Dream Theater

Mike Portnoy

The Neal Morse Band

"A very special NO THANKS to the staff at the Whittington Hospital for NOT seeing me regardless of telling them that there is an audience waiting for our show to begin...I finally left withOUT seeing a doctor in order to make tonight's show...I have no idea how the hell I'm going to make it through this show...I can't even stand up or lift my arms..."

Formerdrummer, currently on tour in Europe with, visited the Whittington Hospital in London, England today, hoping to receive treatment for an illness. Unfortunately for Portnoy, hospital staff did not care that he was hours away from playing a show and did not see him in time, forcing Portnoy to leave without being treated. Portnoy had the following to say:While I feel sorry for Portnoy on a certain level -- hospitals are annoying and unless you're dying, you aren't being seen in a timely matter -- there's no way you can issue that statement without sounding like a jerk. And the reaction to Portnoy's Facebook post was predictable.Quite simply, Portnoy is not a big enough star to receive special treatment. While not an obscure musician, he's no James Hetfield, Lemmy, Dave Mustaine, or Rob Halford. Those guys wouldn't be waiting around for treatment; they'd either have a private doctor attend to them, or be whisked right through the hospital line.Look on the bright side, Mike, I don't think John Petrucci or James LaBrie would be getting special treatment either.