MR

Hey, I saw Styx on Saturday night, July 19th in Vegas. I was there tagging along with my husband on a trade show, NHCE (healthcare). Each year they have a group the last night of the show after cocktails/buffet. The last two years they had Steve Miller and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Anyway, it was really early when they came on, about 7:30ish, and I thought being a function we might get an abbreviated version of a show, but they played 1-1/2 hours and the set list is what I've seen posted here. I was standing about 5 people deep from the stage, great veiw of all the guys. I could never get tired of seeing them play! My husband, who is not at all a Styx fan, was impressed with Tommy's guitar playing and thought Gowen did well singing. Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

That would be like you making jokes about obnoxiousness, huh?

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

And he likes to make sure that EVERYONE knows how hard of a partier he was back in the 80s. He carries it around like a badge of honor!

I work for the wrong damn company. Was Pete Best behind the bar????

Toph wrote:

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

And he likes to make sure that EVERYONE knows how hard of a partier he was back in the 80s. He carries it around like a badge of honor!

Unlike, say, having no sense of humor whatsoever.

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

I think you've got to give him some credit for admitting his past, not hiding behind some lame reason/story/excuse that we now see everyday from celebrities on their way to rehab every other day... he had some substance abuse, he says it messed him up and he's straight about it... good for him.

MCM wrote:

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

I think you've got to give him some credit for admitting his past, not hiding behind some lame reason/story/excuse that we now see everyday from celebrities on their way to rehab every other day... he had some substance abuse, he says it messed him up and he's straight about it... good for him.

Did he go into rehab during his solo years? Or after he joined Damn Yankees? I know Ted is very anti-drug - was he the one that convinced Tommy to get sober?

Toph wrote:

MCM wrote:

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

I think you've got to give him some credit for admitting his past, not hiding behind some lame reason/story/excuse that we now see everyday from celebrities on their way to rehab every other day... he had some substance abuse, he says it messed him up and he's straight about it... good for him.

Did he go into rehab during his solo years? Or after he joined Damn Yankees? I know Ted is very anti-drug - was he the one that convinced Tommy to get sober?

I believe Tommy has been sober since right after his What if album. I could be wrong, but by Damn Yankees I am pretty sure he was sober.

when i saw him at the atlanta borders show back in '98, i believe he mentioned being 10 years clean & sober. so, if he's continued along that path, now would mark the 20th anniversary of his sobriety. the way some people around here continuously bring up his VERY DISTANT PAST substance abuse problems is a pathetic attempt at discrediting or disgracing him. they seriously need to grow up and get a life. Move on. Shall we beat up on poor JP for not conquering his demons?

stmonkeys wrote:when i saw him at the atlanta borders show back in '98, i believe he mentioned being 10 years clean & sober. so, if he's continued along that path, now would mark the 20th anniversary of his sobriety. the way some people around here continuously bring up his VERY DISTANT PAST substance abuse problems is a pathetic attempt at discrediting or disgracing him. they seriously need to grow up and get a life. Move on. Shall we beat up on poor JP for not conquering his demons?

HE's the one who constatnly brings it up...just commenting on what he says on stage.

really? it's funny, i've seen the band close to 40 times and i don't have a recollection of tommy bragging about all the drugs he did back then. if anything, it was jy who usually said "if it weren't for flasbacks, we'd have no memory at all" but of course as a JOKE. And they haven't done that bit in a few years. In fact i saw the band the band twice in the past 4 months, and tommy never said anything about his drug use. so, please, enlighten us....

stmonkeys wrote:really? it's funny, i've seen the band close to 40 times and i don't have a recollection of tommy bragging about all the drugs he did back then. if anything, it was jy who usually said "if it weren't for flasbacks, we'd have no memory at all" but of course as a JOKE. And they haven't done that bit in a few years. In fact i saw the band the band twice in the past 4 months, and tommy never said anything about his drug use. so, please, enlighten us....

Maybe you should read the first posting of this thread..

Toph wrote:

stmonkeys wrote:really? it's funny, i've seen the band close to 40 times and i don't have a recollection of tommy bragging about all the drugs he did back then. if anything, it was jy who usually said "if it weren't for flasbacks, we'd have no memory at all" but of course as a JOKE. And they haven't done that bit in a few years. In fact i saw the band the band twice in the past 4 months, and tommy never said anything about his drug use. so, please, enlighten us....

Maybe you should read the first posting of this thread..

Oh for chrissakes... it was a HEALTHCARE convention. Maybe you should get a sense of humor.

Toph wrote:

MCM wrote:

Blue Falcon wrote:

fbnl wrote:Tommy had some funny comments about pharmaceuticals, etc. during the evening.

Well, he certainly was speaking from experience. Quite a bit of experience, I believe.

I think you've got to give him some credit for admitting his past, not hiding behind some lame reason/story/excuse that we now see everyday from celebrities on their way to rehab every other day... he had some substance abuse, he says it messed him up and he's straight about it... good for him.

Did he go into rehab during his solo years? Or after he joined Damn Yankees? I know Ted is very anti-drug - was he the one that convinced Tommy to get sober?

I don't think he ever did the official rehab thing - I think he realized what a mess he was making and cleaned up his act himself.. seems I recall some interview I saw on youtube, maybe the one from the Japanese t.v. show?? It was a pretty old interview..

See my interview with Tommy. He got sober post-What If and pre-Ambition. WHather he went to rehab or did it another way, it doesn't matter.

Wow, didn't know this would go on about drugs, SheriH had it right, it was a healthcare convention, and Tommy only made one or two remarks and it kind of tied into the crowd understanding the role pharmaceuticals had in the life of a band. I thought you guys might have a fit that my husband said that Gowen sang great.......

welcome to how things work around here. LOL!!!! glad you enjoyed the show, glad they sounded great! stick around, it can be very entertaining.

MCM wrote:seems I recall some interview I saw on youtube, maybe the one from the Japanese t.v. show?? It was a pretty old interview..

LOL! The "Tommy learns that Australian beer is stronger than American beer" video! We had fun discussing that one in chat.

Sigh...I miss the chats with Tommy. Too bad a few jerks ruined them for everyone.

Tanirocker wrote:

MCM wrote:seems I recall some interview I saw on youtube, maybe the one from the Japanese t.v. show?? It was a pretty old interview..

LOL! The "Tommy learns that Australian beer is stronger than American beer" video! We had fun discussing that one in chat.

Sigh...I miss the chats with Tommy. Too bad a few jerks ruined them for everyone.

Ya f*** ONE GOAT!!!

Zan wrote:

Ya f*** ONE GOAT!!!

To be fair, it was a sheep, and she came on to him.


Tani

What happens in Bakersfield stays in Bakersfield.

Toph wrote:
And he likes to make sure that EVERYONE knows how hard of a partier he was back in the 80s. He carries it around like a badge of honor!

Badge of honor? Oh come on. Tommy works with kids who are trying to stay sober, and he’s proud of his sobriety.

He made a self-deprecating joke. When I laugh about the goofy clothes I wore in the late seventies, it’s not because I’m proud of it. He did drugs. I wore gauchos. We both have to live with it.