Back on subject here. Nice review in the Albany Times Union for DDY's Troy show. These sound like a lot of fun just because there is not so much structure, something NH referred to in his review.
http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/st ... egory=ARTS
Crowd sails away with Styx music
By MICHAEL ECK, Special to the Times Union
First published in print: Sunday, April 25, 2010
TROY -- If Dennis DeYoung had only "Come Sail Away" in his back pocket, he'd be pretty much set for life. The Styx song rose to #8 on the charts in 1977, but it has since become a staple anthem of classic rock radio, as much loved by the kids of those who were in high school on the song's first go-round as by those adults themselves.
But DeYoung also has hits like "Babe," "Lady" and the oddly deathless "Mr. Roboto" in his wallet.
The 63-year-old Chicago-born pianist/vocalist brought "The Music of Styx" to the Troy Music Hall on Friday, in a quartet format featuring guitarists August Zadra and Jimmy Leahey and bassist Craig Carter; and together they rolled out virtually every hit from the group's vast catalog.
Those that were originally sung by Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw were handled by Zadra and DeYoung tackled the rest.
The band was acoustic, but decidedly not unplugged, save for DeYoung at a nine-foot Steinway. The sizable crowd seemed happy with that, with a few even yelling "turn it up."
DeYoung was clearly in a chipper mood and that feeling translated throughout the hall. He was surprisingly funny in an old school Vegas kind of way -- kidding with fans, mugging with the band and often poking fun at himself.
"The nice thing about being this age," he said, "is you don't have to be cool. Underneath this glittery shirt, my pants are up to here!"
But DeYoung's voice is still in fine fettle and his piano skills were even more evident in the stripped-back synthesizer-less situation.
"Lorelei" reminded fans of Styx's hard-rocking early days, when they were still close to their bar band roots. Zadra's take of "Too Much Time On My Hands" had everyone singing and clapping along. And DeYoung's "Desert Moon" (the title track of his debut solo abum) was a dazzler, with impressive solos from Leahey and DeYoung.
Zadra and Carter are new recruits for the band, and occasionally that fact was manifested in flubs. DeYoung and his crowd took them in stride.
In fact, near the show's end, DeYoung stopped "Renegade" in its tracks, because he and Zadra failed to hook up rhythmically. What might have been a trainwreck was a moment of fun for all involved (including the slightly beet-faced Zadra). That's because DeYoung had made the show about inclusion from the first beat, and the audience was ready to ride with him.
And DeYoung was ready to ride with his fans, too. Late in the show he honored requests for "First Time" and "Castle Walls" by playing snippets of each since the band didn't know the whole tune.
Other highlights included Zadra acing "Fooling Yourself," DeYoung's epic final note in "Madame Blue" and -- of course -- "Come Sail Away."
Highlights: DeYoung's Jerry Lee Lewis-inflected piano in "Rockin' the Paradise."
The crowd: "Is there anyone here who went to high school between 1977 and 1984," DeYoung asked before rolling into "The Best of Times." Every hand in the room went up.
