MR

Dennis DeYoung and the Albany Symphony Orchestra
Review - February 29, 2004
Courtesy Albany, New Yorks' Times Union

Albany, New York - Palace Theatre, 19 Clinton Ave, Albany, NY 12207

ALBANY -- Even back in the late '70s/early '80s heyday of Midwestern progressive rock band Styx, bandleader Dennis DeYoung seemed as though he would be more at home on a Broadway stage than as the front man for a band of arena rockers.


There was always an element of pomp and grandeur to DeYoung's music, and the truth of the matter is that the music seems to have finally found a home -- in a symphonic setting. On Saturday evening, DeYoung and his four-piece band joined forces with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, and the Styx repertoire never sounded better.

The gray-haired DeYoung -- who celebrated his 57th birthday last week -- still has a strong, belting voice, and he utilized it well on a wide range of material from the intimate love ballad "Babe" to the epic rocker "Suite Madame Blue" to the strange, silly "Mr. Roboto."

DeYoung and his crew offered two hourlong sets, and the vintage Styx material emerged as the best of the batch........................
DeYoung also offered a handful of selections from the full-length musical he wrote, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," although he enlisted guest vocalist Amick Byram to do the singing chores for those.

Ultimately, it was the fusion of the rock band and the symphony that made the evening most intriguing, and they managed to find that delicate balance frequently. "Castle Walls" and "Lorelei" were among the most successive attempts at making the most of the orchestra's lush, powerful tones, although the audience clearly favored "The Best of Times" and "Come Sail Away."

Interestingly enough, arranger-conductor Arnie Roth decided to pair up several of DeYoung's songs with classical music classics. While it wasn't clear what Roth intended as the musical connective tissue between Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and the song that it introduced, "Lorelei," the arrangements made more sense with the insertion of Ravel's "Bolero" into the middle of "Lady," and the use of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" as the introduction for "Don't Let It End."

Many of DeYoung's songs - both his Styx compositions and those from his later solo albums - often sound like they belong in a period rock opera like "Jesus Christ Superstar," but with the ASO behind them on Saturday, they finally seemed to have the power to fly on their own.

There will be more reviews added to his website soon (hopefully). All of Dennis' recent interviews have been very positive and a couple very funny

Why do a lot of the articles say that "Mr. Roboto" is strange or silly. I love that song

Here's an interview from February:

STILL THE BEST OF TIMES: Dennis DeYoung brings back Styx
By David Burke

ByDavidBurke

GO! Editor

When promoter Tim Orchard pitched the idea to Dennis DeYoung about a
concert tour of the latter's songs of Styx — in a symphonic format

— DeYoung was less than thrilled.

"My first reaction was, `Tim, every six months or so you have to empty
the bong water,'" DeYoung recalled from his suburban Chicago home.
"Who wants to see this?"

As it turns out, plenty of people.

DeYoung — who had four solo albums and a handful of concerts, but
never went out on tour by himself — first stepped out on stage to
front his own symphony show four years ago tonight in the Chicago Theatre.

It was the first of two sold-out shows.

"Don't ask me, I don't know anything," DeYoung said. "I never would
have done that."

From 1970 to 1984, and for several brief reunions in years following,
DeYoung was the vocalist and keyboard player for Styx, and the
songwriter behind the band's hits including "Lady," "Come Sail Away,"
"Babe" and "The Best of Times."

But while guitarist Tommy Shaw wanted to take the group in a
harder-rock direction, DeYoung pulled for an artsier side to the band,
including a concert-turned-stage show based on the band's 1983 album
"Kilroy Was Here," and its single, "Mr. Roboto."

DeYoung reunited with the rest of Styx a few times, most notably in
1990 for the comeback single "Show Me the Way."

The rest of Styx has toured steadily through the years, including
several stops at The Mark of the Quad-Cities. DeYoung performs there
for the first time on Friday night.

DeYoung said he still hears from fans wishing he and the band would
reunite.

"People have a romantic notion about bands, and they want me to be in
that band,"

he said. "The comments I hear over and over ... is that it's not Styx
without me. I don't believe in my heart of hearts that it could be,
anymore than I could be Styx without them."

Putting Styx music in a symphony setting allows for more creativity,
he said. "Show Me the Way" is done a capella, and the hint of Ravel's
"Bolero" in "Lady" is more fully explored, he said.

"The first time we played `Lady,' it goes right into `Bolero,' and I
could actually hear the audience going, `Woooo.,'" DeYoung said.

Although the strings and the love songs of Styx will be in place for
the Valentines-eve show, DeYoung said there is also plenty of humor as
well.

"Twenty percent of what I do on stage is me attempting to do a little
standup," he said. "I tell people they pay for the music and the jokes
are free."

Humor is something that members of Styx had, but were cautious to
show, he said.

"The thing that was never allowed to be exposed, unlike Janet
Jackson's breast, was the fact that two or three guys in the band were
very funny people," he said. "Our drummer (John Panozzo), who passed
away, was one of the funniest people I knew.

"There was always the sense that Styx was very serious, because the
music seemed serious. But as people, we weren't serious at all. We
were like the Three Stooges. People who liked the kind of music we
made, they don't want humor in that music. They didn't want Led
Zeppelin to be a laugh riot. That's not what it's about."

A DeYoung performance at the Chicago Theatre was used for as the pilot
episode of the PBS concert series "Soundstage," and DeYoung is
traveling to 22 public broadcasting markets this winter as a guest
during pledge breaks when the show is rerun. Contributions during his
performances have netted PBS stations $600,000. A live album was
released as a premium for PBS contributors, DeYoung said, and is also
available for sale at www.dennisdeyoung.com.

DeYoung has a rare post-viral symptom that makes him sensitive to
light. He said the lights are always low in his house, and he wears
sunglasses whenever he's outside. Stage lights, he said, are too far
away to affect him. He blames a three-day fever he had a few years
ago, and said it took two years for doctors to diagnose the problem.

The musician, who turns 57 next week, has several new songs in his
show and live album, and has nine or 10 ready to record some day.

In the meantime, he's enjoying his tour, which will last at least
through mid-May.

"For a middle-aged white guy, who couldn't be happier?" he said. "I've
still got a job and people want to hear me sing."

Froy, you got me going with articles - LOL Here is another one from February (an interview):

DeYoung ditches sanitation job for music
By Tim Seward, Staff writer
Business Broadband

Dennis DeYoung will perform at 8 p.m. Friday at The Mark of the Quad
Cities. Tickets are $45, $35 and $25 and are available at The Mark box
office, all Ticketmaster outlets and charge by phone, (563) 326-1111.

There's something about Dennis DeYoung that separates him from most
rock stars. It could be his self-deprecating humor (``I've been busy
working for the sanitation department,'' he says, explaining his time
away from the music biz) or his appreciation for his fans (he recalled
in a phone interview one of his shows at LeClaire Park with ease).

Or it could be his haunting falsetto voice that captivated the music
world when he was part of one of the biggest bands of the '70s and
early '80s -- Styx.

While his departure from Styx was far from amicable, he's moving on
with his career -- and not into the world of sanitation. Mr. DeYoung
is headed out on a solo tour showcasing material not only from his
days with Styx and his solo rock albums but also selections from his
Broadway material.

``The reality is they replaced me,'' Mr. DeYoung said of his former
band. ``But I'm carrying on. I'm playing all the music that I wrote
and sang while in the band. It's the songs fans want to hear -- if
they want to hear them in their entirety, they come see me.''

Mr. DeYoung has never embarked on a music tour without his Styx
bandmates by his side. It didn't occur to him to attempt one until a
friend proposed the idea.

``Tim Orchard (his agent/promoter) proposed the idea to me, and it was
impossible for me to say no,'' Mr. DeYoung said from his
Sacremento-area home. ``At first, I thought he needed to empty his
bong water, but he made me believe that there were people that wanted
to see this tour.''

In the last decade or so, Mr. DeYoung has taken a different tangent
from his rock days. He cut the soundtrack for ``The Hunchback of Notre
Dame -- A Musical'' in 1996 and the album ``10 on Broadway'' in 1994.
Mr. DeYoung has also played a few gigs with orchestras, including a
PBS special.

In an effort to best represent this music, as well as much of his
earlier material, he is including a symphony orchestra as part of his
backup band.

However, the show-tune portion of the show is pretty small compared to
the rock music from his former band. This is an effort to please the
singer's rock fan base, which has been with him since Styx began
recording in 1972.

``(The fans) have been around for so long that they are appreciative
and locked in to the vernacular of so many songs,'' Mr. DeYoung said.
``|`Mr. Roboto' is one they like to hear live, and it makes me pretty
happy to listen to so many people sing along. What else can you do
when you hear so many people scream for one of your songs?''

Styx cranked out hit record after hit record for the majority of its
career, enjoying sustained success with such classics as ``Come Sail
Away,'' ``The Best of Times'' and ``Lady'' before hitting a snag in
the mid-'80s. Creative tensions in the band erupted and after
guitarist Tommy Shaw left the fold, Mr. DeYoung severed ties with the
band.

``Well, Tommy left in '83, and I didn't aspire to carry on with
Styx,'' said Mr. DeYoung. ``It didn't feel right to go on without him
and it still be Styx. I didn't plan to go solo.''

But he did, releasing ``Desert Moon'' in 1984. It included the hits
``Don't Wait For Heroes'' and the title track. He released two more
solo records in the '80s, but he never toured to support either record.

Mr. DeYoung returned to help resurrect Styx in 1990 and the band
produced a hit, ``Show Me the Way,'' minus Mr. Shaw, who had a
commitment to the band Damn Yankees at the time.

Styx toured successfully in '91 and again in '96. Everything was
rolling well for the band that it didn't seem much could get in the way.

But a virus did.

During the recording of 1999's ``Brave New World,'' a combination of
the flu, depression (possibly brought on by the death of Mr. DeYoung's
father in '98 and the after effects of dental surgery left Mr.
DeYoung with problems with the nerves in his face. He is sensitive to
heat and light.

``The doctors still don't know why I have the problems,'' he said.
``But that's in the past. I'm completely back to abnormal.''

Mr. DeYoung finished the album but the band brought Lawrence Gowan
onboard for the tour. Mr. DeYoung's days with Styx were over.

The current incarnation of Styx still tours, and it can't help but
play some of Mr. DeYoung's songs. But according to interviews from
various sources, Styx won't play certain songs, including the
aforementioned ``Mr. Roboto.''

The Styx of today plays straight-forward rock 'n' roll while Mr.
DeYoung's group offers interludes of classical music. Does Mr. DeYoung
worry that Styx fans won't like the orchestra incorporated into the
show? Not his ``core'' fans, he says.

``Both of them seem to like it,'' Mr. DeYoung joked. ``I was worried
one of them didn't like it, but they came around.

``The fans like it. They like the configuration of Mozart and
`Lorelei' at the same time. My favorite part is getting to sit back
and just listen to the orchestra. It's great fun to listen to the
symphony. It's a good show; there's nothing like it. I'm looking
forward to this tour and coming to Moline.''

You can add this review to the list. I found this online.



Hey folks,

Last night while flipping thru the TV channels I caught the final 45 minutes
of Dennis in concert featured on my local Minneapolis/St. Paul Public TV
station. And Dennis (and Suzanne) were in the studio with the local hosts
doing the PBS fund drive. For pledging certain amounts to PBS, the station
was giving away Dennis Live DVDs, CDs, and meet-and-greet passes to his
upcoming orchestra show here in Minneapolis in October.

Have the rest of you seen this live concert? Pretty weird...it's Dennis
doing Styx songs, meshed with an orchestra playing "classical's greatest
hits" like Claire de Lune, Bolero, and other famous pieces. For me, there is
no doubt that he and Styx should be doing their own separate things.

Dennis' voice really sounds great, but I was disappointed that he barely
played keys during the show. For being such an AMAZING player, he only
played piano for the first part of "Come Sail Away." The rest of the time he
stood center stage playing air-guitar and wandering around.

There's a woman (Dennis sister-in-law, right?) on stage doing all the vocal
harmony parts, some guy with long gray hair playing all the keyboards, one
lead guitarist (who played the Styx arrangements note-for-note), a bass
player they never showed on camera, and a young-looking drummer who was very
good.

What I saw featured mostly ballads ("Don't Let it End", "Babe") and when
they tried rock songs like "Lorelei" the orchestra played most of the key
arrangement, and I felt like it lost it's edge totally. In fact, I like the
way JY sings it even better than Dennis....

The tone of the whole show was very Andrew Lloyd Webber...or Dennis Goes to
Branson, or something like that. By the end, it was almost like a family
revue...he invited his wife and daughter up on stage to sing "Come Sail
Away" and mentioned how his son was running the light show, and his daughter
has become his manager. It was like the Osmonds or Lawrence Welk or
something.

When they cut back to the local PBS studio, Dennis was leading the phone
operators in a chorus of "Come Pledge Away"....very bizarre.

It's obvious that this is the direction Dennis was hoping to take Styx all
along, and when you see where Tommy and JY have taken the band since the
split, it's easy to imagine the conflict between the parties. I think both
sides are better off now than if they had stayed together. The artistic
interests of Dennis and Styx just are not the same any more.

After seeing the PBS show, I don't know if I want to go to Dennis concert in
October. I'm a Styx fan, so I should probably go, but I don't think I'd want
to play more than $25. We'll see.

Anyway...it was interesting.

Most of us here have seen the show and have been very impressed in some form or another. Dennis doesn't do as much keyboard as he used to because he prefers to sing, however having had the pleasure of seeing him do some keying recently I can assure you his "chops" are every bit as good as they used to be. It's a shame you only saw part of the show, and please realize the show is edited to fit a certain amount of time. He does NOT perform only ballads and "Broadway" type material.

Having seen your review posted elsewhere, there are some points to clear up. His daughter is not his manager. His wife acts as his personal manager, and he has a business partner that acts as his manager. Yes, his son does do his lighting and yes, his wife appears on stage with him. His sister-in-law has been performing with him for several years and has appeared in several Styx videos and worked on solo projects with Tommy prior to a parting of the ways. She sings quite beautifully and most people enjoy her presence on stage (Yogi????). His daughter appeared on stage for this show as a favor to her father. I personally think it's rather touching.

His pledge drive appearances have been generating large amounts of money both for PBS and himself. I think it's a very good fit for both.

I do agree with you Dennis and Styx should remain separate, however, sorry, not a chance do I agree that JY sings Lorelei better these days.

Most people who do go to see Dennis in concert walk away very impressed. As for his "grey" haired keyboardist (Rick Snyder), while I very much enjoyed Rick's abilities, Rick is pursuing other ventures and has been replaced with John Blasucci a very young, extremely capable keyboardist in his own right.

Sorry you seemed disappointed. Better luck next time.

Sadie

did "ChicagoSTYX" write this review or post it from somewhere else? You seem to indicate that you saw it posted elsewhere as him. If that is the case then why would he misrepresent it is something other than his own?

If ChicagoSTYX wrote that review and is trying to pass it off as someone else who wrote it, then he must either be ashamed to take credit for it, or trying to pass it off as "objective".

Either way, I'll judge for myself. Having heard the Live CD, I have to say it sounds better than *anything* styx has done (including cyclorama and the "greatest hits of the month") since they kicked Dennis out.

Ash,

I cannot claim to know whether the person who posted this is the same person who posted it on the Styx Indra list. I can only claim I saw this same post on both sites. Nothing more, nothing less intended on my part. I merely was trying to clear up some misconceptions that were made in the post. I don't wish anyone any harm with my comments.

Peace,

Sadie

ah cool.. ok ... I just re-read my post and it sounded real "black helicopter"ish which wasn't the intent.

I saw this same post on the Styxindra group too and it was signed by Jonathan. Either ChicagoSTYX just copy and pasted it from that group or he is Jonathan and wanted to have his post on both sites.

Who knows?

JY's version of Loreli is better than Dennis's...there goes JY posting under another name again...go back to STYXworld.copout JY, pay $30 and you can talk to all the Tommy middle aged 16 magazine photo collectors over there...

I, for one, prefer JY's vocal on Lorelei. I just think his voice fits the song better. That's my opinion. I do not, for one second, consider JY the stronger vocalist (not even close).

next mb we can get him to sing Mr. Roboto.

Ash...are you trying to give me nightmares . I can barely handle him singing Lorelei. And yes, I got the irony in your comment, but please. I can't handle the shock of reading that statement. Just what did those poor robotos do to deserve that punishment anyway

Sadie

ya know.... I'd gladly voluntter to get five of my friends to re-enact the roboto dance from the video on stage at DDY's concert...

it's one of those few things you can do (with all the hand motions) that people INSTANTLY know what you're talking about - no matter how old they are.... I say dust off the roboto outfits and let us take the stage for our 1 minute of fame

next mb we can get him to sing Mr. Roboto.

Personally, I think Roboto is just crying out for those Falco lead vocals. Who knows, it might even be a bonus track on the Japanese release of Falco's Greatest Hits. It would blend in a lot better there than it does in the Styx catalog.

I heard JY is taking over the vocal chores on Suite Madame Blue
on the next leg of the tour too.........it's the "Snowblindization" of that song.....sounds too much like a ballad with Dennis on Vocals
anyways.......

anyone care to wager how long JY can hold the note on

"You conquored the world and moooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
oooooooOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOore" (Falsetto signified by caps).

I think I'd almost rather hear Styx do their rendition of JY's "Out On A Day Pass" than listen to him butcher this really good song.

Now see this is why you shouldn't be drinking anything by a keyboard when reading!!! Good heavens! Perish the thought. I don't think JY can scream that long to hold the note. While JY can sing, for the most part, I feel he most screams his material. Gahhhhh. You guys are killing me

Sadie

They would do much better to add "Eddie" to the set list (if they haven't already) because that's a GREAT song.

The only thing they could do now is change "Eddie" to "Kerry" to make it match the politics of the day. (not making a political judgement here, it's just that the song's about Ted Kennedy and Teddy's been doing a lot of campaigning for John Kerry so thats why I make the analogy). No political flames here intended.

just found this review of arch allies




This album is a little bit depressing for me. I was never one of those critics who derided the populist sensibilities of Styx and REO Speedwagon . . . in fact, I think it's far more important for a band to consistently connect with its audience than to curry favor with critics, and each of these Midwestern supergroups did that superbly in its heyday, achieving multi-platinum success in the process. And both bands are well-known for consistently delivering high-energy, entertaining live shows. Since both bands hail from Illinois, and have had uncannily parallel careers, pairing up for a concert tour seems like a great idea, and it was. This tour was a big success.

But doing a series of shows together is one thing, and doing a live album together is another. The whole idea behind 'Arch Allies' seems, to me, to be driven by commerce, rather than comraderie. If either one of these bands were playing at its peak, either one would be capable of selling plenty of copies of a live album without piggybacking sales from the other. In fact, Styx had a hugely successful comeback just a few years prior to this with the double live album 'Return To Paradise', which went Gold despite almost no promotion.

Most of the Styx songs on this collection, with the exceptions of "Brave New World", "Edge Of The Century" and "Heavy Water" (and let's face it, those songs aren't the reason you would buy this album), were featured on that album in better-recorded versions that had the extra bonus of featuring the full classic Styx lineup (minus drummer John Panozzo, who sat out the tour due to illness and died before it was complete). If you want to hear classic Styx songs recorded live in new versions, that's the album to buy.

One thing to warn you about 'Arch Allies', the Styx lineup featured here is vastly different from the familiar lineup, and in fact features only two full-time members of classic Styx. Bass player Chuck Panozzo maintains a part-time status with the band, and guests on a few tracks here, but honestly, so what? This is not a very bass-driven band, and replacing him doesn't make any audible difference in the sound to the average listener.

Unbelievably, though, the main difference is that, in the time between recording the reunion studio album 'Brave New World' and heading out on this tour, Tommy Shaw and James "JY" Young decided that since Styx founder Dennis DeYoung was too ill to tour, they would simply replace him and move on. Since DeYoung was the primary hit songwriter and lead singer of most of Styx' familiar catalogue, as well as a peerless keyboardist, replacing him makes a tremendous amount of difference.

On the Tommy Shaw songs like "Blue Collar Man", "Renegade" and "Too Much Time On My Hands", this band sounds for the most part like Styx, but even on "Fooling Yourself", written and sung by Shaw, the original recording was so dominated by Dennis DeYoung's intricate keyboard work that Shaw avoided playing it during his solo career, saying that he had a hard time finding any keyboardist who COULD play it. Although DeYoung's replacement, Lawrence Gowan, is a talented keyboardist himself, this still doesn't sound like Styx fans know it should.

As for the rest of the songs, Gowan, a huge star in his native Canada, is an expressive singer and multi-instrumentalist, and there's really nothing wrong with his performances on DeYoung's "The Grand Illusion" or "Lady", except for the undeniable fact that he's not Dennis DeYoung. As a result, these songs don't sound like Styx so much as they sound like a very talented Styx cover band. As has been noted elsewhere, it's not as if there's no talent in the current Styx lineup . . . you'd be hard-pressed to find this much individual talent in any other single band. It just isn't really Styx.

And on a final, bizarre note, "Edge Of The Century", the title song from 1991's Tommy Shaw-less partial Styx reunion, is sung here by its original author, Glen Burtnik. In 1991 Burtnik was Shaw's replacement in Styx, and in fact sang "Renegade" and other Shaw songs live on tour back then to mixed reviews. Now he's back in Styx, replacing bassist Chuck Panozzo most of the time, playing guitar the rest. He sings "Edge Of The Century" here, a song most Styx fans don't really care anything about, back in the band now with the same guy he once replaced. I almost wonder if they didn't tap Burtnik to rejoin simply because he'd been in Styx before, so that his presence might add just a little bit more legitimacy to this bastardized Styx. Now they are able to say that four out of six members are Styx members, but sincerely, if you discount part-timer Panozzo and perpetual also-ran Burtnik, it's an undeniable fact that the only real Styx members in this "Styx" are Shaw and JY.

I might have given them some grudging respect if they'd had the class to change the name of the band to something like the Shaw Young Band, and shown a willingness to be judged on the merits of what this current lineup can do, but I can't respect the decision to go out and continue to rape the Styx name and legacy against the will of its founding member. Styx without Dennis DeYoung is like the Beach Boys without Brian Wilson . . . they can go out and just replace people one-by-one, ad hoc, and keep touring and playing recycled hits on package tours every year, and eventually they'll become the same sort of sad self-parody that the Beach Boys have been for many years. They're well on their way with 'Arch Allies'. Let's hope it doesn't come to that for Styx. I'd almost like to see DeYoung win his current lawsuit against this imposter band for copyright appropriation, and put this lame horse out of our misery.

REO Speedwagon fares much better than Styx on this album. The group remains mostly intact, and honestly, lead singer Kevin Cronin has never sounded better. About the only criticism I have - and it's a big one - is that lead guitarist Gary Richrath is no longer with the band. There's nothing wrong with Dave Amato, who fills in admirably, but for those REO fans who remember the glory days of the band's breakthrough live album 'You Get What You Play For', well, these aren't them. There's plenty of good music in REO's set, but little that hasn't been recorded in better live versions elsewhere. Good, but not essential listening by any means.

The craziest thing of all about this very strange record is that each band joins the other for a version of a classic hit. There is a Styx version of "Blue Collar Man", and then a version in which Styx is joined by REO. There is an REO version of "Ridin' The Storm Out", and then a version in which they are joined by Styx. Now, this was probably very exciting live, in the heat of the moment, to see unfold in front of you, but to hear played back on an album it's just a waste of time. How many versions of the same (already repackagd) hits do you need in one place? It's just a stupid idea whose time has apparently come with 'Arch Allies'.

To sum it all up, I'll quote Styx guitarist James "JY" Young, who rather haughtily defended the "new Styx" by saying, "There's no deodorant like success." To which I reply, "And nothing stinks like the flop sweat of public desperation."

'Arch Allies' is covered in that horrible stench.

Kind of sums up what a lot of us have been saying...that guy did not sound like a die hard DDY fan either...

Moline/Quad Cities Review:

Rock show precisely orchestrated

Ever wear a tux and a bandanna at the same time? You could have Thursday night at The Mark of the Quad Cities and fit the dress code perfectly.

Former Styx front man Dennis DeYoung performed a mix of classical music, hard rock and power ballads for nearly 4,000 fans.

He was accompanied by "The Quad-Cities Festival Orchestra," a backing rock band and background singers. They meshed very well, playing with incredibly tight precision throughout the two-set show. It was a treat to see the musical formats co-exist on one stage.

The idea isn't exactly original (meager attempts by KISS, Aerosmith and
Metallica come to mind), but DeYoung's incredible vocal range was a perfect fit with the orchestra. And he picked the right music to showcase it.

He led the show with "Grand Illusion," a perfect choice to prep the crowd for the orchestra.

The show's highlights were "Loralei," "Desert Moon," "Castle Walls" and "Mr. Roboto"---which the current incarnation of Styx refuses to play. The orchestra used strings to perform the original's computerized voice-over, giving it a fresh twist.

"Loralei" seemed like the crowd favorite from the first set. The orchestra
kicked off the intro and laid back for the power chorus and guitar work later in the song.

"Desert Moon" may be one of the most underrated songs form the 1980s. The ballad of unrequited love is a strong example of song-writing and
musicianship---even better experienced live.

DeYoung went to the Styx vault for "Castle Walls," a song never performed live by his former bandmates. It's dark sound was a perfect choice to add to the playlist.

The orchestra got to stretch out with a trio of classical songs from DeYoung's "Hunchback of Notre Dame" disc. The best of the group was "With Every Heartbeat," performed by Mr. DeYoung, Dawn Marie and Mike Eldred.

Part of DeYoung's showmanship is his humor, establishing a strong rapport with the crowd.

"I was once in a band called...Styx," he said. " How many of you have not seen me with them?" he teased the audience. So where the hell have you been? Were you waiting for me to drop dead?"

At one point, the spotlight on DeYoung briefly shut off. He told the audience his son was running the lights, and called out "Go to your room....you're out of the will."

DeYoung wrapped up the two-hour plus show with a rousing rendition of the Styx classic "Come Sail Away."


Nice review IMHO.

Bugsy

A very nice review. It seems Dennis is getting some good reviews. It's nice to see that, after a very rough period, he has landed on his feet.

Thanks for sharing,

Sadie

It's nice to see that, after a very rough period, he has landed on his feet.

With great balance and class.

kiddo

Thanks for posting the review Bugsy, you beat me to it

Ah, only to hear & see "Castle Walls" played live again...... I guess I'll have to wait until the New York show.

Is anybody going to Fort Wayne this Saturday?