20th anniversary - Brave New World / Dennis' departure

[StyxGuy]

On June 6th 1999, Styx played their final show with Dennis DeYoung (sans Chuck) for a Children's Miracle Network telethon. June 29th 1999, Styx released their final album with Dennis, Brave New World.

According to Dennis, when they did the CMN show, Tommy and JY had already hired Lawrence for the upcoming tour (and Dennis was technically out of the band) which only brings even more meaning to what he says during the interview segment.


Reflections on Styx/Dennis in 1999 and the 20 years since? I know we've hashed out plenty and picked sides etc.. so let's not dig TOO deep

I've been lucky enough to see them 11 times, Dennis twice, Gowan twice. They're all great musicians and they all do music I enjoy. Would have been great to see Styx with Dennis at least once though.

[FormerDJMike]

I remember not believing it at first. It was posted on the old Paradise Theatre forum before it was shut down. It was a post from someone with only 1 post and an anonymous name so that raised a red flag to me. I publically called BS on the forum but it later turned out to be true. I seem to remember Lawrence being announced before the CMN show but that was 20 years ago so I could be wrong.

I, like everyone else, wanted to love BNW. I played it all the time but it just seemed not very cohesive. Many of us on the forum referred to it as their "white album" because of all the different styles and production elements. I haven't played it in a long time and need to revisit it sometime but overall it just isn't a very good album.

I saw the second show on the 1999 tour in Farmington, MO. Several people from the forum were there as well so it was nice to meet some of the other fans.

I think I have seen them 10 or 11 times as well, 4 times with Dennis and the rest with Lawrence. Had tix to see Dennis back in November but the show was cancelled when Hurricane Michael wiped out the venue (which is still closed 8 months later).

[ztyxlynne]

I remember it as well. I didnt believe it at first and I could not sleep that night. I had front row seats to both tours in 96 and 97 in Milwaukee.

I saw the Childrens Miricle show and was hoping it wasnt true. I was hoping for a tour that included Glenn in the fold.

The album for me is hard to listen to. Some good songs and some really bad ones. Just fell in, really?????

The songs that Dennis has on it are not to bad concidering he knew what was happening. I wish he had one massive smash hit on it.

[gr8dane]

I was always impressed that Styx had the guts ,to get rid of Dennis.

I quite like BNW,well 2/3 of it anyways.

[yogi]

Goddbye Roseland and Everything is Cool were both EXCELLENT EXCELLENT songs. Two of my all time favorite Styx songs.

Brave New World, Heavy Water, and What Have They Done to You were decent songs. JYs two songs were both good!

On Tuesday's and Friday's ONLY I could stomach I Will Be Your Witness, Fallen Angel and Number One.

While Theres Still Time and Number One were pretty bad and could be stomached maybe once a month.

Just Fell In, Great Expectations, Best New Face and Hip Hop were easily the four WORST songs that Styx EVER did. They rank Far Far below As Bad As This, Plexiglas Toilet and Krakatoa

[gr8dane]

Goddbye Roseland and Everything is Cool were both EXCELLENT EXCELLENT songs. Two of my all time favorite Styx songs.

Brave New World, Heavy Water, and What Have They Done to You were decent songs. JYs two songs were both good!

On Tuesday's and Friday's ONLY I could stomach I Will Be Your Witness, Fallen Angel and Number One.

While Theres Still Time and Number One were pretty bad and could be stomached maybe once a month.

Just Fell In, Great Expectations, Best New Face and Hip Hop were easily the four WORST songs that Styx EVER did. They rank Far Far below As Bad As This, Plexiglas Toilet and Krakatoa

I like Great Expectations .

[yogi]

No you don’t

Nobody likes Great Expectations

The line in the song ‘As Bad As This’ can be found as the intro to the above 4 songs in the final release of the album Brave New World. It was a limited edition release ( about 200 Albums(CDs) it has a gold cover. You see em from time to time on E Bay)

[FormerDJMike]

I like Great Expectations better than I used to... A friend said it reminded him of "Walking On The Moon" by The Police. When he said that I liked it more for some reason.

[gr8dane]

No you don’t

Nobody likes Great Expectations

The line in the song ‘As Bad As This’ can be found as the intro to the above 4 songs in the final release of the album Brave New World. It was a limited edition release ( about 200 Albums(CDs) it has a gold cover. You see em from time to time on E Bay)

Froy and toph like it too.
That album you are talking about, is that the one with Dennis in his jammies and slippers on a chez-lounge reading the Financial Times ,smoking a pipe, on the cover ?

By the way,I hear toph blew froy's chunks.

[yogi]

Damn that’s still funny!!!

[masque]

I was surprised when I heard the news back in yeh day but I also felt that the reunion wouldn’t last very long anyway. So I wasn’t shocked, just surprised at the timing.

BNW has some great songs, some good ones, some decent ones and some horrible ones. By far their most uneven album since man of miracles.

I saw them in St. Louis on the BNW tour with Gowan at the fabulous fox. Opening band cancelled at last minute and we got a monster evening of Styx music. They played things like best of times etc that have not been really played since with Gowan or not much.

I think the last time I counted up the times I have seen them live is 23 overall. 5 of those with DDY. I have also seen DDY solo a couple of times and saw damn Yankees about 10 times.

[FormerDJMike]

I was surprised when I heard the news back in yeh day but I also felt that the reunion wouldn’t last very long anyway. So I wasn’t shocked, just surprised at the timing.

BNW has some great songs, some good ones, some decent ones and some horrible ones. By far their most uneven album since man of miracles.

I saw them in St. Louis on the BNW tour with Gowan at the fabulous fox. Opening band cancelled at last minute and we got a monster evening of Styx music. They played things like best of times etc that have not been really played since with Gowan or not much.

I think the last time I counted up the times I have seen them live is 23 overall. 5 of those with DDY. I have also seen DDY solo a couple of times and saw damn Yankees about 10 times.

I was at that same show, I believe the opening act had Ben Orr in the band and he had either just passed away or was very ill. I also remember them playing Half Penny, Two Penny at that show.

[Jodes]

It was Big People - Ben Orr, Pat Travers, Derek St, Holmes, Jeff Carlisi, and Liberty Divitto

Let's Go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R87Nah0ccTE

[masque]

you are correct, Big People it was.....I was actually excited to see them....but when they cancelled and we got more Styx I was even more excited!

[masque]

I was surprised when I heard the news back in yeh day but I also felt that the reunion wouldn’t last very long anyway. So I wasn’t shocked, just surprised at the timing.

BNW has some great songs, some good ones, some decent ones and some horrible ones. By far their most uneven album since man of miracles.

I saw them in St. Louis on the BNW tour with Gowan at the fabulous fox. Opening band cancelled at last minute and we got a monster evening of Styx music. They played things like best of times etc that have not been really played since with Gowan or not much.

I think the last time I counted up the times I have seen them live is 23 overall. 5 of those with DDY. I have also seen DDY solo a couple of times and saw damn Yankees about 10 times.

I was at that same show, I believe the opening act had Ben Orr in the band and he had either just passed away or was very ill. I also remember them playing Half Penny, Two Penny at that show.

man it was an awesome show! I dont live in St. Louis so it was my first time being at the fabulous fox.....what a great venue.....great show and i have to admit, it was a bit weird adjusting to no DDY, but I did....because i had been able to manage years ago seeing them on the Edge tour with no Tommy.....but overall it was a great night. small world indeed.

[FormerDJMike]

Yeah, I didn't live in St. Louis either so it was also my first time at the Fox. Very cool venue. I lived about 90 miles south of St. Louis at the time and from what I remember there were tons of people from the old Styxboard website there. That was my second time seeing the line-up, I had seen them earlier in the tour in Farmington, MO. My wife and I stayed overnight in St. Louis then drove back home the next morning. Seems like ages ago.