Dream Theater is arguably one of the most popular and well-known progressive metal bands of all time. The band has been at it for over three decades and even won a GRAMMY this year for their track "The Alien." In fact, Dream Theater's popularity is so far reaching that even Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page are fans.
According to Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie, he once ran into the duo on tour. LaBrie said Plant said Dream Theater sounded great live right before asking him for a cigarette.
"And I remember bumping into Robert Plant and Jimmy Page [on tour]. One of the days I was sitting in the bar, and I don't drink when I'm on the road, but I was just sitting there, having a soda water or something like that And all of a sudden, Robert Plant – 'Hey, man, I was watching you guys the other day. You guys sounded really cool, man.' He goes, 'Hey, by the way, mate, you have a cigarette?' I said, 'Robert, I don't smoke.' He says, 'Good on you, good on you.' And then he moved on."
LaBrie also praised Led Zeppelin's discography and named a handful of his favorite records from the band.
"I can't do that, that's cruel for you to put in there. It's I, II, III. Look, seriously, Zeppelin I, II, III. And you know what, here's the way that I look at it. These guys came out in 1968 with Zeppelin I. And then, 11 years later, the last album, In Through the Out Door. So, you think about their catalog, you think about what they created in 11 years – that is phenomenal. And I've always said that if these guys came out today, this band, they would blow the doors off of anyone and everyone on this planet. Because, if you look at the guys, respectively, each guy in their instrument was the best of the best.
"I mean, Robert Plant one of the greatest voices in rock'n'roll, John Paul Jones, incredible bass player, very musical, keyboard player, organ, all that stuff. And then you got John Bonham, one of the greatest drummers that ever freakin' graced this planet. And then, on top of all that, you got Jimmy Page – writer, producer, and mixer. Like, what? What the hell's going on? And these four guys met? On this island called the United Kingdom? Give me a freakin' break."