Asking this seriously

[Toph]

Don't you think they are all getting burned out? I mean how many times can Styx play the same 10 songs and Dennis play his same 10 songs to the same small audiences? Do you think that this job, like any job, they suffer from being in a rut? Doing the same thing over and over again, knowing that your best years are 25 -30 years ago? It reminds me of the ballplayer that refuses to retire or the boxer that refuses to hang it up. Neither has had success with new creative work so don't they just get depressed as hell? How many times can you play BCM? How many times can you play The Best Of Times? You would think that burnout and even boredom are rising up big time....

[Everett]

Don't you think they are all getting burned out? I mean how many times can Styx play the same 10 songs and Dennis play his same 10 songs to the same small audiences? Do you think that this job, like any job, they suffer from being in a rut? Doing the same thing over and over again, knowing that your best years are 25 -30 years ago? It reminds me of the ballplayer that refuses to retire or the boxer that refuses to hang it up. Neither has had success with new creative work so don't they just get depressed as hell? How many times can you play BCM? How many times can you play The Best Of Times? You would think that burnout and even boredom are rising up big time....

Their doing what they love to do and as long as the people keep coming to see them they will play. As jim morisson said in wayne's world 2 "if you book them they will come"

[Jodes]

They love performing.. someone once said If you love what you do, its not a job..

[kansas666]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.

Denny is good but his band sucks.

[bugsymalone]

How many times can you play BCM? How many times can you play The Best Of Times? You would think that burnout and even boredom are rising up big time....

As long as part of the background music is "Ka-Ching", they will continue to play those songs over and over and over.


Bugsy

[Zan]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.

Denny is good but his band sucks.

I don't think his band sucks at all. It's just a different setup than what the touring Styx has. Well, I could do without SDY doing the "robot" dance, but I don't count her as part of "the band."

[StyxCollector]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.

Denny is good but his band sucks.

Disagree ... he has band members over the years that were better than others, but his band doesn't suck. I still contend Don Neele (who did the Rye Playland gig way back in 2001) was the best keyboard player DDY has had in the past 10 years. He's the only one who has done Roboto right. I've been less impressed with everyone else. I think Hank is better than Ricky, but my comment for both is that the 5-string with some Styx songs is still a bit off-putting. Styx has generally had the better drummer in Todd. Tommy D. is better at DDY solo stuff/lighter stuff, and now that DDY generally has a 2nd guitarist, I'd say the two bands are about equal in that department (JY is good, but a one trick pony when it comes to solos; TS is the better guitar player there by leaps and bounds).

If you look objectively, the two bands (sans the extra singers of course) are more equal than not.

[Rockwriter]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.

Denny is good but his band sucks.

Disagree ... he has band members over the years that were better than others, but his band doesn't suck. I still contend Don Neele (who did the Rye Playland gig way back in 2001) was the best keyboard player DDY has had in the past 10 years. He's the only one who has done Roboto right. I've been less impressed with everyone else. I think Hank is better than Ricky, but my comment for both is that the 5-string with some Styx songs is still a bit off-putting. Styx has generally had the better drummer in Todd. Tommy D. is better at DDY solo stuff/lighter stuff, and now that DDY generally has a 2nd guitarist, I'd say the two bands are about equal in that department (JY is good, but a one trick pony when it comes to solos; TS is the better guitar player there by leaps and bounds).

If you look objectively, the two bands (sans the extra singers of course) are more equal than not.

I agree, and I would also add that the notion that one is a hard rock show and the other is dinner theater is something with which I disagree very strongly. The shows I have seen are more similar than different, at least to me.

Getting back to the original post, well, frankly, they're not going to say it in public, but if you speak to people privately of course there is a certain level of boredom sometimes. It's a job. No job is perfect. This particular job has some great perks - getting to see the world from a position of privilege, making nice money, the love of fans, getting to play for a living - but it's still a job and has its down side at times. That down side can include playing the same songs over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and OVER. It can include having to indulge some pretty petty ego nonsense. It can include a lot of things and it usually does. But that's life, isn't it? These guys are lucky to have what they have and lucky to do what they do and I suspect they're going to keep right on doing it until they can't do it any more. What else should they do?

I hope all is well.

Sterling

[Monker]

I agree, and I would also add that the notion that one is a hard rock show and the other is dinner theater is something with which I disagree very strongly. The shows I have seen are more similar than different, at least to me.

No way. When I saw Dennis during his orchestra show back a few years ago, it was a TOTAL different experience. I have never sat for an entire Styx show, like EVERYBODY did for Dennis. I have never seen a Styx show that had a midway intermission and a commercial for hair care products. I know some of that has changed...but I do not believe for one moment that Styx and Dennis put on a similar show. If you want to rock out and have fun, see Styx. If you want to sit on your hands for 90 mins and listen to corny jokes, go see DDY solo.

[Rockwriter]

I agree, and I would also add that the notion that one is a hard rock show and the other is dinner theater is something with which I disagree very strongly. The shows I have seen are more similar than different, at least to me.

No way. When I saw Dennis during his orchestra show back a few years ago, it was a TOTAL different experience. I have never sat for an entire Styx show, like EVERYBODY did for Dennis. I have never seen a Styx show that had a midway intermission and a commercial for hair care products. I know some of that has changed...but I do not believe for one moment that Styx and Dennis put on a similar show. If you want to rock out and have fun, see Styx. If you want to sit on your hands for 90 mins and listen to corny jokes, go see DDY solo.

I see your point. Of course it's been a few years since I've seen either one now, but bear in mind that one of the two times I saw Dennis was rock band only in a weird little bandshell at Toad Suck Daze in Arkansas. There were tens of thousands of people because it's a huge yearly event, and everyone was standing because you CAN'T sit, and Dennis played a set list that was probably hand-picked for an event like that. He played a lot more of the progressive side of Styx than I had expected, including things like "Castle Walls", "Pieces of Eight", "Light Up", just some things I didn't expect. He sang better that night than I have ever heard him sing at any other event, with or without Styx.

The other time I saw him was at TPAC with an orchestra, and sure, that was very different pacing designed to fit that venue. I personally have been to so many rock concerts that I don't atted them for entertainment anymore, I attend them for business or to analyze what people are doing, so you have to understand that I look at shows not from the perspective of, "Wow, did that rock!", but rather from the perspective of, "What was the sound quality? What was the lighting quality? Did this show provide the context for this artist to convey his/her vision?" I don't go to "rock out" per se and I usually dislike drunken idiocy in all its forms, so I don't even especially LIKE rock concerts or some of the people who attend them, LOL. For the monumental hassle of parking and fighting your way through a bunch of idiots, usually you could have stayed home and played the record for free and had a better time. That's not true of Styx or Dennis because both of them put on such high quality shows, but I rarely attend shows anymore because so many older band are so disappointing live now. I will say two things; first, Styx has always been a great live band in all its lineups and still is; and secondly, like a lot of other fans right now, I'm a little bit bored with both Styx and Dennis right now and I probably won't see either one again until they have some great new work out. No offense to any of them, they're all great and well worth seeing, but as I get older and more jaded it takes more for me to want to go out and see anything, and for me part of the equation has to be something new.

I hope all is well. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Sterling

[Grotelul]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.

Denny is good but his band sucks.

Disagree ... he has band members over the years that were better than others, but his band doesn't suck. I still contend Don Neele (who did the Rye Playland gig way back in 2001) was the best keyboard player DDY has had in the past 10 years. He's the only one who has done Roboto right. I've been less impressed with everyone else. I think Hank is better than Ricky, but my comment for both is that the 5-string with some Styx songs is still a bit off-putting. Styx has generally had the better drummer in Todd. Tommy D. is better at DDY solo stuff/lighter stuff, and now that DDY generally has a 2nd guitarist, I'd say the two bands are about equal in that department (JY is good, but a one trick pony when it comes to solos; TS is the better guitar player there by leaps and bounds).

If you look objectively, the two bands (sans the extra singers of course) are more equal than not.

Todd is the major difference in my opinion. Todd brings an energy that few do. Dennis has never had a player like this. I think Todd has that Peart factor...fans that go to the show just to see an awesome drummer.

[pinkfloyd1973]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.

Denny is good but his band sucks.

Disagree ... he has band members over the years that were better than others, but his band doesn't suck. I still contend Don Neele (who did the Rye Playland gig way back in 2001) was the best keyboard player DDY has had in the past 10 years. He's the only one who has done Roboto right. I've been less impressed with everyone else. I think Hank is better than Ricky, but my comment for both is that the 5-string with some Styx songs is still a bit off-putting. Styx has generally had the better drummer in Todd. Tommy D. is better at DDY solo stuff/lighter stuff, and now that DDY generally has a 2nd guitarist, I'd say the two bands are about equal in that department (JY is good, but a one trick pony when it comes to solos; TS is the better guitar player there by leaps and bounds).

If you look objectively, the two bands (sans the extra singers of course) are more equal than not.

Todd is the major difference in my opinion. Todd brings an energy that few do. Dennis has never had a player like this. I think Todd has that Peart factor...fans that go to the show just to see an awesome drummer.

Funny....I never go to a concert just to see an "awesome" drummer



Robin

[Ehwmatt]

Todd's a gtreat drummer but you could poll every fan walking through the gates at a Styx show and not a single one of them would say he/she was there just to see Todd... hell, aside from a few drumming nerds, nobody would even say he'd be one of the reasons.

[froy]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.


Todd is the major difference in my opinion. Todd brings an energy that few do. Dennis has never had a player like this. I think Todd has that Peart factor...fans that go to the show just to see an awesome drummer.

Right the guy has been playing the same songs for 10 years and people are going to see it over and over again.
Todd is good but not great.

[Grotelul]

Todd's a gtreat drummer but you could poll every fan walking through the gates at a Styx show and not a single one of them would say he/she was there just to see Todd... hell, aside from a few drumming nerds, nobody would even say he'd be one of the reasons.

Wrong...I have gone to those shows lately just to see/hear Todd play. I can't be the only one.

[Grotelul]

They're making a lot of money and they are like a finely tuned Ferrari.


Todd is the major difference in my opinion. Todd brings an energy that few do. Dennis has never had a player like this. I think Todd has that Peart factor...fans that go to the show just to see an awesome drummer.

Right the guy has been playing the same songs for 10 years and people are going to see it over and over again.
Todd is good but not great.

Why not..people continue to read your garbage year after year after year.

[masque]

i'm sure there is an element of burnout to what they do....but to me here is the difference in what they do and what i do.

i work for a company, do my job everyday, get frustrated, make decent money, have burnout and work harder on some days more than others. when i show up at work thousands of people are not there screaming and clapping because i walk into the office.....and the work i do does not include me showcasing heartfelt artisic expressions of my creations.

i am sure they experience fatigue, burnout and boredom at times but getting the adrenaline rush of playing inn front of crowds that love what you do.....and getting to play songs for them that you created i think would make their job better than mine most days.

with that said.....i see no reason for them to quit doing what they love to do.