John Petrucci from Dream Theater recently talked to Guitarist magazine about the band’s ability to play all of Rush’s songs.
Dream Theater’s members, including Mike Portnoy and John Myung, are big Rush fans and their music has greatly influenced Dream Theater.
When Dream Theater was formed in 1985, they started by playing songs from Rush and Iron Maiden. The name Majesty was chosen for the band after being inspired by the impressive ending of Rush’s song ‘Bastille Day.’
In his younger years, John Petrucci focused on improving his guitar skills and loved bands like Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Rush.
After Dream Theater was established, he often included covers of songs by these bands in their performances.
In a recent interview with Guitarist magazine, John Petrucci fondly remembered buying his first guitar with his own money as a teenager.
He started playing at 12 and met John Myung, his future bandmate in Dream Theater, around the same age.
During that time, Petrucci collaborated with different friends who had diverse musical tastes. Some friends were into metal bands like The Scorpions and Black Sabbath, while others were fans of Jimi Hendrix and The Grateful Dead.
He also mentioned a band called Centurion, where he and Myung learned and played songs from Iron Maiden and Rush.
Petrucci said, “Around 14, I was playing with John Myung, my bandmate in Dream Theater. We actually met each other at 12. I used to jam with different people. One friend liked metal and classic bands like The Scorpions and Black Sabbath, so we played those songs. I also had friends who were into Jimi Hendrix and The Grateful Dead, so we jammed to their music.”
He continued, “We had a band called Centurion where we covered a wide range of songs, from Mötley Crüe to Rush and Iron Maiden. John Myung and I made sure to learn every single song by Iron Maiden and Rush.”
Clearly, both John Petrucci and John Myung have been skilled at covering Iron Maiden and Rush songs since their early teenage days.
Given their strong connection to Rush’s music from a young age, it’s no wonder that they were well-versed in the entire Rush catalog.
