Styx Review

[ChicagoSTYX]

>Older and wiser, reviewer finally picks up Styx Published: 4/27/2006
>
>
>When I was 14-years-old (waaaay back in 1984), I won tickets to see the
>rock band Styx when I called into radio station 95SX.
>
>The year before, I had scored tickets to my first ever show, Joan Jett and
>the Blackhearts, in the same manner. Joan Jett was a life-changing event,
>as it was the show that basically made me a live music junkie.
>Styx, however, was an entirely different thing altogether.
>
>I had been a fan of the prog-rock band ever since first hearing hits such
>as "Lady" and "Come Sail Away" when my age was still in the single digits.
>In 1984, the band was in the middle of its tour supporting the concept
>album "Kilroy Was Here," and I was psyched about the chance to see Dennis
>DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James Young and the rest of the band perform.
>
>I never made it to that concert in Columbia. It seems that in order to get
>to the show, one had to ride the 95SX party bus, and to do that, one needed
>to be at least 18 years old.
>
>Thanks to an overactive pituitary gland, I was already well over six feet
>tall, and in all honesty I probably could have passed for an 18-year-old.
>Ultimately though, I chickened out and never showed up. Besides, my mom
>told me I couldn't go since it was a school night. Crud.
>
>My dreams of seeing one of my favorite bands would have to wait until
>almost a quarter-century later. In October, I fulfilled half of my quest
>when I got to see Dennis DeYoung sing the songs of Styx with the Charleston
>Symphony Orchestra. Although the show had the potential to be incredibly
>cheesy, it turned out to be a lot of fun. I even got to meet DeYoung after
>the show. Had it been my only contact with a member of Styx, that actually
>would have been fine.
>
>I'd grown up since missing the bus (literally), and I had moved on to other
>bands. Every so often though, I would go back and listen to "Blue Collar
>Man" or "Mr. Roboto." In case you're wondering, I do realize the level of
>musical geekdom I am approaching here.
>
>This weekend I finally got to see Styx, at least in the band's current
>form, at the Plex in North Charleston. Founding member, James Young, still
>performs with the band. Keyboardist and vocalist Lawrence Gowan performs
>the songs of Dennis DeYoung and does so quite well, I might add. The rhythm
>section is provided by bassist Ricky Phillip and drummer Todd Sucherman.
>
>The Plex proved to be the perfect venue for the show, and the number of
>fans in attendance filled the concert hall without producing a throng
>through which one couldn't move.
>
>As the band stepped onto the stage and kicked the show off with "Blue
>Collar Man," I was amazed at how tight the guitar work and vocal
>harmonizing was. Sure, the band hasn't charted a hit in years, but it is
>clear that the members of Styx love and respect their fans.
>
>One such fan, Eleni Rogers, had traveled from Myrtle Beach to see the band.
>Rogers has seen Styx every year for the last 25 years. She even has a room
>in her house devoted to her two favorite things; Styx and the Cleveland
>Browns. Saturday night she was right up front singing along with every song
>and yelling herself hoarse.
>
>The thing that struck me about Styx, beside the fact that they played a
>good portion of the group's hits, was that the band seemed to be having as
>much fun as its guests. The group also gets credit for employing some
>staples of the rock arena show circa 1975, including confetti cannons,
>stage fog and a 12-foot high stack of Marshall amplifiers.
>
>This is a band not afraid to pull those cheesy rock star moves on stage. In
>doing so, the band is just endearing itself to its fan base.
>
>After "Blue Collar Man," Styx rolled out hit after hit, including "The
>Grand Illusion," "Lorelei," "Lady" and "Too Much Time on My Hands." A cover
>of the Beatles' "I am the Walrus," from the band's recent cover song CD
>"Big Bang Theory," flowed into a lengthy medley of Styx songs. For "Fooling
>Yourself" the crowd was treated to a surprise in the form of Chuck Panozzo,
>one of the founding members of Styx.
>
>Although Panozzo no longer tours or records with the band on a regular
>basis, he does make appearances when his health permits.
>
>Saturday night found Panozzo playing bass on songs including "Come Sail
>Away." The band performed a short encore, including the concert closer
>"Renegade," before bidding the crowd goodnight.
>
>So it might have taken more than 20 years to realize my dream, but I have
>finally seen the members of one of my favorite childhood bands, even if it
>did take seeing two obviously different productions to do so.
>
>Thanks again Styx, for allowing me to revisit my music-geek younger years.
>
>If you'll excuse me now, I'm going to try to translate lyrics while playing
>"Snowblind" backward.