Last week, Classic Rock magazine posted a video of the progressive metal band Dream Theater performing an acoustic version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” during a tour stop in Oslo. In this performance, the band’s guitarist, John Petrucci, plays a Taylor 12-string alongside stunning piano work from keyboardist Jordan Rudess and vocals by singer James LaBrie.
“I have many memories of playing [‘Wish You Were Here’] back in high school at parties,” Petrucci says at the end of the clip. “It was the one song that everyone seemed to know and sing along. And Pink Floyd is a huge influence not only on me, but the rest of the guys. I love the fact that they have so many great songs that you can actually just pick up the acoustic guitar, strum, and have people sing along and know it. There’s a real art to that.”
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Dream Theater — formed in 1985 when the original members were attending the Berklee College of Music in Boston — is currently touring its epic new album, The Astonishing, which Petrucci says was influenced by Pink Floyd’s The Wall. — Mark Kemp