and ready for us as was supposed to be the case and what the promoters had promised.

We have been as patient and understanding as we possibly can be...but when you get 4 guys who haven't slept more than a couple of hours every night in order to fly to these shows without sleep...sometimes our patience can wear thin.

In the case of the Manila show, we arrived hours before the show to find out the drums weren't setup, cymbals were missing, Billy's amp was wrong (again) and Tony had a buzz on his gear that would not go away...but we forged ahead because we were VERY excited to play for the fans!

At the start of Stratus (where the video on youtube is from) - my snare drum mic fell off and I motioned for the tech to come put it back on the stand/drum...and instead, he comes up to the drum kit and takes the mic away...leaving me playing with NO snare mic!!! (you'll hear I begin playing the high tom instead of the snare)...realizing he had no idea what was going on or how to fix the situation, I stopped playing and did my little "rap" while they fixed the situation and we wouldn't have to play the whole song with no snare in the mix.


In the video, you can see I was at least making a joke out of it and wasn't maliciously trying to hurt anybody or storming off in anger.

Moral of the story: WE ARE HUMAN! And sometimes frustrating circumstances create frustrated behavior. I'm not saying I was right in stopping the song...but if you see a video from later in the show, you'll see I explain to the audience that I've been waiting my whole career to play in Manila and I wasn't going to let ANYTHING ruin my night or their show!!
And we carried on and everybody had a great night...

And I look forward to returning...
(although this may be the last time I tour without my own kit and my own drum tech...hahahaha!!!) "

MP

...
 
Probably doesn't help that he told Dream Theater he quit to be A7X's permanent drummer and then A7X told him no and kicked him out. So he lost two major bands.
 
And he was kickin some mad rhymes yo!
 
Excrutiating to watch and completely inexcusable, irrespective of the circumstances.

If you're doing a tour on the cheap and using loan equipment and local labour there are always going to be problems. Instead of playing the song out the best way he could, then rectifying the situation, he launches into a tirade at people who probably have little grasp of English in the first place.

Thats the kind of thing I'd expect to see with a teenage band at the local pub, not a professional musician.
 
Some times the daily grind just gets to you - even if your job is as cool as playing drums with great musicians all over the world...

I was in a meeting today were a client just didn't get what we do (we're architects). In this case we were trying make he's wishes work (and he just doesn't have a clue - unless you do this for a living chances are neither do you). Long story short, my colleague lost it. He just couldn't stand it anymore - day after day of the same disrespect. It's kind of like the club owner telling you how you're supposed to play the song.

My buddy lost it, MP lost it, we sometimes lose it in the car, etc. that's life...
 
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His version:

" Not to excuse my actions, but at least to explain the situation:
This PSMS tour has been VERY difficult on all of us in terms of gear and production. The only way we have been able to make it to such far away places such as Manila, Russia, Israel, Indonesia, etc (where it is normally VERY expensive to tour unless you are a "name" band that has been around for many years) is we've have had to make concessions by using supplied gear and local techs at each show.

Granted, WE agreed to these terms and are willing to make it work - however, on at least a half dozen occasions on this tour we have been incredibly frustrated to arrive at the venue only to find the band's gear requirements were simply blatantly ignored (wrong keyboards, wrong amps, Zildjian cymbals, etc) AND were not setup and ready for us as was supposed to be the case and what the promoters had promised.

We have been as patient and understanding as we possibly can be...but when you get 4 guys who haven't slept more than a couple of hours every night in order to fly to these shows without sleep...sometimes our patience can wear thin.

In the case of the Manila show, we arrived hours before the show to find out the drums weren't setup, cymbals were missing, Billy's amp was wrong (again) and Tony had a buzz on his gear that would not go away...but we forged ahead because we were VERY excited to play for the fans!

At the start of Stratus (where the video on youtube is from) - my snare drum mic fell off and I motioned for the tech to come put it back on the stand/drum...and instead, he comes up to the drum kit and takes the mic away...leaving me playing with NO snare mic!!! (you'll hear I begin playing the high tom instead of the snare)...realizing he had no idea what was going on or how to fix the situation, I stopped playing and did my little "rap" while they fixed the situation and we wouldn't have to play the whole song with no snare in the mix.


In the video, you can see I was at least making a joke out of it and wasn't maliciously trying to hurt anybody or storming off in anger.

Moral of the story: WE ARE HUMAN! And sometimes frustrating circumstances create frustrated behavior. I'm not saying I was right in stopping the song...but if you see a video from later in the show, you'll see I explain to the audience that I've been waiting my whole career to play in Manila and I wasn't going to let ANYTHING ruin my night or their show!!
And we carried on and everybody had a great night...

And I look forward to returning...
(although this may be the last time I tour without my own kit and my own drum tech...hahahaha!!!) "

MP

...

Lost in showbiz..........................
 
Excrutiating to watch and completely inexcusable, irrespective of the circumstances.

If you're doing a tour on the cheap and using loan equipment and local labour there are always going to be problems. Instead of playing the song out the best way he could, then rectifying the situation, he launches into a tirade at people who probably have little grasp of English in the first place.

Thats the kind of thing I'd expect to see with a teenage band at the local pub, not a professional musician.

I'm a teenager and I even agree with you
 
...

His version:

" Not to excuse my actions, but at least to explain the situation:
This PSMS tour has been VERY difficult on all of us in terms of gear and production. The only way we have been able to make it to such far away places such as Manila, Russia, Israel, Indonesia, etc (where it is normally VERY expensive to tour unless you are a "name" band that has been around for many years) is we've have had to make concessions by using supplied gear and local techs at each show.

Granted, WE agreed to these terms and are willing to make it work - however, on at least a half dozen occasions on this tour we have been incredibly frustrated to arrive at the venue only to find the band's gear requirements were simply blatantly ignored (wrong keyboards, wrong amps, Zildjian cymbals, etc) AND were not setup and ready for us as was supposed to be the case and what the promoters had promised.

We have been as patient and understanding as we possibly can be...but when you get 4 guys who haven't slept more than a couple of hours every night in order to fly to these shows without sleep...sometimes our patience can wear thin.

In the case of the Manila show, we arrived hours before the show to find out the drums weren't setup, cymbals were missing, Billy's amp was wrong (again) and Tony had a buzz on his gear that would not go away...but we forged ahead because we were VERY excited to play for the fans!

At the start of Stratus (where the video on youtube is from) - my snare drum mic fell off and I motioned for the tech to come put it back on the stand/drum...and instead, he comes up to the drum kit and takes the mic away...leaving me playing with NO snare mic!!! (you'll hear I begin playing the high tom instead of the snare)...realizing he had no idea what was going on or how to fix the situation, I stopped playing and did my little "rap" while they fixed the situation and we wouldn't have to play the whole song with no snare in the mix.


In the video, you can see I was at least making a joke out of it and wasn't maliciously trying to hurt anybody or storming off in anger.

Moral of the story: WE ARE HUMAN! And sometimes frustrating circumstances create frustrated behavior. I'm not saying I was right in stopping the song...but if you see a video from later in the show, you'll see I explain to the audience that I've been waiting my whole career to play in Manila and I wasn't going to let ANYTHING ruin my night or their show!!
And we carried on and everybody had a great night...

And I look forward to returning...
(although this may be the last time I tour without my own kit and my own drum tech...hahahaha!!!) "

MP

...

Sounds very reasonable to me; I actually liked his impromtu rap.
 
What a primadona! My respect for him just tanked. Instead of acting like a spoiled brat whose ass has been kissed repeatedly, he should have sucked it up and made due. Thought that is the reason for sound checks.....
 
Sure, most everyone gets frustrated, mad, and blows up now and then, usually in front of one or more persons. It's true, we're only human.

The difference is, people in the spotlight - celebrities, politicians, even some musicians - are held to a higher standard. They're expected to be cool at all times, to always have the right thing to say, and be diplomatic. The past 10 years or so has put a new slant on such public (or private) mis-steps: someone with a smartphone will catch it on video for the world to see. For anyone at this point to not know they're probabllity being recorded while performing or speaking, and not be a little more careful with what they do or say, is naive and careless. They deserve whatever backlash they get.

I've been in situations where I've felt Portnoy's frustration and anger at something gone wrong, but I would never compromise a song or a show by stepping away from the drums. I mean, think about that! It's just incredible. It doesn't matter that he tried to make it funny... it wasn't. He ends up looking bad, not the crew guys.

Bermuda
 
what a complete and utter jackass

the comic relief didn't translate Mike......grow up
 
What is it with guys having meltdowns on stage these days? And the "lemme explain" rant....that guy is the classic example of someone who needs a publicist.

You're going to all these places in the world where you're getting questionable gear and have to rely on local tech and you're not checking your own stuff? Total rookie move. And then to act like a 4 year old on stage....wow.

People today.
 
Throwing cymbals and stands around is bad enough, but when he starts flipping microphones around, that's blasphemy. ;) I haven't had an outburst like that in weeks, lol.

Dennis
 
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