I’m sure you don’t remember but you played a show with Mr. Big in Oklahoma City and my buddy Mitchell had you autograph his bass guitar. He covets that bass to this day. I am just a dumb drummer but I’ve always recognized amazing talent, especially on the bass.
Your stage presence reminds me of some of my favorite guitarists! I think you’re personally responsible for converting a lot of beginner guitarists into professional bassists!!
Billy is a super nice guy too. I got to meet him at a show when he was playing with Mr. Big. One of my best friends brought his bass and had Billy autograph it on the back. Very cool dude.
What an incredible review of an incredible performance! Loved the video. I was lucky enough to watch SOA in Jan 2020, right before covid, had no idea you had played w/ Tony for the opening performance that night. That tour was amazing. Portnoy and Sheehan are definitely one of the deadliest Drums n Bass combo in modern bands today. I grew up playing Dream Theater and Mr. Big and when I heard they're making music together I totally flipped out. They're nothing short of amazing and watching them live is a treat.
Ha, awesome! Which city? That was indeed me - that was one of the most fun tours I’ve ever done. I felt extremely grateful to be in such good company each night.
Awesome video man, loved how you gave context to things. Looking forward to others! I was fortunate enough to see the Sons of Apollo tour at the Sacramento Crest (first show of the tour which seemed to be added late) and the San Francisco Fillmore. You are right, Tony and you guys slayed that opening set! And then of course SOA was killer. 🔥🤟
What an impressive resume you have. I've been a fan of Billy's and Tony's since "Edge of Insanity" - as a drummer I was pleasantly surprised at Steve Smith's performance on that record. And I've been a fan of Mike's since "When Dream and Day Unite". This is going to be cool finally seeing someone on RU-vid who appreciates some of the same stuff I do. Best of luck sir, I'm looking forward to your upcoming videos
This is so cool!! If you were playing bass for Tony when he was opening for sons of Apollo I seen that tour in Salt Lake City and was right in the very front smack dab in front of Billy Sheehan so much so I could actually hear him playing straight from his guitar separate from the band. It was such a cool experience for me being a non musician and also gave me such insight into what Billy was adding to the music!! Incredible player and that was an incredible show!
This exact song was why I picked up the drums. That crazy fill by Portnoy in the middle made me go... I wanna do this. And I learned it and never looked back
Very nice! You're great at explaining and throwing in memories and anecdotes! Also love the 2000's dt and lte! If I can suggest somebody (bass player) to look at, I'd say Kristoffer gildenlöw from pain of salvation (at least in those years, now he is a great soloist and musician in general)..... One of the greatest bass player most people never heard of.... Genius
I saw you play with Tony MacAlpine and The Sons of Apollo on January 23, 2020, the very first show of that particular tour in Sacramento, Ca. at the Crest Theater! What's even stranger than that, is in 1984, I saw Yngwie Malmsteen,(with Jeff Scott Soto on vocals) on the second date of his first solo tour with special guest's Talas,(with Billy Sheehan, of course) and The Wild Dog's At The Crest Theater!! I saw a lot of great shows there over the years,(Montrose being one of them) That venue always had great acoustics...
That’s super cool, thanks for sharing! I remember that show distinctly. It was my first time ever meeting Mike Portnoy, too! Super cool venue, for sure. Little did we know the world was soon to shut down 😓
You earned so much respect from me with showing love for Cliff Button. He was the creative genius behind a Metallica! IMO, they pretty much ended after And Justice For All (the last album with Cliff Burton written material)
@@MnyFrNthng I thought I read somewhere that he had a hand in some of the songs on Justice. I guess not! Thanks for the info but yeah, whatever happened and with Bob Rock producing the black album.. it just got so, boring. That and the audio engineering went back to the normal no bass master mixes. So many of my 80s and 90s metal albums have NO bass. I know it’s the recordings too. The beauty and curse of good high end audio gear is it will expose poorly recorded/mastered
What you’re saying about showmanship is also very important for drummers. Sure, we can conserve energy and play all the notes perfectly with as little effort as possible or we can do the same thing musically but add some flair to it. Anyone learning would do well to heed this dudes advice I on showmanship.
When I first heard this song I was in high school and crapped my pants lol, you have to do LTE with Tony!! Maybe something from LTE 3 there’s a couple videos out there it’s Tare to see Derek play Jordan’s stuff
Its funny how these guys are all, without question, world class performers. Yet, you can still tell 100 percent, Mike is driving this car. Says a lot. About all of em. There always has to be someone "in charge". Its like a sports team. The pitcher cant double as center field. Everyone has to play their pisition to be successful. No ego. Well, a little bit of ego. In the right situations.
Right! Couldn’t remember exactly in the moment - know he used the EBMM basses sometimes for LTE, but just loved how Billy slapped it right on a regular 4-string, ha!
I think "Acid Rain" is just a perfectly-succinct banger of a track. It's like a perfect cup of coffee. "When the Water Breaks" is one I love a ton, but a longer, more heady listen. I can pop on "Acid Rain" any time for a pick-me-up!
Hey, if you get a chance, can you tell me what pedal, or pedals you use to get your tone in this video? I have been on a search for a bass distortion pedal I like, but out of all that I have tried, I don't like.
Hey Gary! I'm just using a Line 6 Helix for all these videos, direct into Logic. It has everything I need, really, and I also used it touring everywhere around the world since 2017. You can't beat the convenience! I haven't lugged an amp rig around in years. Very easy to dial things in as well.
