If James Labrie left DT, who would you like to see fill his place as vocalist?

[angelillo]

JLB is the voice of DT

Now if I have to suggest somebody for an audition, from all the covers I have heard, I have to say that Carl Lindquist performance is amazing (As I Am - Split Screen Cover). Just awesome! I even like the personal twist he does here and there... just awesome!

[bosk1]

out of all the members now except mangini because he is new, labries release would be the most welcome and easiest. what you are saying about his voice being unique is correct. however, the reality is that he is extremely technically limited as a vocalist and consistently has basic musicianship problems. as the band has accumulated more heavy and metal tunes, his voice sounds even more out of place. it would be easy to replace him. you'd just have to get someone who fit the band well and who people generally accepted as a good singer. the sheer fact that his voice has been under so much scrutiny for so long should tell us that his departure would be welcome by a LOT of people. this thread is sorta pointless though because hes not going anywhere.

I get what you are trying to say, and while the vast majority of fans would strongly disagree with you, you are certainly welcome to your opinion.  But take a minute to think about how you are saying something before you post it.  It should go without saying that posting about any band member's departure being "welcome" is rude and disrespectful to that band member (as well as the other band members who are part of the band "family").  In threads like this that are bound to be controversial anyway, please think and choose your words more carefully before posting.

[Perpetual Change]

the sheer fact that his voice has been under so much scrutiny for so long should tell us that his departure would be welcome by a LOT of people.

Maybe, but that's the nature of the DT beast. James LaBrie has always been put under such a microscope, probably because he's one of the last "operatic" singers in an age where people can just see clips of last night's performance on Youtube. The operatic guys from the 80s had bad nights all the time. Just no-one could see it on youtube.

[johncal]

out of all the members now except mangini because he is new, labries release would be the most welcome and easiest. what you are saying about his voice being unique is correct. however, the reality is that he is extremely technically limited as a vocalist and consistently has basic musicianship problems. as the band has accumulated more heavy and metal tunes, his voice sounds even more out of place. it would be easy to replace him. you'd just have to get someone who fit the band well and who people generally accepted as a good singer. the sheer fact that his voice has been under so much scrutiny for so long should tell us that his departure would be welcome by a LOT of people. this thread is sorta pointless though because hes not going anywhere.

I get what you are trying to say, and while the vast majority of fans would strongly disagree with you, you are certainly welcome to your opinion.  But take a minute to think about how you are saying something before you post it.  It should go without saying that posting about any band member's departure being "welcome" is rude and disrespectful to that band member (as well as the other band members who are part of the band "family").  In threads like this that are bound to be controversial anyway, please think and choose your words more carefully before posting.

I certainly would not "welcome" any band members replacemeent as it is not in a fans place anyways to welcome since we don't know the inner dynamics of the band. Even though MP's leaving turned out to be the best for the band, it was still hard on them and for all the things the band strongly disliked about MP, they still strongly urged him to stay. Obviously their friendship and his talents outweighed their issues with him in their asking him to reconsider.

Since the band is swinging back into more of a prog style, JLB's voice fits better now than on the previous albums. Further, JLB now has the authority to sing the songs the way that fits him best making his singing sound even better. It's not that big adeal to me how he sounds live as long as he sounds good on the albums and I think he does IMO.

As far as singers go, did you ever listen to Robert Plant live with Zeppelin, he out and out sucked, and later in their careers neither Jon Anderson or Roger Daltry could hit thier high notes any more, but nobody was clamouring for their replacement! Paul McCartney doesn't even sound like Paul McCartney any more but he can still line up the jobs.

[bosk1]

the sheer fact that his voice has been under so much scrutiny for so long should tell us that his departure would be welcome by a LOT of people.

Maybe, but that's the nature of the DT beast. James LaBrie has always been put under such a microscope, probably because he's one of the last "operatic" singers in an age where people can just see clips of last night's performance on Youtube. The operatic guys from the 80s had bad nights all the time. Just no-one could see it on youtube.

Good post, but for the record, you did the quoting wrong.  Those were NOT my words you are quoting, but you mistakenly did the quote tags so that it is attributing that to me.

[TAC]

James IS the voice of DT. Not to to on a tangent, but I always felt like MP knew that and it frustrated him to no end that his fortunes were kind of hitched to JLB's wagon.
James is as good now as he has EVER been. From the Train Of Thought tour on. This is easily his finest era. Sure you can take the first leg of either the I&W or Awake tour, but he was inconsistant on those tours too. Painfully at times.

It's fine to play Fantasy Rock Band and all, but letting James go would be crazy. He's too important, and you know what..he's too good.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

out of all the members now except mangini because he is new, labries release would be the most welcome and easiest. what you are saying about his voice being unique is correct. however, the reality is that he is extremely technically limited as a vocalist and consistently has basic musicianship problems. as the band has accumulated more heavy and metal tunes, his voice sounds even more out of place. it would be easy to replace him. you'd just have to get someone who fit the band well and who people generally accepted as a good singer. the sheer fact that his voice has been under so much scrutiny for so long should tell us that his departure would be welcome by a LOT of people. this thread is sorta pointless though because hes not going anywhere.

I get what you are trying to say, and while the vast majority of fans would strongly disagree with you, you are certainly welcome to your opinion.  But take a minute to think about how you are saying something before you post it.  It should go without saying that posting about any band member's departure being "welcome" is rude and disrespectful to that band member (as well as the other band members who are part of the band "family").  In threads like this that are bound to be controversial anyway, please think and choose your words more carefully before posting.

I certainly would not "welcome" any band members replacemeent as it is not in a fans place anyways to welcome since we don't know the inner dynamics of the band. Even though MP's leaving turned out to be the best for the band, it was still hard on them and for all the things the band strongly disliked about MP, they still strongly urged him to stay. Obviously their friendship and his talents outweighed their issues with him in their asking him to reconsider.

Since the band is swinging back into more of a prog style, JLB's voice fits better now than on the previous albums. Further, JLB now has the authority to sing the songs the way that fits him best making his singing sound even better. It's not that big adeal to me how he sounds live as long as he sounds good on the albums and I think he does IMO.

As far as singers go, did you ever listen to Robert Plant live with Zeppelin, he out and out sucked, and later in their careers neither Jon Anderson or Roger Daltry could hit thier high notes any more, but nobody was clamouring for their replacement! Paul McCartney doesn't even sound like Paul McCartney any more but he can still line up the jobs.

im glad it doesnt matter to you how he sounds live, but for me and a lot of people who spend money on DT tickets, it does matter. it matters in the same way that it matters whether petrucci or rudess or anyone else in the band plays their parts well. when i pay a lot of money to see a show i want the musicians to play music well. if petrucci's guitar were way out of tune or he hit a buttload of wrong notes during all the DT shows on a consistent basis (which would never happen) i would be pissed. i get what youre saying about robert plant, but i dont think the comparison is there to be made. robert plant to led zeppelin =/= james labrie to dream theater. the paul mccartney (and im not even a fan) comparison is far from reasonable.

[Hprog]

Hmmm always the singer issue.

Do you guys know that Freddie Mercury is considered by many, including me, the finest rock vocalist EVER? Then again, if you hear/ see several live performances from Queen you'll notice how he had loooots of trouble live and never sounded the way he did on the albums, having Roger Taylor sing the highest parts for him. And like someone above said, Robert Plant couldn't pull it off live either, and so it's the case with several singers who are hands down awesome and yet have bad nights.

Man! The voice is not like any other instrument, it's a part of your body and it requires a lot of special care and discipline. Touring, changing weathers, what you eat, your mood, and so forth, have an influence on it and your performance as a singer might suffer due to any of these factors.

I've seen DT live four times already: twice in Venezuela and twice here in Germany, and James LaBrie has nailed it every time, specially at that 2005 concert in Venezuela, where he sang better than on any official live record I've heard. Of course I've seen and heard poor performances from him on the Internet, but you all know he tore his vocal cords in 1994 and yet never stopped touring and recording, right? He cared for the band and the fans enough as to just keep going despite his struggles with this issue.

James is so scrutinized because he's the singer in a band of virtuoso instrumentalists. Well, these virtuoso musicians chose him as their singer and have kept it going that way. If they didn't want him, they would have let him go. We know that MP wanted that to happen (is documented), yet the whole band gave James a chance and he totally rose to the challenge, so he is THE VOICE of DT.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

Hmmm always the singer issue.

Do you guys know that Freddie Mercury is considered by many, including me, the finest rock vocalist EVER? Then again, if you hear/ see several live performances from Queen you'll notice how he had loooots of trouble live and never sounded the way he did on the albums, having Roger Taylor sing the highest parts for him. And like someone above said, Robert Plant couldn't pull it off live either, and so it's the case with several singers who are hands down awesome and yet have bad nights.

Man! The voice is not like any other instrument, it's a part of your body and it requires a lot of special care and discipline. Touring, changing weathers, what you eat, your mood, and so forth, have an influence on it and your performance as a singer might suffer due to any of these factors.

I've seen DT live four times already: twice in Venezuela and twice here in Germany, and James LaBrie has nailed it every time, specially at that 2005 concert in Venezuela, where he sang better than on any official live record I've heard. Of course I've seen and heard poor performances from him on the Internet, but you all know he tore his vocal cords in 1994 and yet never stopped touring and recording, right? He cared for the band and the fans enough as to just keep going despite his struggles with this issue.

James is so scrutinized because he's the singer in a band of virtuoso instrumentalists. Well, these virtuoso musicians chose him as their singer and have kept it going that way. If they didn't want him, they would have let him go. We know that MP wanted that to happen (is documented), yet the whole band gave James a chance and he totally rose to the challenge, so he is THE VOICE of DT.

you just responded to the first half of your post lol. honestly, labrie isnt a bad singer compared to average rock vocalist. its just when you put him in the context of a group of incredible musicians like the DT guys, something feels and sounds out of place. im not hating on labrie. i really like the job he did on images. im just saying it would be cool to have a virtuoso vocalist in the group.

EDIT: i do not in any way agree with your comparison to freddie mercury or robert plant unless all you meant was that rock singers have trouble singing in tune. 

[Hprog]

I bring the Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant examples as evidence that awesome singers like them can have poor performances now and then and don't get bashed by fans the way James does.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

I bring the Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant examples as evidence that awesome singers like them can have poor performances now and then and don't get bashed by fans the way James does.

part of the reason why they dont is due to what you wrote earlier: they werent in a band of top notch virtuoso musicians. another significant reason is that those guys had style. they also sounded good (within the context of the music and their style) on the albums. it all has to do with the context and the style. i dont think those guys would fare particularly well in a band like dream theater, and i dont think labrie would do well in zeppelin or queen.

the reason labrie gets criticized is not based off a poor performance "now and then"

[DetonationSequence]

If either James or Jordan left the band, I'd consider DT forever tarnished. I'd still listen to DT, but with the sense that their glory days are well and truly gone and I'd pay much more attention to James and/or Jordan's subsequent ventures. Those two are, to me, the irreplaceable members - James is my all-time favourite voice, and Jordan my all-time favourite composer and musician; those two make the band for me. I have bassists/guitarists that I prefer individually or at least consider equal to the Johns, and I don't really have a favourite drummer, but the vocals and keyboards of DT are things that can't be outdone or imitated.

I think in the event that James did leave, Roy Khan would be a great choice (since he's no longer in Kamelot and he's definitely one of my favourite singers even if he can't touch LaBrie), at least enough to make the band's output bearable. An unknown would also be a good idea. Picking someone particularly established would quite likely change the band's sound entirely, and since few vocalists have aged as well as James and many have ego issues it would be risky business trying to pick out someone elite and expect the same performance and work ethic James achieves. In any case, it wouldn't truly be DT anymore. James's departure would harm the band as surely as his arrival catapulted it to success. 

[Jarzombek]

I think James is the only DT member that I would not mind if he were substituted.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

there are numerous examples of bands, in which the vocalist plays an infinitely more important role (than it does in DT, a very instrumentally driven band), who have gotten replacement singers for whatever reason and have enjoyed great success for years and years after.

black sabbath lost ozzy and replaced him with *arguably* the greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time and made heaven and hell which is a phenomenal album. ac/dc lost bon scott who had one of the most distinctive voices in rock and had MORE success with their new vocalist. van halen lost david lee roth and enjoyed continued success with sammy hagar, even though a lot of people including me thought their best years were with dave. the point is, just because you lose a guy doesnt mean the band is over lol. in all the bands that i mentioned, and there surely are more examples, losing a front man didnt finish them. unless its a guy who's running the show and doing the bulk of the songwriting, the band isnt over.

[tjanuranus]

If either James or Jordan left the band, I'd consider DT forever tarnished. I'd still listen to DT, but with the sense that their glory days are well and truly gone and I'd pay much more attention to James and/or Jordan's subsequent ventures. Those two are, to me, the irreplaceable members - James is my all-time favourite voice, and Jordan my all-time favourite composer and musician; those two make the band for me. I have bassists/guitarists that I prefer individually or at least consider equal to the Johns, and I don't really have a favourite drummer, but the vocals and keyboards of DT are things that can't be outdone or imitated.

I think in the event that James did leave, Roy Khan would be a great choice (since he's no longer in Kamelot and he's definitely one of my favourite singers even if he can't touch LaBrie), at least enough to make the band's output bearable. An unknown would also be a good idea. Picking someone particularly established would quite likely change the band's sound entirely, and since few vocalists have aged as well as James and many have ego issues it would be risky business trying to pick out someone elite and expect the same performance and work ethic James achieves. In any case, it wouldn't truly be DT anymore. James's departure would harm the band as surely as his arrival catapulted it to success.

But if JP left there would be no dream theater.

[Jarzombek]

But if JP left there would be no dream theater.

I don't know... I thought this about Mike, but ADToE proved that I was wrong.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

But if JP left there would be no dream theater.

I don't know... I thought this about Mike, but ADToE proved that I was wrong.

replacing the drummer isnt the same as replacing the guitarist.

[tjanuranus]

But if JP left there would be no dream theater.

I don't know... I thought this about Mike, but ADToE proved that I was wrong.

BUT JP is the main song writer, he is the DT sound. That's why ADTOE still sounds like DT even though MP is gone.

[Jaffa]

there are numerous examples of bands, in which the vocalist plays an infinitely more important role (than it does in DT, a very instrumentally driven band), who have gotten replacement singers for whatever reason and have enjoyed great success for years and years after.

black sabbath lost ozzy and replaced him with *arguably* the greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time and made heaven and hell which is a phenomenal album. ac/dc lost bon scott who had one of the most distinctive voices in rock and had MORE success with their new vocalist. van halen lost david lee roth and enjoyed continued success with sammy hagar, even though a lot of people including me thought their best years were with dave. the point is, just because you lose a guy doesnt mean the band is over lol. in all the bands that i mentioned, and there surely are more examples, losing a front man didnt finish them. unless its a guy who's running the show and doing the bulk of the songwriting, the band isnt over.

I agree that Dream Theater COULD carry on without JLB, and probably continue to make some very good music.

I just think that if JP, JR, JM, and MM wanted to continue without JLB, they should change their band name.

Dream Theater isn't Dream Theater without James Labrie.  Live performances notwithstanding, JLB's voice is a large part of what makes DT studio albums great.

[Tis BOOLsheet]

there are numerous examples of bands, in which the vocalist plays an infinitely more important role (than it does in DT, a very instrumentally driven band), who have gotten replacement singers for whatever reason and have enjoyed great success for years and years after.

black sabbath lost ozzy and replaced him with *arguably* the greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time and made heaven and hell which is a phenomenal album. ac/dc lost bon scott who had one of the most distinctive voices in rock and had MORE success with their new vocalist. van halen lost david lee roth and enjoyed continued success with sammy hagar, even though a lot of people including me thought their best years were with dave. the point is, just because you lose a guy doesnt mean the band is over lol. in all the bands that i mentioned, and there surely are more examples, losing a front man didnt finish them. unless its a guy who's running the show and doing the bulk of the songwriting, the band isnt over.

I agree that Dream Theater COULD carry on without JLB, and probably continue to make some very good music.

I just think that if JP, JR, JM, and MM wanted to continue without JLB, they should change their band name.

Dream Theater isn't Dream Theater without James Labrie.  Live performances notwithstanding, JLB's voice is a large part of what makes DT studio albums great.

i dont think they would need to change their name. elaborating on my earlier example, i think of songs like "heaven and hell" or "children of the sea" as black sabbath songs in the same capacity as "war pigs" or "paranoid." same thing with "back in black" and "hells bells" compared to hits like "highway to hell" or "night prowler"

[Jaffa]

I understand.  It's just that in my opinion, JLB's voice is more important to DT's sound than Ozzy's ever was to Black Sabbath. 

It's just like how I don't personally think of X Factor and Virtual XI as Maiden albums.  To me they feel more like Blaze Bayley albums, featuring members of Iron Maiden.  Because in my mind, Maiden is not Maiden without Bruce Dickinson.

[smegolas]

I thi k the problem is that DT is a band of virtuosos, and James just isnt in that league. Some guys like him, but he's no musical genious. The problem is that if they wanted to get a singer in that league, they would probably end up with a classical opera singer. Ironically, one of my favourite live DT moments is when that Teresa chick joins them during Spirit on Live Scenes. james had a tough night, but she is phenominal.

[dongringo]

It's just like how I don't personally think of X Factor and Virtual XI as Maiden albums.  To me they feel more like Blaze Bayley albums, featuring members of Iron Maiden.  Because in my mind, Maiden is not Maiden without Bruce Dickinson.

Agreed. And Dream Theater isn't Dream Theater without James, not to me anyway. Like Bruce Dickinson, Jame's voice is too unique to just replace. Sure they would still write great music, but when I think of Dream Theater, Jame's voice is written all over it, and this is a good thing. Anyway, he's been on top of his game the last couple tours so I don't know why he's still being scrutinized.

[AngelBack]

JP is my most loved musician of all time, and I would follow and buy everything he did post Labrie-less DT (as I would JM and JR).  But w/out James, it would just be time to put DT to rest and appreciate it for what it was, rather than see the disappointment of a DT that was holding on too hard to the past.

[NickoMcB]

1st choice, 1970s Robert Plant, 2nd choice, 1980s Geoff Tate.. If I had to pick someone now it would be the singer for MP's new venture that sound like Dio..

[lutima]

James is not only the Voice of Dream Theater, he's more than that and everybody knows it
Oh and not to be replaced, no DT without JLB or JP for that matter 
(hi Jerry  )

[Bertielee]

Honestly, No JLB, no more DT for me. He's been the reason why I've kept on buying albums from them.
Yet, hypothetically, if he was to be replaced, I'd say Tony Harnell, even if it's been a long time since I last listened to him.

B.LEE

[Mladen]

Despite being a guitarist and loving Petrucci to death, I'd say the LaBrie's departure would hit me the most. And even in hypothetical speaking, I still have no idea who could replace him...

[Tis BOOLsheet]

James is not only the Voice of Dream Theater, he's more than that and everybody knows it
Oh and not to be replaced, no DT without JLB or JP for that matter 
(hi Jerry  )

what else is he other than the voice of DT?

[Jaffa]

A forklift driving pirate. 

[HarlequinForest]

I think Damian Wilson would be an awesome fit.  His work in Ayreon left me in awe.

[lutima]

James is not only the Voice of Dream Theater, he's more than that and everybody knows it
Oh and not to be replaced, no DT without JLB or JP for that matter 
(hi Jerry  )

what else is he other than the voice of DT?

Really ?? A great dad 
A great guy with humor and respect for others, specially his fans 

[The Silent Cody]

James is not only the Voice of Dream Theater, he's more than that and everybody knows it
Oh and not to be replaced, no DT without JLB or JP for that matter 
(hi Jerry  )

what else is he other than the voice of DT?

Really ?? A great dad 
A great guy with humor and respect for others, specially his fans 

Especially for his fans and forklifts 

[Tis BOOLsheet]

James is not only the Voice of Dream Theater, he's more than that and everybody knows it
Oh and not to be replaced, no DT without JLB or JP for that matter 
(hi Jerry  )

what else is he other than the voice of DT?

Really ?? A great dad 
A great guy with humor and respect for others, specially his fans 

i dont doubt any of that. but that stuff isnt important to me. any criticism i have about labrie is based strictly on the music.

[dongringo]

James is not only the Voice of Dream Theater, he's more than that and everybody knows it
Oh and not to be replaced, no DT without JLB or JP for that matter 
(hi Jerry  )

what else is he other than the voice of DT?

Really ?? A great dad 
A great guy with humor and respect for others, specially his fans 

i dont doubt any of that. but that stuff isnt important to me. any criticism i have about labrie is based strictly on the music.

Then there shouldn't be a problem.