Mike Mangini's Xanadu Dream Theater Version- PARTIAL & actual drum takes

PLEASE READ: This is not a performance video and I’m not trying to do a Rush cover. This is a DT Tour soundcheck. We don’t carry percussion and had to get this recording done. I used a midi keyboard out of necessity, am dressed in bed clothes and this is only a couple of the actual takes of the recording of Xanadu for the Rush release, A Farewell to Kings - 40th Anniversary. Although I did NOT FILM MY FIXES and you’ll see me playing the wrong part while hearing the right one, this video uniquely compliments my Rhythm Knowledge, Volume One philosophy on focussing in various, challenging situations and environments. I’m posting this to convey the reality of what occurred when I did track the song.
In order for viewers to get a flavor for a Sound-check environment during a long tour, you’ll see and hear lots of possible distractions from the lights and background noises while I recorded this. I muted the camera mic after the intro section. Also, it is impossible to match the original version of the song, especially on this kit configuration. I cared very much about doing it the best I could. I had no choice but to play the verses with righty hands and lefty feet given this set up. This video is made from a couple of takes (eye glasses on and off,) while the repair take was not filmed.
#mikemangini #drums #dreamtheater #rush #afarewelltokings #drumrecording #challenges #rhythmknowledge

[@randyhenderson6166]

Thank you , Mike, for your dedication to Dream Theater during your tenure, and your example of professionalism and love of your craft!

[@TinusTegenlicht]

Hear hear!

[@re4477]

Yes! Listened to the DT albums with Mike while driving from ATL to Dallas this Friday to Sat morning. 💯💯❤️❤️💪💪👍👍

[@k.thompson8549]

…and for being on the best DT album, “A Dramatic Turn Of Events” :).

[@MikeFlood-oe3tu]

@@k.thompson8549 ....not a bad choice. I don' know if that would be my pick, but it's certainly a contender. 👍

[@alwayshopeful70]

Couldn’t agree more

[@IPostVideoForMM]

Hey All, ADMIN here. Please check Mike’s description and this post so you know what you’re seeing and hearing. The audio in the intro is from the back camera's microphone AND the Dream Theater album track from AFTK 40th Anniversary Release. That camera mic gets muted after the intro. You are seeing TWO takes that he did, but you are not seeing the fixes. You will hear different audio than you see on video in some spots that he fixed later without filming. He intended to provide viewers with actual recording session footage from an impossibly difficult situation honoring the original version of this song while also in an environment full of distractions, as referred to in Rhythm Knowledge, Volume One.

[@pauljoseph8338]

Pls don’t put the camera on the drum riser next time. Too much vibration. Peace.

[@StephenS-2024]

Really, really impressive. Dig it.

[@apieceofdirt4681]

Mangini…………the dude is an absolute master. One of the things that makes him so special is his attitude. He’s humble and respects the drummers before him. I met him in the 90’s at a drum clinic and we even though he was obviously very busy he still had the time to talk with me for about 20 minutes. A truly cool guy.

[@thee_bouncer]

I met him in dayton, ohio at a drum clinic at Hauer music in the 90's. He almost made me stop drumming. He's incredible

[@MrAndrebatera]

One thing, is to learn a song, another thing is to sound ECXACTLY like the original. I have no words to discribe this video. Mangini is one of a kind. He just got my respect for eternity.

[@jondrummer1989]

and this is why you should read the video description. Mike is phenomenal, but the reason this sounds like the original album recording...is because that's what we hear, and that's clearly stated in the description. Nobody however amazing they are will ever get a live version to sound like a studio version because they are 2 completely different environments, and that's what makes live music so special, you can't capture that in the studio.

[@JohnLopez-n3u]

Most amazing job of sounding exactly like one of my favorite drummers that influenced me immensely

[@Augfordpdoggie]

it is another writing it from scratch

[@danlc95]

Check out his performances of RUSH with Hypercane. He was dead on the money. Closest thing I've ever heard to the great Neil Peart.

[@truthseekerKJV]

Quit falling for these scammers. This guy is playing along with the original drum track, and that's why it sounds good. If he played this without the drum track, you'd see that he isn't as good as yopu think.

[@maxborbass]

Mike showed again his incredible RESPECT for the music written by other artists, and the commitment in playing it as best as possible. Chapeau!

[@hansrobosacs]

That is sick. It's like Neil just took him over. Impeccable work here. Astoundingly good.

[@dcmastermindfirst9418]

Thomas lang would annihilate him and Peart at the same time 😂

[@LUCIFER-zeuz]

holy mother,so clean & fantastic

[@matthijs2024]

Mike YOU make my day!!!!! You’re always my hero!!!!! I saw you last time in Tilburg 2023 February i was on the balcony of the venue. I waved at you and you waved back! A dream come true!!!

[@AccuracySpeaks]

When you have a connection like that at a show, it's almost like you're the only one at the show, cool moment, thanks for sharing! I had a similar moment with Geddy on the Presto tour, I waved at him, and he waved back, it certainly felt as if he was waving at me, he was looking right at me, but perhaps not, still cool, however! We were front row on the Petrucci/Portnoy/Larue tour a couple years back, my wife caught a pick from John and gave it to me, truly a dream come true! Here's the clip: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oGXHpZmPgJhkps0

[@TinusTegenlicht]

Awesome! Shows you what kind of person he is connecting with the audience this way!

[@beetlejews]

3:00 playing bass drum with left foot, playing the hi hat with the right foot. You are effing amazing

[@unshakentraveler]

Yeah, and the rolls alternating with double strokes kk

[@YavorM-Yash]

Left-hander.

[@chrislctr]

One of my favorite Rush songs, played by a true master. Thank you Mike.

[@ghophuckurselves3562]

Mike thanks for all the years of GREAT drumming! You are really special and inspiration. RIP Professor Peart

[@DanielGonzalezC]

Man's playing is perfect.

[@timothyweiss619]

Wow Mike, I closed my eyes and thought it was Neil on the kit. Just Fantastic Mike. Thanks

[@alonthoni]

you are a legend progressive metal drum ☕

[@samuelvanlalruatakawlni6207]

master of his personality and professionalism is how i would describe him beside his drumming which is insane

[@musicevents6570]

Mike!!! You are so amazing!!!!!! Great person, teacher, musician, drummer...!

[@Hoglife]

I Love the drum cams,people can actually see how much physicality is put into these guys methods

[@bibleenglish.]

Mr. Mangini, please, please, please reach out to Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson and see if you can play with Rush going forward. You would be the perfect person to sit-in for Neil Peart. I cannot wait to see it!!!

[@ricardit1]

SI SII SII SIIII SIIIII

[@MichaelConnell-zb8me]

That was the best I ever seen play Rush if Rush ever decided to go on Mikes definitely the best man for the job The passion precision power! He might be the best drummer in the world!

[@alwayshopeful70]

I prefer Mangini to Portnoy. I wish DT didn’t ditch him

[@timhicks7856]

Alex has bad arthritis. I doubt you'll see them tour.

[@alwayshopeful70]

@@timhicks7856 He could just have a Molson. 🤣

[@bbowman105]

I'm thrilled Mike Portnoy is back in DT, but videos like this makes me happy that Mike Mangini had a good long stint in my favorite band. Here he is recording the DT cover of Xanadu for Rush's re-release of A Farewell to Kings. So one of my favorite drummers, playing a song by one of my favorite bands while recording with my favorite band. This video is pure gold.

[@frankv4911]

Mike u top shelf. 1 of the best drummers alive. Thank you 4 playing being awesome person. Gentleman.

[@anopenhandeddrummer1610]

Straight-up bad assery here Mike!!

[@massimoferreri2729]

You are the best Drummer Mike Mangini 🤘🏻

[@RobFavoTTo]

Extremely talented drummer .

[@gregschwartz4017]

As a fan of Rush for almost 40 years, this music is indelibly stamped into my brain. For a long time, we had to be satisfied that while Rush was not widely recognized, their fans included a lot of extremely talented musicians. Now that they have gotten the recognition they deserved, it's a joy to see those talented musicians share their love of the music with performances like this. This version is beyond excellent. It does such a good job of capturing the original, and how it was performed live that at times you forget it is being performed by different musicians. Thanks for sharing.

[@epdrummers]

The best drummer in the world 🐐🐐🐐 supreme talent 👌🏻💎 🔝

[@Augfordpdoggie]

Neil Peart

[@pixellite3413]

This is absolutely fantastic...Chapeau! Neil would be touched 🥰

[@intertubicular]

That was so freaking good. I was fixated watching and listening to this. I loved it!

[@keithsmith152]

Wow, just wow. You have honored Neil.

[@CLIFFLIX]

Damn,..that was KILLER! Super cool stuff

[@AndrewGrey22]

Great job on this Mike. I've been playing this one since 1981 and still never got it this good.

[@paulcernuto7848]

That's got Neil's energy! You got the Neil feel.

[@fabrizioboscaglia]

Thank you, Mike, for your great contribution to DT. We loved it and we appreciate you a lot. God bless you.

[@kevinmallory4889]

Damn brotha!! Professor peeping down n proud. Thanks for putting the time in on that and staying true to the composition. Very honorable of you MM. Keep rockin'

[@AccuracySpeaks]

We all know there is no Rush without Neil, but it would be cool if they considered it, and Mike would certainly do justice to Neil's parts! Thank you for sharing this Mike, of course, you killed it!! I don't think I've ever seen anyone play Neil's parts with the same precise accents Neil incorporates, simply amazing!

[@PNW_Sportbike_Life]

NOOOOO!!!!

[@darbydrummer5298]

Awesome video, flawless drumming, thanks!

[@toddwalkerdrumstudio]

Simply put, Neil would have been S o o o o o o o proud of this performance from you Mike, as well as, Geddy and Alex of course too!..........Great job sir!!

[@ronlips6452]

Stunning commitment to detail!! Just brilliant!!

[@Rob-ti8nc]

Thank you Mike for all this material. I love watching you executing each section. We need more from The Astonishing. What a GREAT drum parts!!

[@louberdusco8405]

OUTSTANDING!!!! RUSH should definitely start up again and hire Mike. Great job!

[@wizardmoto]

Can he write lyric like The Professor? No. I would accept him sitting in for some memorial shows, but Rush should definitely NOT "start up again".

[@louberdusco8405]

You throw things out there and hope they stick! I know he's Neil Peart and I do agree on the one-offs.

[@wizardmoto]

@@louberdusco8405 I really hope Tim Alexander hops in for sit-ins. I really like Major Lingo, the band he was in before Primus, my Dad is also a drummer and was a Bartender in the 80's/90s so I grew up on Major Lingo bootlegs with Tim CRUSHING the kit. I genuinely hate Primus, they are OBJECTIVELY trashy showboating, but Tim is a Top5DeadOrAlive in my opinion.

[@bib2010bib]

still amazed how fast his hands are. Keep killing it Mike.

[@jakcies2093]

Thanks you sooo much. Awesome performance and such a good song. Neil woùd be proud

[@paulemma8125]

Mike the precision you play with is the most mesmerizing part. Just amazing.

[@AnthemDrums]

That is a damn good cover of such an epic song. Love the drumstick-keyboard playing!

[@major9991]

Always a super and focused job. Your professional attitude shines!!

[@Arianamarie420]

That was absolutely incredible!. I love watching this master of the craft, play. I had to watch it again immediately. Very well done and a wonderful tribute to the original version.

[@hateva_on_bass]

This is awesome!! ✨🤩✨ I love watching you play. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@DegaGray]

god my favorite song by my favorite (alive) drummer!? YES PLEASE

[@emanuelegiansanti8634]

This is such a treat

[@rloasby]

Absolutely nailed every nuance. It was fun seeing how you ambidextrously handled some of those descending fills, wow!

[@joaodimas4178]

Awesome! You are an incredible drummer man and musician!

[@patrickwhitfield5079]

Thanks Mike. Faithful to the original.

[@GrassRoots-fp4ty]

Thank you for sharing this Mike. Excellent performance!! If you could have all of the orchestral percussion!! But thats probably a task no drum tech would stand for today😂

[@caritecity]

What a great drummer!!! Love Mike Mangini!!!

[@mgarrett227]

Excellent! This is my favorite Rush song, and you guys did an amazing job.

[@danutcoanda5504]

Fantastic drummer! I saw him for once with Steve Vai and many times with DT. Absolutely perfect musician. Cheers from Buchaerst, Mike !

[@samueljanderson]

You have always inspired me to do better. Keep rockin' Mike.

[@kharismakhabibillah2302]

Mike you're a true hero !!!!! Thanks for making my Dream flies higher

[@bahritkharakor9257]

The amazing Mike Mangini..❤️👍

[@lazuardialmuzaki4489]

so very well taken Mike

[@artsmith5317]

Professor would be proud!

[@grantclarkson9184]

Nice.

[@davide.pedersen3378]

Of all the RUSH drum covers I've seen over the past few years, this is the first drummer that I recall addressing the percussive aspect of this song. Temple blocks, wind chimes. classic chimes, glockenspiel and the cow bells are all intricate parts to this track. He's performing the parts with a different style of trigger than Neil used. But over all, he uses it very effectively. I liked how he detuned the chimes like on Farewell to Kings. And his acoustic kit was tuned remarkably close to Neils. Hats off to you! Well done. 😎☮️

[@purwosinggih1567]

We want more from this angel, good job mike!! ❤

[@richardbrandelik7325]

Que absurdo! Que sublime! Que perfeição! Que cuidado em tocar tão absurdamente perfeito! Mike Mangini, você é incrível!

[@redwinedrummer]

"I missed a couple of things, but we should move on to sound check, let's fix it later." SO YOU MEAN THIS WASN'T A SOUND CHECK? 😅 Awesome stuff, Mike. Love it! I suddenly miss Neil P again. 😢

[@BobLoeber]

Mesmerizing!! Thanks MM and DT!!!

[@felippedias5446]

Mike touring with Rush? Can I dream about it?

[@WWROABM]

I have been thinking this ever since he was out of DT. Geddy and Alex have their drummer. He can play the parts and won’t overshadow the memory of Neil. The perfect guy for the gig. And now he is free.

[@churex666]

That would be incredible! I hope it does happen

[@mtnbk71]

That would be amazing!!!

[@GrassRoots-fp4ty]

We can all wish and hope and pray!! Would be amazing

[@sadajiwa]

This video would reach them eventually🎉

[@misaeleroswijaya22]

Always MAGICAL ❤❤❤

[@veger2001]

Amazing, sound exactly like the original! brilliantly done..

[@sticktrik]

He is the right guy for the Rush gig!!…If there is ever a tour with Lifeson and Lee!!

[@papai-y3i]

'Rush gig'? LMAO what are you talking about, mate? delusional

[@jamesreid5134]

Wow that was so fun to watch. Perfection

[@LPV6042]

Excellent Drumming. Neal would be very proud. Blessings 😅🥁❤

[@LinkoldottE]

Very interesting piece, thanks for making this video

[@glwhitaker3967]

Mike. You’re amazing. You can play anything. Thank you

[@CC-yq5bw]

Absolutely beautifully done

[@bitgeist21]

You are so amazing, Mike. We all love you!!

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

This is great! I didn't know Dream Theater was recording this! Primus covered the album and I love how "Herb" had all of the old instruments. Thanks for posting this!

[@Elfutre1957]

You know that he is out of DT?

[@Gorbyrev]

Absolutely amazing Mike. I remember hearing this on the 40th Anniversary Farewell to Kings bonus disc. What an incredible tribute to the Professor. Moves me to tears.

[@JHoats7]

absolutely incredible! For those of you lipschitts that think the Genie has no feeling in his playing you are mad!

[@way2sh0rt07grad]

He's the one that brought feeling to DT.

[@clemlowes9417]

This reminds me of how great Neil Peart was. The man created this in the 70's. Always pushed himself when most drummers were happy to just hold a beat throughout a song. A true Renaissance man. RIP Professor.

[@user-rk4ws7gt6o]

Sad how MM pushed boundaries in DT and he was hated on for it.

[@dougmorato]

Fantastic! It’s just amazing how serious and focused he is here. I totally believe that had we had more play through videos, DT fans would be more convinced of Mangini in the band. Also, we can’t deny how genius Peart was for creating such a masterpiece like this back in the 70s.

[@HyperCast2012]

This brings me back to when you played this with Hypercane at Berklee back in 2003! 🙏🏻❤️

[@richardcatanzaro1161]

My favorite Rush song and you nailed it, the whole band as well!!!

[@danytolotti6900]

wooooow amazing mike mangini the best drum!!!! thanks for video my friend a big hug from argentina!!!!!!

[@GabrielFreitas30]

You're amazing Mr. Mangini! Thank you for everything that you do!

[@robertstakenburg2740]

Unbelievable how you played this, fantastic and beautifully done. This makes me very happy. Many thanks for all those years of music at such a high level.

[@systematicdesign]

I love your work Mike. Can’t believe your Perfection Level

[@Lou-Lou.]

Beautiful and technically perfect

[@viajandobarat0]

Gracias Mike Manginni.. sin duda errs uno de los mejores del mundo...

[@alejandrobustos2268]

Brilliant perfomance. Amazing work.

[@cutitshaveit]

Absolutely phenomenal Master Mike

[@rodrigoaltaf983]

That was KILLER!!!! Thanks for the upload, Mike!

[@greatmusicgoodfeel826]

👏👏👏🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦Mike , BEST and closest drumming to our Rock gods in Canada , Bravo . 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👏👏👍👍

[@GarthWatkins-th3jt]

This is awesome. Thank you for posting the video.

[@christiancea6]

Outstanding Performance Mike as always great way to pay tribute. Ya gave me the chills 😃

[@alan2112drums]

Wow! What a great sound and performance...

[@angeloftheabyss1519]

It's been ages since I heard this but I amazed myself that I could play along sat in my armchair, every roll and beat. Even if I say so myself i was on the beat . You will never forget the classics. I tip my hat to you Mr Manginii sir 👍

[@kinserjosh]

This is wonderful. Love it. Great job

[@PersonalBestyFitness]

Great groove, impeccable timing,dynamics and an ambidextrous showcase. Good job sir!

[@philipboot2341]

One word: GENIUS 👏

[@briand724]

Awesome performance as always. This was my favorite kit configuration of yours