Who are your three favorite members of Dream Theater?

[gzarruk]

I wonder who voted for Derek

[Ruba]

I wonder who voted for Derek

I voted for Chris Collins, Steve Stone and Chris Cintron.

[geeeemo]

I voted.  But now that I think about it, I really dislike this kind of post. ( I understand one has a right) It's like all the posts a week or so ago on FB.. "Who would you replace for so and so?" ugh- just feels like a negative vibe. A favorite means we are comparing and someone always has to be on the bottom. They are all great - all have added a wonderful texture and mix to our beloved Dream Theater. 

[Setlist Scotty]

I wonder who voted for Derek

I voted for Chris Collins, Steve Stone and Chris Cintron.

Bah! John Hendricks was MUCH better than Steve Stone - can't believe you made such a foolish choice! 

[tjanuranus]

So happy to see the love for Labrie in this post! 

[Nekov]

JP: He is amazing as a whole, musician and person. I don't need to praise his guitar work or how he drives the band through music, but I do want to mention how happy I am every time I watch him during an interview. He is the kind of person that makes me smile.

MP: I think his relationship with the fans while he was in the band as well as his drive propelled this band to where they are now. Plus, it was super fun to watch him live.

KM: Even though my top 2 albums are JR albums, I miss the depth that KM added to the band. He was not as technically good as the rest of the guys, but he more than compensated with the way he approached music.

[Dedalus]

I don't want to imagine MP seeing the results of this poll. 

[DT1138]

JP/JR/J Myung

JP - Probably my favorite metal guitar player of all time.  He's also in the lead regardless!   

JR - Love, love, love his playing especially when he plays a normal piano sound and skips the wackier synth sounds.

J Myung - I don't know how to classify his playing style, but it's very "fluid" and the fact that he doesn't use a pick much (if at all?) just seals the deal.

I play all of the same instruments as they do but can't even come remotely close to their skill levels, so that is probably what draws my attention to them.

[SleeperAwake]

KM
JP
MP

[Stadler]

I voted for:

Mike Portnoy - The reason I stuck around all those years.  He made it special, and made Dream Theater unlike (in a good way) any other band I listened to. 

James LaBrie - Being a Maiden and Yes fan from way back, when I bought Images and Words (on release) it was James' voice that separated them out.   I had never heard anything like that except in Journey, but this was more like what I listened to. 

Kevin Moore:  This is more a sympathy pick, since I can't really discriminate between Petrucci and Rudess, but I gave it to Moore because he really DID impact the sound.   Not saying "better" (or worse) but those first three albums have a distinct sound to them, and I attribute that largely to Moore.  Plus I loved his lyrics (and I DO NOT listen to DT for the lyrics, believe me).   

[54_diplomats]

Portnoy - Wouldn't have gotten into the band if not for his drumming. I think he's truly special.

Labrie - Love his vocals especially in the early days. His performances after 8VM don't impress me as much but I still think he's great.

Moore - I absolutely adore his contribution to the band. I love Rudess but KM is definitely more my style.

It feels awful leaving Petrucci out because he's been the most consistently amazing band member by a large margin. The others just impacted me more I guess.

[Moor]

I wanted to vote for MP, but this came to my mind 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj_8E3FOU4s

[gzarruk]

I wanted to vote for MP, but this came to my mind 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj_8E3FOU4s

[Dublagent66]

JP
JR
JLB

[Setlist Scotty]

I wanted to vote for MP, but this came to my mind 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj_8E3FOU4s

I never knew MP was in Metallica.

[Nick]

Mike was such a huge part of why I was a BIG fan of Dream Theater. I mean I loved their music, which is a huge start, but back when I became a fan (2003), along with his drumming which I did and still do love he was so engaging with fans, was active with great special shows, setlist changes, and generally sent things out that caused heavy fan engagement and excitement. To me Mike is the single biggest factor in why Dream Theater was more than just a band I loved, and so he'll always have a special place for that.

After that it's hard to look past the duo that is Rudess/Petrucci. Sure, Moore and Sherinian have both played on a lot of material I've loved, but these two have been there the entire time I've been following just tearing things up.

[Cool Chris]

To me Mike is the single biggest factor in why Dream Theater was more than just a band I loved, and so he'll always have a special place for that.

Well said.

[TAC]

To me Mike is the single biggest factor in why Dream Theater was more than just a band I loved, and so he'll always have a special place for that.

Well said.

Yes, I totally feel the same way.

[Herrick]

I wanted to vote for MP, but this came to my mind 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj_8E3FOU4s

I never knew MP was in Metallica.

I don't get it either.

[Sebastián Pratesi]

J Myung - I don't know how to classify his playing style, but it's very "fluid" and the fact that he doesn't use a pick much (if at all?) just seals the deal.

He recorded the final section of "The Dark Eternal Night" with a pick.

Weird: the song's video, from the official DT and RoadRunner YouTube channels, has disappeared.

[H2]

JP; JR; and MP

JP is the sound of DT.
JR is perhaps their best composer (I believe he composed SDOIT in its entirety, but it may have just been the Overture).
MP was just so much--their leader, main liaison to the fans (and founder of YtseJam Records), main producer of DT's "image", main showman, and more. I do feel that losing MP was a major blow which fundamentally changed DT. Although they obviously are surviving without him, he was such a creative influence (in a mostly very good way) that they definitely lost a strong element of their "spiritual direction" (I guess you could say) when he left.

[Cool Chris]

I find this thread fascinating. A small sample size for sure. But pinpointing who fans consider their "favorites," is essentially the same as asking who could the band lose in the eyes of the fans. From the results of the poll, it is clear that Labrie and Petrucci are absolutely key fixtures the band cannot lose. With Rudess being a close third.

I wonder what the results would have been pre-MP departure.

[CrimsonSunrise]

JP
MP
JR

I had a tough time between JR, KM, and DS.  Any one of the 3 works in the #3 spot for me.

[Max Kuehnau]

MM, Jordan (for their technical proficiency and distinct lack of mistakes) and James (for his distinct voice, I can't imagine anyone else singing in DT really)

[Destiny Of Chaos]

MP, JP & JR.

Portnoy is my all time favorite musician. Loved how much he put into DT while he was in the band. It hasn't been the same since he's been gone. The music is still great of course, but it isn't the same.

[silentmac6]

JP - without him there would be no DT (or LTE) as we know them
KM - I like both DS and JR playing but KM atmospherics made Awake and I&W my top 2 DT albums
JLB - difficult choice for the third place (between MP and JMX) but JLB can be the only voice for DT, and as mentioned previously deserves a medal for the bashers treatment.