It's not a secret that we love the Drumeo series where famous drummers hear a drumless track of a song they never heard before and then have to come up with their own version of the song's drumming. The latest "victim" in this series is none other than Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, who's put through the paces with Nickelback's "Burn It To The Ground".
"Of course, everybody knows these songs, but I don't. I don't listen to the radio, so I don't know any Nickelback songs" Portnoy comments. He then confesses that he almost got a gig to play with Nickelback during the COVID pandemic, which obviously never materialized.
"I got a call from Nickelback in spring of '22. Their drummer Daniel Adair, I guess, was having surgery and they asked me to play a show with them. And I said, 'Yeah, that'd be a fun gig.' I was all set to play this gig with Nickelback — it was for a festival in Vancouver, Canada — and the festival ended up getting canceled. But I was this close to playing a gig with Nickelback."
He added: "I know nothing about Nickelback, but I know that as much as they are hated, I know they are just as loved, even more."
As everyone would expect, he proceeds to nail the songs in one initial take, adding some of his prog-metal-infused signature drum fills and double bass. It's Drumeo's fault if you don't wanna listen to the original anymore!
