Who are your three favorite members of Dream Theater?

[KevShmev]

Pick your 3 favorite members from the band and discuss why.

Obviously, I am including the members from the studio albums (no Chris Collins), and I listed them alphabetically.

Easy picks for me:

John Petrucci - the most important member of the band for 30 years, a magnificent guitar player, a helluva songwriter, and an all-around good guy.
Kevin Moore - he was only on three albums, but he killed it on all three, and wrote some of their best lyrics, which is impressive considering he only wrote lyrics for nine songs.
James LaBrie - one of my favorite studio rock singers ever, and he often cracks me up in his interviews and whatnot. Seems like he'd be a fun guy with whom to hang out. 

[MirrorMask]

This is not a diss to the other persons because they're all amazing musicians, but I'd say:

- James LaBrie, one of my favorite singers and all around nice guy

- John Petrucci, leader with the creative vision whose intelligence shines in interviews

- Jordan Rudess, because I'm partial to keyboards and he's so skilled yet humble and easy going

But everyone deserve praise for both their musical abilites and their personalities (I'll forget Derek's recent web activities : D )

[Learning2Live]

I voted MP, JP and JR. To me, that is the essence of Dream Theater when I look at the totality of their career.

[Mladen]

JP - The main creative force in the band and my favorite guitarist of all time.
JLB - One of my favorite singers of all time with a damn good public personality.
JM - The backbone of the band from the start with an interesting personality.

[Bertielee]

JLB, JP and MP.
B.Lee

[Samsara]

Easy picks for me:

John Petrucci
Kevin Moore
James LaBrie

My  reasons are different, but these are/were the guys.

JP is just an incredibly gifted player and songwriter. He's the heart of the band.

KM was, to me, the soul of the band. Knew exactly how to add atmosphere to the band's songs, could play off JP effortlessly, and his writing and lyrical styles really gave the band something different, and that appealed to me.

JLB is so under-appreciated in the band. They would be NOWHERE without Kevin James Labrie. NOWHERE. And as DoT has shown, he can write some really thoughtful and moving lyrics when given the opportunity.

#4 would be Portnoy, #5 Myung. To me, that "classic" lineup of Dream Theater will always be the one I go back to most. And that's not a slight on JR, DS or MM. But those songs, particularly I&W and Awake, just have something that appeals to my ear the most.

[cramx3]

I went with:

JLB: The voice of DT, say what you want but he IS the voice of DT.  He also comes off as having a good sense of humor and is enjoyable to listen to talk like a normal person.  Probably the one I would want to hang out with the most in the band.

JP:  Well, he's my favorite guitarist and writes most of the music.  He is the heart of DT.

and

MP: I was thinking JR or MM, but I think MP is the reason why I even got into DT in the first place, by playing covers and doing random setlists, pushing the band to new limits.  This is not a knock on the others or the direction of the band since he left, I just think he was a big reason why I became such a huge fan of the band.

[MinistroRaven]

JP
MP
JR

[Zydar]

JLB
JM
JP

[pg1067]

JP and JM were no-brainers for me.

Choosing between JLB, MP and JR for the final spot was tough, but I ultimately went with JR.  No one else was even close to being considered.

[Cool Chris]

Hmm. I don't have specific feelings about any of the guys, but if pressed, I'd say:

James. PMU was my intro to the band, and that song, and James's vocals specifically, were what made me go "damn I need to check these guys out!" He has the hardest job in the band, has endured the most struggles, and has been there all the way (since I&W anyway). He also gives insightful, fun interviews, and has released some quality non-DT material.

JP: For driving this shit musically since inception, and doing it admirably without controversy or drama the whole way.

I really want to say MP because between 1992 and 2011, along with James, he was. I didn't like his vocals and some of his musical preferences that were creeping in to DT's music, but the good he brought the group far outweighed that. I'm not a fan of much of his non-DT work, but I don't hold that against him. That's just my tastes. But the post-2011 drama and bs dropped him down a few notches in my eyes.

I don't have specific feelings on the other guys good or bad, other than appreciation for all the wonderful music. I am glad MM got the job not only for DT's sake but for his, as he seems truly overjoyed to be part of the band even now several years in to it.

I'll vote JLB and JP and abstain on the third vote.

[senecadawg2]

Petrucci and Rudess top the list for me, maybe because I play guitar and piano and so I always keep a close eye (and ear) on what they're doing, but also because they're so fantastically down to earth and impressively decent men.

The third spot could have gone to JLB or Portnoy, but I ended up going with Myung. Watching him for much of the show the other night, I was spellbound. What a stud.

[Indiscipline]

JP: 30 years at the absolute top as guitarist, musician, songwriter, bandleader. If it isn't enough to put him inside an extremely restricted elite, add a zero ego zero bullshit public history, a great business sense, and the general aura of kindness and respect he radiates every time he communicates.

JM: 30 years of perfection in humility, and the only band member who has never recorded or performed a single musical choice I haven't loved. Furthermore, I suspect the Johnnies' brotherly bond has always been the main cause for DT's endurance.

JKLB: DT's sound identity. Without him we stop at WDADU. His instrument changed everything and allowed the guys' songwriting to evolve. Plus, adamantium clad character: 98% of your rock frontmen would have spat a bunch of pills he had to swallow.

[nattmorker]

JR - I'm a keyboard player and he's my favorite one. He also seems like a great guy!

JM - Very interesting personality, besides, I tend to be really introvert, so I'm biased.

MM - He seems such a great guy, I'm a great fan of him.

[gzarruk]

JP - Obvious choice here. No JP = no DT.

JR - The other main music writer in the band. He and JP have brought us 10 DT albums + 2 LTE albums + a JP/JR album. Such an amazing pair of writers and players.

The third vote is were I struggled the most. My 3 options were MP, JLB and MM. I wanted to vote only for current members of the band, so MP is out. Between JLB and MM, I love James, but Mangini gets my vote. He's one of the best drummers in rock/prog/metal in the world and still doesn't get the recognition he deserves. His work with DT, specially on D/T is mindblowing.

[CharlesPL]

JP
MP
JR

This

[SuperTaco]

JP
MP
KM

[Phoenix87x]

Definitely Petrucci and Moore

And then its a tie between Labrie and Portnoy

[Dave_Manchester]

The first two were easy (Petrucci and Portnoy). Third pick was very tough but I went with Rudess in the end (it was between him and Myung).

[Ruba]

KevMo, Petrucci, Portnoy.

[TAC]

1. Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy made me proud to be a DT fan. He really took the "fan's view" to his decision making regarding the band. The rotating setlists, cover albums, Ytsejam Records. These are all things that mad being a DT fan special, aside from the great music. It was these things that separated DT from other bands regarding the fan experience. He made being a DT fan feel like being part of a community.
I love Dream Theater. They are still my favorite band and they have done GREAT things since MP left. But without MP, there's just something amiss.

2. James Labrie

What Indiscipline said..

3. John Petrucci

What Indiscipline said..

[gzarruk]

1. Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy made me proud to be a DT fan. He really took the "fan's view" to his decision making regarding the band. The rotating setlists, cover albums, Ytsejam Records. These are all things that mad being a DT fan special, aside from the great music. It was these things that separated DT from other bands regarding the fan experience. He made being a DT fan feel like being part of a community.
I love Dream Theater. They are still my favorite band and they have done GREAT things since MP left. But without MP, there's just something amiss.

All that you mentioned were great things except the covers. I never understood why they played that many covers live, and covering whole albums was even worse. Glad that ended when MP left.

[Herrick]

Myung, Petrucci, & Ruddess are my favorites. A bit of a tough choice but I went with current members who would bring Herrick to tears by leaving the band right now.

[Volante99]

JP
MP
JR

Ditto. I love Dream Theater and these are the three guys who have had the most impact, musically, throughout the band’s career.

[Herrick]

1. Mike Portnoy

Mike Portnoy made me proud to be a DT fan. He really took the "fan's view" to his decision making regarding the band. The rotating setlists, cover albums, Ytsejam Records. These are all things that mad being a DT fan special, aside from the great music. It was these things that separated DT from other bands regarding the fan experience. He made being a DT fan feel like being part of a community.
I love Dream Theater. They are still my favorite band and they have done GREAT things since MP left. But without MP, there's just something amiss.

All that you mentioned were great things except the covers. I never understood why they played that many covers live, and covering whole albums was even worse. Glad that ended when MP left.

Yeah I never got the tribute band/cover thing. LaBrie sounds great with Dream Theater but not when singing something like Pantera. A cover song here and there can be cool but I'd never pay to see a band play a bunch of covers unless if was a really good legit tribute band...like this Zappa thing I'm going to next week. Actually, I'm not even paying for that.

[erwinrafael]

Mangini
Myung
Petrucci

For carrying the flag of the always underappreciated rhythm srction.

[Ninjabait]

01. Jordan Rudess - one of the primary writers, and one of my favorite keyboardists of all time. His keyboard parts are such an inspiration to me and part of why I want to be a musician.
02. John Petrucci - I'll be honest, there is no Dream Theater without John Petrucci. He is so pivotal for all that I define as "Dream Theater".
03. James LaBrie - JLB's iconic vocals are one of the things that pushes them from being just a fantastic band to my absolute favorite band. They have such an ear for vocal melodies and his studio vocals are always so tasteful and well done. His live vocals too, when he's not obviously suffering from that food poisoning incident.

[Another_Won]

JR - I'm a keyboard player and he's my favorite one. He also seems like a great guy!

JM - Very interesting personality, besides, I tend to be really introvert, so I'm biased.

MM - He seems such a great guy, I'm a great fan of him.

Came here to say JP should be a given for everyone, but then saw your post.  Curious to hear why you didn't pick JP?

[nattmorker]

JR - I'm a keyboard player and he's my favorite one. He also seems like a great guy!

JM - Very interesting personality, besides, I tend to be really introvert, so I'm biased.

MM - He seems such a great guy, I'm a great fan of him.

Came here to say JP should be a given for everyone, but then saw your post.  Curious to hear why you didn't pick JP?

No, I love JP but it is super tough to just pick 3 and since everyone would be picking JP I decided to pick the other 3.

[ytserush]

Went with Rudess, Mangini and Portnoy.

Slightly below that would be Petrucci, Myung and Kevin Moore.

[Max Kuehnau]

MM and Jordan for being the most technically proficient members of the band. (my only criteria to go by)

[TheCountOfNYC]

I went with JR, JP, and MP. That era of Dream Theater to me was the band’s peak, and these three were the main guys responsible for it as the primary songwriters. This is no disrespect to any of the other members, but when I think of Dream Theater at their best, it’s these three guys who come to mind first.

[Drinktheater]

JP,JR and MP

John - One of my favorite guitarist and creative leader in the band always opens up DT to new ideas and I think his leadership kept the band after MP left.

Jordan - Talented and very Educated technical Musician overall and really compliments JPs Musical prowes. And a humble guy

Mike Portnoy - A man who is not afraid to share his personal ideas and it gave DT some unique spiritual vibe ( not saying DT is soul less now) And despite his personal challenges he mainly brought a positive vibe when playing live.

[Samsara]

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.

[mikeyd23]

JM
JP
JR