DDY had such a strong voice... but that "frontman" act was taken a bit too far in the vid
I thought at first those were the Panozzo brothers in the vid but I guess the one had already died by that time
DDY had such a strong voice... but that "frontman" act was taken a bit too far in the vid
I thought at first those were the Panozzo brothers in the vid but I guess the one had already died by that time
Why is it whenever someone mentions an artist that was clearly progressive (yet not the Symph weenie definition of Prog) do certain people feel compelled to snort "thats not Prog" like a whiny 5th grader?
Yeah, DDY's stage presence can be pretty cheesy, but his voice was/still is in great shape.
Man In The Wilderness is the best song Tommy wrote. nice to see they are finally performing it again.
pity that Castle Walls (the next track on GI) blows it away!
I saw Styx on Friday night for the first time ever. Decent sized arena in Cedar Rapids, probably 85% full, 5000 attendance? Nice turnout. Some really rabid fans. Singing and dancing along to all the songs.
I loved Styx as a kid but lost interest in college. I'll say I'm glad I saw them but I was reminded of why I lost interest.
PROS: Amazing vocals and harmonies. The main players are well into their 60s but look and sound 20 years younger.
Good setlist. Hits but not all hits. Mission songs sounded good compared to the oldies.
And kudos for having the cojones to play the ridiculous Mr. Roboto as an encore. I think they were in on the joke and it was fun to hear.
Gowan's proggy keyboards were great.
CONS: Nothing interesting going on instrumentally when no one is singing (except for when Gowan is at it...). No interplay. Not a "listening" band.
Shaw and JY's solos were pedestrian and uninteresting. Same wankarama for every "rock" song.
So that's it. I recommend to everyone to go at least once, but I probably wouldn't go again.
I have a very soft spot for Styx. Would have loved to seen that show.
The current line-up of STYX is fantastic -- seen them three times and all of those shows were spot-on -- don't miss DeYoung at all.
I briefly considered making the trip down for the concert, but Styx is one of the few bands from my youth that somehow never made the transition into adult listening enjoyment. I have heard good things about the current incarnation and tour, so glad there was a decent turnout and you enjoyed it at least a little. One of these days we're bound to run into each other somewhere along the corridor!
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
I was a big fan of their 1974 to 1981 albums apart from Cornerstone. I didn't listen much after 15 or so but went to a 1996 concert and thought they were great... except... I started to feel a little bored in the second act. I still listen to the Return to Paradise live album every couple of years in summer .
I'm not opposed to seeing them with Gowan...I just haven't yet. I saw them in 1996 on their reunion....Kansas was opening.
I saw them the back a month or so ago with my daughter. First time seeing them with Gowan. Definitely a full-on show that is well-oiled and sounds remarkably great. Where Styx deserves credit is they fill the vacancies with better musicians than where there before. But, I agree with reviewer that it's not really a "listening" show. It's a rock show, and it never really relaxes with any nuance. Styx has always been that way though. Good show, but once was enough.
Saw Styx in 83 - I was a kid - the jean shorts, mullets, and stank of stale beer and smokes is still with me.
Watched this DDY concert on PBS this weekend. Solid, well performed show. DeYoung is still in excellent voice.
But seriously, these guys. A little too on-the-nose to not be intentional, methinks.
Last edited by jamesmanzi; 05-01-2019 at 03:01 PM.
I've never seen Styx or owned any of their records, but I guess I would know about half of the songs in their setlist very well after hearing them on the radio 10,000 times back in the day. I think I played a few of their tunes in a couple of bands I played with in the 80's. Agree their "new" drummer is really phenomenal. I watched a bit of this DDY video you'ce posted here, it looks like a great show. DDY looks super fit and sounds the same as in the 70's, he must be taking good care of himself.
I still remember that VH1 Behind the Music episode on Styx from many years ago. That fellow JY came off as a huge weiner, couldn't hide his enmity for DDY.
Styx may not be as musically interesting to prog fans as the popular prog acts, but a lot of people seemed to feel that they upstaged Yes a few years ago with their fitness and tight playing as a unit. I remember a quote from Steve Howe who didn't seem so impressed with Styx' "cartwheels" on stage.
Was a fan of Styx back in the day but got tired of DDY's animated stage presence and front man theatrics. As well, I always thought that his harmony vocal lines were mixed a tad louder than the other voices which suggested he wanted to be featured even when he was supposed to be blending. When they got to Mr. Roboto, I was out and I understand why the band decided to move on without him when he was ill and couldn't tour. They've survived quite well without him and I've seen them with Gowan and they cover all the material well. I watched a few minutes of the DDY and the music of Styx video and it just reinforced the things he does that are off putting to me. I also found it interesting that his band could cover a Styx song he had no writing credit for (Crystal Ball). And did he really have to find guitar players that resembled Shaw and JY?
Last edited by hewhoknows; 05-01-2019 at 05:50 PM.
I think the correct phases of Styx fandom goes:
Likes Styx as pre-teen -> gets laid -> never listens to Styx again.
Death inspires me like a dog inspires a rabbit
For me, Styx rocks. I saw them live about 8 years ago and they were phenomenal. Even though I've avidly followed Yes for over 40 years, and they're one of my favourite bands, I would see Styx live before Yes live according to the current line-ups. I'm not too cool for Styx, saw them in the 1970s, and more recently, and they never disappoint. Light up is such an excellent rock anthem. We followed suit, as teenagers.
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