MIKE PORTNOY Says SKID ROW Should Reunite With SEBASTIAN BACH: ‘Do It For The Fans’

DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy believes that SKID ROW and Sebastian Bach should put their differences aside and reunite for the fans.

In a recent conversation with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station, Portnoy reflected on his own return to DREAM THEATER after a 13-year absence. Having left the band in 2010, Portnoy officially rejoined in late 2023, helping the progressive metal legends launch their new album Parasomnia and embark on what he described as their “biggest tour ever.”

Asked whether other bands should consider mending fences and reuniting with their classic members, Portnoy didn’t hesitate to name SKID ROW.

“Yeah. I recommend this to anybody that’s on the fence about reuniting with their band, because it’s the best thing we ever did,” Portnoy said. “A lot of people ask me if I have any regrets about leaving DREAM THEATER. I would say my only regret is that it took so long to come back together. I wish it had come back together sooner.”

He continued by pointing to high-profile disputes in rock history, including PINK FLOYD’s Roger Waters and David Gilmour, and the long-standing rift between SKID ROW and their former frontman Sebastian Bach.

“You see Roger Waters bickering with David Gilmour or SKID ROW bickering with Sebastian Bach. And all I could say is, guys, you’re older and wiser. Do it for the fans, if anything else. I’m so glad that I came back to DREAM THEATER and we ride off into the sunset together. This is the way it was supposed to have been. And it would’ve been one of the biggest regrets of my life if we hadn’t reunited.”

SKID ROW parted ways with Bach back in 1996, and despite multiple lineup changes and public back-and-forth over the years, a reunion with the charismatic vocalist has never materialized.

For Portnoy, though, the message is simple: life is too short to let old resentments overshadow the music and legacy.

“Time does heal all wounds. And I would recommend this to anybody. It’s better to be riding off into the sunset together and rekindling a friendship and a love that certainly had to have been there at one point for any of these bands — Roger Waters and PINK FLOYD. It’s there somewhere deep down. And it’s better to ride off into the sunset together than to be apart and having those deep-seated resentments. Life is just too short for that kind of stuff.”

During an appearance on Get On The Bus this past June, Bach openly shared his regrets regarding his music career, primarily focusing on the enduring separation of his former band. Bach, who fronted the successful heavy metal group from 1987 to 1996, expressed his bewilderment and sorrow over their continued estrangement.

“Well, yeah, the fact that SKID ROW is not together doesn’t make any sense,” Bach stated. He highlighted the irony of the situation, noting, “We’re five guys that are playing the same set, but we’re not together. Well, they don’t have a singer right now, but…” (SKID ROW recently parted ways with their latest vocalist, Erik Grönwall, in 2024).

Bach, who remains an active presence in the music scene, underscored his ability to collaborate with various musicians, making the SKID ROW split even more perplexing to him. “I play with everybody,” he explained. “I’m in a band, KINGS OF CHAOS, with Matt Sorum, and I’m in a band called ROYAL MACHINES with Billy Morrison, and I play with all kinds of musicians all the time. So it doesn’t make sense that I can’t play with those guys.”

The singer reiterated that the root of the issue lies outside of musical differences. “But as I said, it’s a business matter and maybe someday the business can get sorted out,” he mused. “That is a regret, that that band broke up. Yeah, that’s a regret.”

“I do, but when I read myself talk about this, I kind of cringe ’cause it’s not up to me, Bach responded. “Those guys are currently on their eighth or ninth replacement for me. And there’s been a miscommunication from my camp to theirs that I will attempt to clear up, but I am way too focused on what I’m doing in my career to even really even think about that right now, to be honest with you. I’m just not thinking about the old days right now. I’m thinking about the fact that I’ve got a new song on the radio. ‘What Do I Got To Lose?’ is on FM radio across the country. That video is almost two million views in 2024. And in my day, two million views was double platinum. [Laughs] So, I’m not thinking about 1989; I’m not thinking about 1991.’

“I am overjoyed to hear my voice on the radio in 2024,” he continued. “That is more important to me than thinking about what happened in ’91. I just don’t think about that, really. Not to say that I wouldn’t get the band back together, but I’m just focused like a laser beam on what I’m doing right now. So that’s gonna have to take a back seat, like for real. This is more interesting to me. My album, the way it sounds and the reaction that people are giving it is more exciting and interesting, and creating new music instead of just playing the same old songs over and over. I love having new songs to play, even though I haven’t learned how to play them yet. [Laughs]”