MR

All of you haters out there can bite me! I've been sitting here listing to clip after clip of them in 2010, and they sound amazing! Unlike STYX's replacement, Dennis's replacement for Tommy Shaw actually sounds just like him! He found an amazing replacement, and to me, their shows are much more authentic than the actual STYX shows now. I'm not hating here, just stating my opinion. I've seen STYX live with the current line-up, and it left me feeling empty. THIS is a show I'd gladly pay money to see...


1. Best Of Times- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jUV3VEF ... re=related

2. Renegade- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsMsDWQm ... re=related

3. Grand Illusion- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdyASpiC ... re=related

4. Babe-Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPXnLsY ... re=related

5. Fooling Yourself- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oQ56yzA ... re=related

6. Show Me The Way- My favorite!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu7NWtQF78s

Here's more!!!


Lady...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sq9gbKW ... re=related

Awesome!!

DDY is Styx, just like SP was Journey....its a shame other members of both groups got to bastardize things.....Dennis still has the voice.

I should have known....any thread that Jim starts has to involve 80s style keys....

S2M wrote:I should have known....any thread that Jim starts has to involve 80s style keys....

Dude... I'm trying to get you acclimated to the sound again, so you don't go into shock when you hear our album!!!

I was at that Turning Stone show where the videos are taken from. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty certain that it was the guy sitting right across the table from me who shot that footage. It's right where my vantage point was, and he was definitely doing some recording all through the show.

In any event, my jaw was on the floor through the whole show. I had seen Styx for the first time just two years prior and, of course, had never seen them with DeYoung (or by himself, for that matter). As you can see in the videos, he hasn't lost a thing vocally. That incredible long note he holds in Suite Madame Blue is just unreal. Great showman and terrific band. This was one of the few acoustic shows he did last year. It was a treat to see and hear him in that setting.

...And yes, August Zadra does Tommy Shaw better than Shaw himself. It was uncanny. Say what you will about Dennis, but I gave him a lot of credit for performing several of Tommy's songs and spotlighting August. When he says he performs the music of Styx, he MEANS it. Unlike the actual band who, until recently, usually played "The music of Styx that our former leader had nothing to do with".

DD played our little festival (http://www.toadsuck.org) a few years ago. He was very professional, and courteous. Yes, there was a sense of arrogance...somewhat uppity-ness...yet, he was a very gracious man. And I guess that's what I mean by 'professional'. We paid all his bills, and treated his band with the utmost VIP-ness. The whole night was very much a business deal, however, the overall feeling was that he knew that we, as small-town America, expected a great show and not just some whatever/vanilla tour stop.

He didn't disappoint. He was polite & humble, and yes I do understand diplomacy, but it was very real. His band, especially the guitarist, made themselves at home...they hung out as long as they could, including wandering the streets/crowds, and not having some pretentious attitude.

The roadies were all about making sure the opening acts were taken care of first. DD himself commented how he loved not having to deal with promoters & big arenas.

The sound? Our local 'shed' (Simon Park) is downtown between a railroad and old city brick buildings. Although we have typical small town conservative ordinances, we let the band go. They played Styx in more of a dramatic/opratic fashion, but played DD solo in a loud pop fashion. The mix was mint, loud, & clean...especially 'Desert Moon'. The night was close to two hrs overall, even though I think we only contracted for 75 mins.


later~

^^^I have absolutely NO use for uppity-ness when it comes to rock stars....Be courteous, professional towards the star....but don't fawn, and don't kowtow, or walk on eggshells. Christ, they're people just like you.....it should never seem like he/they/she is gracing your presense.

S2M wrote:^^^I have absolutely NO use for uppity-ness when it comes to rock stars....Be courteous, professional towards the star....but don't fawn, and don't kowtow, or walk on eggshells. Christ, they're people just like you.....it should never seem like he/they/she is gracing your presense.

Oh I totally agree. But you gotta understand that getting a big name in 'nowhere-Arkansas' is a big deal to most. Of course, we have to fawn...southern hospitality, and naivete, at it's finest. We must cater & do whatever...to keep a rep in the industry to attract more great music here.


later~

G.I.Jim wrote:All of you haters out there can bite me! I've been sitting here listing to clip after clip of them in 2010, and they sound amazing! Unlike STYX's replacement, Dennis's replacement for Tommy Shaw actually sounds just like him! He found an amazing replacement, and to me, their shows are much more authentic than the actual STYX shows now. I'm not hating here, just stating my opinion. I've seen STYX live with the current line-up, and it left me feeling empty. THIS is a show I'd gladly pay money to see...


1. Best Of Times- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jUV3VEF ... re=related

2. Renegade- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsMsDWQm ... re=related

3. Grand Illusion- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdyASpiC ... re=related

4. Babe-Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcPXnLsY ... re=related

5. Fooling Yourself- Acoustic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oQ56yzA ... re=related

6. Show Me The Way- My favorite!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu7NWtQF78s

Dennis DeYoung is very good, and Palladia was airing a show of his a few months ago that was VERY impressive. Too bad he never comes to the southeast--would love to see him live one day.

Great stuff, they sound really good, Dennis still has the voice and August does a good job covering Shaw vocals.

Wish Dennis would consider rejoining Styx.

Last night I was tooling around on YT getting links to a few specific DDY-sung songs. A friend of mine in Puerto Rico is not familiar with Styx nor DDY so I have the rare opportunity of introducing this person to their music as well as taking them through DDY's career. It's freakin' awesome being in this position - I mean, c'mon... how often does someone get the chance to introduce somebody to some of your favorite music of all time? And what makes it even better is that my friend is really excited to learn about the band, DDY and discover his music. I sent her 2 links the night I learned she was unaware of his presence and she was stunned by his voice and the clarity and yada, yada, yada.... all the things you and I already know.

Anyway, as I was poking around, I came across some vids from one of his concerts which was done on a PBS soundstage with his band, a 40 piece orchestra and the Chicago Boys Choir. Now, we all know that one of the things that drove the biggest stake between DDY and TS & JY was the direction DDY wanted to take the band in as well as how theatrical and "Broadway"-ish he was trying to make the band - and I can't say I disagree. I would have really hated to see the band become "STYX: THE MUSICAL Performed LIVE on Broadway"
However.... that said, I watched all of the songs from that performance and I must say, it was outstanding. The production value was off the hook! The sound quality as well as the breadth and depth of the backing instrumentation was stunning and Dennis...... what can you say?! He's still got chops and his pipes are just as strong and clear as ever. It was a nice discovery since I was unaware he had done that show.

Another very cool vid I stumbled across was Grand Valley State University's presentation of Come Sail Away. Wow, what a logistical nightmare that must have been to keep the camera moving in one direction the entire length of the song and having every single person/group ready and queued ready to do their bit. If you haven't seen it, check it out... it's worth the click.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn5L3gsC ... r_embedded