Dream Theater consists of James Labrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitars), Jordan Rudess (keyboards), Mike Portnoy (drums).
Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in the mid-1980s. In the twenty years since their inception, they have become one of the most commercially successful progressive bands since the height of progressive rock in the mid-1970s, despite being relatively unknown in mainstream pop and mainstream rock circles. Their highest selling album, 1992's Images and Words, was awarded a gold record and is consistently named as a seminal progressive metal release, although it only reached #61 on the Billboard 200 charts.
The band is well-known for the technical proficiency of each instrumentalist, winning many awards from music magazines. They are highly respected by many of rock and metal's biggest names, leading to collaborations between Dream Theater members and many other well known musicians. In a famous example, guitarist John Petrucci was named as the third player on the G3 tour with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, following in the foot steps of Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, Yngwie Malmsteen and other influential guitarists.
Dream Theater is also noted for their musical versatility and the many different genres their own music incorporates, which has made it possible for them to perform with a very diverse range of acts. Some of their more notable touring partners include Deep Purple, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Iron Maiden, Joe Satriani, King's X, Marillion, Megadeth, Pain of Salvation, Porcupine Tree, Queensrÿche, Spock's Beard, Fear Factory, Symphony X, and Yes. In 2005, Dream Theater toured North America with the Gigantour festival, co-headlining with Megadeth.