Do you feel any pressure playing at drum conventio

drumcomposer:

Just curious if you always feel this constant pressure
of keeping up with all of the "drumming greats" out
there. Like, do you feel nervous playing a convention
that you know Virgil, Mangini, Marco, and Colaiuta are
all going to be playing at?
I know I would!

Also, a few years ago, you played the Alrosa Villa in
Columbus, OH. There was a band called Project Alcazar
that opened for you guys, and I heard that you really
dug them. Do you remember them? Just wanted to let
you know that I made the audition to play with them!
Yay!
(hoping that we will get to open for you again!)

Yes of course I feel some pressure in those type of situations...
I am my worst critic and sometimes I feel my reputation preceeds me at these festivals...
because of all the Drum awards I've won, I get the feeling these guys look at me like "OK Portnoy, impress me!"...and it makes me crazy!!!

Drummers all have different styles and it's not fair to say "this drummer is better than that drummer"....to me it all comes down to certain syles appealing to different people's taste.

I watch a drummer like Dennis Chambers or Vinnie Colauita and *know* that I can't do alot things they do...but for some reason *my* style and approach strikes a chord with alot of drummers for different reasons...
Once I remember that the people that come to see me are coming to see "Mike Portnoy" because they like my style...and they are not coming to see Dennis Chambers..then I relax a bit!

MP