I saw pseudo Styx
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 7:09 amBelieve it or not, I went to see Styx this weekend. I did an Atlanta weekend and saw Journey, Foreigner, and Night Ranger on Friday and saw Styx on Saturday after an Atlanta Braves game. The Braves had Styx as after game entertainment and I thought - well, I can now legitimately check these guys out without having to give them 1 cent of my money.
To set the stage....The Braves announced their attendance at 46,000 plus for a Saturday game against the Mets. The stadium was packed and the Braves won the game 1-0. The 4pm game itself only took about 2 hours and 20 minutes. So, its about 6:20 and they announce that Styx will take the field in just a few minutes. So, 46,000 people could have stayed, for free, to watch Styx. The only committment needed was their time. This had been advertised on Braves games for months. It also was a quick game relatively speaking, so it wasn't like they were coming on really late. When Styx came on the field at 6:45, honest to God less than 1/5 of the stadium was full. People left in droves. This band can only get 8000 people to watch them out of 46,000 for FREE! I thought to myself, "This is truly pathetic".
The band comes out and my friend commented to me, "This is the ugliest band I've ever seen". And they are. Ricky with his eyeliner, Gowan looks like a freak with eyeliner and makeup on, Sucherman now wears eye liner and looks a bit like Lindsey Buckingham. Tommy looks like that crazy Vietnam vet who hasn't bathed in 2 weeks. I never thought I would say this, but the most normal looking one of the bunch now is JY. He actually looks presentable. The others either look like freaks or bums. My son even was freaked out by how they looked.
The setlist - Blue Collar Man, Grand Illusion, Too Much Time, Lady, Lorelei, Chuck entrance (looks 80), Foolin Yourself, Miss America, Come Sail Away, I Am The Walrus, and Renegade.
My thoughts. This unit is so different from what I remember Styx being, that it really is hard to call them by the same name. I saw Styx in 83, 91, 96, and 97. This wasn't close to resembling what I know as Styx. Unlike Froy, I will say that Gowan isn't a bad performer. He just isn't Dennis DeYoung. The spinning keyboard is fine, but its more Steve Walsh and Kansas than Styx.
How did they compare to Journey? Foreigner? and Night Ranger? Journey are better muscians hands down live. Foreigner had exactly 0 original members with them so they are a bigger joke than Styx. Night Ranger deserved more than the 35 minutes they got. Out of all the bands, they have the most originals left.
But all these bands have had their heyday - and to put one more second of my life into them is really a waste of time. I've looked on this board and see that I have over 1300 posts on this board. Wow. What could I have been doing in that time? Instead I've wasted it talking to a bunch of losers and arguing over a band that hasn't had a hit in 20 years and hasn't had a platinum album in almost 30 years. How pathetic is that? Don't get me wrong, I am as big of a loser as you all. But no more. I'm done. Done here, done with Styx, done with all of those 80s bands. Just not worth it. And done with this board.
I do owe you one more thing - I never linked to what was the top 2 Styx videos of all time in my opinion. Will do that in another posting. Then I'm done.
To you pro DDY fans - you are absolutely correct - he was the band. I now can know that my point of view was right. This band may be entertaining to a certain segment of the population without him, but they aren't Styx and don't have that mass appeal.
To you bitter, ugly current Styx fans that think the band can do know wrong - I hope you are subjected to listening to this group in this incarnation for all of eternity. It will be your heaven, I'm sure. After all JY says its the best version of the band ever...here's to listening to it for eternity....
To Styx - You don't realize how pathetic you look on stage, but you really killed a legacy in my mind. Hope the dollars were worth it.
To set the stage....The Braves announced their attendance at 46,000 plus for a Saturday game against the Mets. The stadium was packed and the Braves won the game 1-0. The 4pm game itself only took about 2 hours and 20 minutes. So, its about 6:20 and they announce that Styx will take the field in just a few minutes. So, 46,000 people could have stayed, for free, to watch Styx. The only committment needed was their time. This had been advertised on Braves games for months. It also was a quick game relatively speaking, so it wasn't like they were coming on really late. When Styx came on the field at 6:45, honest to God less than 1/5 of the stadium was full. People left in droves. This band can only get 8000 people to watch them out of 46,000 for FREE! I thought to myself, "This is truly pathetic".
The band comes out and my friend commented to me, "This is the ugliest band I've ever seen". And they are. Ricky with his eyeliner, Gowan looks like a freak with eyeliner and makeup on, Sucherman now wears eye liner and looks a bit like Lindsey Buckingham. Tommy looks like that crazy Vietnam vet who hasn't bathed in 2 weeks. I never thought I would say this, but the most normal looking one of the bunch now is JY. He actually looks presentable. The others either look like freaks or bums. My son even was freaked out by how they looked.
The setlist - Blue Collar Man, Grand Illusion, Too Much Time, Lady, Lorelei, Chuck entrance (looks 80), Foolin Yourself, Miss America, Come Sail Away, I Am The Walrus, and Renegade.
My thoughts. This unit is so different from what I remember Styx being, that it really is hard to call them by the same name. I saw Styx in 83, 91, 96, and 97. This wasn't close to resembling what I know as Styx. Unlike Froy, I will say that Gowan isn't a bad performer. He just isn't Dennis DeYoung. The spinning keyboard is fine, but its more Steve Walsh and Kansas than Styx.
How did they compare to Journey? Foreigner? and Night Ranger? Journey are better muscians hands down live. Foreigner had exactly 0 original members with them so they are a bigger joke than Styx. Night Ranger deserved more than the 35 minutes they got. Out of all the bands, they have the most originals left.
But all these bands have had their heyday - and to put one more second of my life into them is really a waste of time. I've looked on this board and see that I have over 1300 posts on this board. Wow. What could I have been doing in that time? Instead I've wasted it talking to a bunch of losers and arguing over a band that hasn't had a hit in 20 years and hasn't had a platinum album in almost 30 years. How pathetic is that? Don't get me wrong, I am as big of a loser as you all. But no more. I'm done. Done here, done with Styx, done with all of those 80s bands. Just not worth it. And done with this board.
I do owe you one more thing - I never linked to what was the top 2 Styx videos of all time in my opinion. Will do that in another posting. Then I'm done.
To you pro DDY fans - you are absolutely correct - he was the band. I now can know that my point of view was right. This band may be entertaining to a certain segment of the population without him, but they aren't Styx and don't have that mass appeal.
To you bitter, ugly current Styx fans that think the band can do know wrong - I hope you are subjected to listening to this group in this incarnation for all of eternity. It will be your heaven, I'm sure. After all JY says its the best version of the band ever...here's to listening to it for eternity....
To Styx - You don't realize how pathetic you look on stage, but you really killed a legacy in my mind. Hope the dollars were worth it.
I look at it as a group of people that are loyal fans that are not shy at sharing their opinions pro or con. It is sad that the band that you, I and many others loved is now but a faded memory. It truly is sad that the magic of their music has been killed off over multiple egos and petty bullshit. Although I do not consider Dennis and his band as Styx, I am happy that at least he is keeping the memory of what Styx truly was alive.
