I'm going to help Tommy out and correct parts of his note to the fans of Carrot Styx
1.
We go way back with the Utah fans, they being the first to give our song "Lady" its due before anyone else on the planet back in 1973.
Sorry Tommy, it wasn't YOUR song. You weren't in the band yet
2.
Kevin Kronin
If you're going to mention a "peer" in the industry, please spell his name correct it's Kevin Cronin
3.
It's take-no-prisoners, screw-the-radio-consultants and rock-the-house REO and it ROCKS!
Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, I sense that you are angry at the radio consultants!! Please Tommy, relax, take it easy. Tommy, you guys might need them for the next cd you're planning to come out in 2007.
4.
We're in Boise this morning and I couldn't sleep
Tommy, good job, you got the city correct!! Way to go. But Tommy, here we go again with the sleep issue. I think you really need to catch up on that sleep, I'm getting worried.
5.
I guess I was less awake than I realized.
Tommy, here's where I'm concerned, you keep mentioning about being less awake - please get some sleep.
6.
We've almost come full circle, but now with the rare opportunity of doing it with the advantage of calling upon our experiences to help us keep things out of the ditches and in the fast lane with less of the inmates running the asylum vibe going down the way it was back in the day.
Tommy, you kind of lost me here!! I don't know what the hell you're talking about. I think I need to catch up on sleep to figure this one out, you're babbling more than I do on this board
7.
There will be more fund raising going on as well as other special items as we go along between now and Thanksgiving Day
You mean to tell me that you're still going to be touring through Thanksgiving Day?
Hello Friends,
If you were in Salt Lake City last night you witnessed one of those rare concerts with our friends REO Speedwagon. First of all it was under one of the clearest skies we've seen all summer and the crowd was warmed up like my '64 1/2 Mustang after a good stomp up the 101 and back before we even took the stage. We go way back with the Utah fans, they being the first to give our song "Lady" its due before anyone else on the planet back in 1973. Still, to look out and see so many fans whose parents where their age in 1973, out there up front, singing the words to every song as well as the hard core old school fans as far as the eye could see, it was once again reassuring that what we're doing out on the road is coming across to STYX fans everywhere to this day. I recall seeing Al Pacino on Broadway in David Mamet's "American Buffalo" many moons ago and when he took his bow I thought I caught him looking up to see the audience to see how he did with his own eyes. No matter who you are, you're only as good as your current performances and if you ever take your audience for granted, you'd better be prepared to say good-bye to them as they move on.
Earlier in the day we got word that Kevin Kronin had invited Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. join them in their encore and invited us to stick around and join in as they jammed on Johnny B. Goode. With the passing of our friend Johnnie Johnson, co-writer and inspiration for Chuck Berry's legendary track still fresh in our hearts, we made arrangements to get to Boise a few hours later and stuck around. It was REO's turn to close last night and by staying we heard their entire set. They were on fire last night, mixing their classics with a taste of some new songs they are in the process of recording for a new CD sometime in the near future. I've heard these a few times now and this new material reminds me of the band that did one of my favorites, "Golden Country." It's take-no-prisoners, screw-the-radio-consultants and rock-the-house REO and it ROCKS! By the end the fans were chanting R-E-O, R-E-O, R-E-O and when our entire band took the stage with the Utah's governor in tow, it bumped up another notch as we jammed on "J.B.G." It was one of those rare moments you can't really try to replicate. You just had to be there. Hats off to REO and all of my band mates for turning that song that's been played a million times by just as many bands into something that in my humble opinion transcended all those who came before us. I know Johnnie Johnson was looking down from heaven and smiling that smile of his we all know and love. And as a post script I have to say that as we were walking out to into the spotlights, Governor Huntsman leaned in to me and called out the changes just to be sure he had it right. He was spot on and I mentioned to him to give it plenty of those 16th note fifths the way Johnnie Johnson did and he'd be fine. Last minute notes are always a good thing and this reminded me that the Governor is no stranger to the stage either. He didn't over do it, didn't do an Al Gore or anything like that. He was quite smooth, in fact I'd say he was downright cool. Darn good jamming, Governor Huntsman, you rocked.
We're in Boise this morning and I couldn't sleep, still buzzed from last night, so I got up, found the local Starbucks and used on of my birthday cards to buy myself a grande vanilla cappuccino. On my way I'd seen some teamsters standing by a loading dock who were giving me a look as I walked by. I thought "well, they must be able to see that I'm not from around here or something..." but on the way back I realized that they were the stage hands who were unloading OUR gear into the venue! I guess I was less awake than I realized. As Napoleon Dynamite would exclaim, "Ugh...IDIOT!!!" I then saw Neil, REO's sound engineer coming up from the loading entrance. We stood there for about twenty minutes discussing the current states of both bands and our band mates ears must have been ringing. It is a thrill to be a part of such positive experiences considering that we are so far of the mainstream radar that we are actually alternative now. We've almost come full circle, but now with the rare opportunity of doing it with the advantage of calling upon our experiences to help us keep things out of the ditches and in the fast lane with less of the inmates running the asylum vibe going down the way it was back in the day.
I then ran into Casey, our merchandiser, and he and I found our way to the crew breakfast and joined REO's merch guy (Terry?) for a nice catered meal. It's been a long time since I got there around the same time as our crew.
Casey told me we raised over $1100.00 last night with sales of our special edition signed 8X10 photo of the band which was actually taken in one of the old cemeteries in New Orleans while we were there shooting the "I Am The Walrus" video a while back. Concert promoters as well as building managers are all waiving their percentages for this item and 100 per cent of these funds will go to Hurricane relief through our registered "Rock to the Rescue" charitable foundation. There will be more fund raising going on as well as other special items as we go along between now and Thanksgiving Day, and we appreciate the support you've shown for this worthy cause.
Okay, enough for now. See you at the show...
T Shaw
I obviously did this one on purpose. I wasn't 