Styx in Texas - Review

[SuiteMadameBlue]

Did anyone see Styx in Texas this past weekend? Was it that disappointing like in this article or was it because this reporter wasn't a Styx fan?

Posted on Sun, May. 16, 2004

Peter Frampton still has crowd loving his way

By Stefan Stevenson

Star-Telegram Staff Writer


DALLAS - Frampton comes alive ... again.

OK, that may sound cheesy, or cliche, but Friday night at Smirnoff Music Centre, Peter Frampton's performance before 8,335 proved that classic rock artists whose careers peaked in the 1970s don't have to affect rock-star poses and coast on style-over-substance nonsense.

Frampton turned classic rock into classy rock during his 1 1/2-hour set preceding Styx, which we'll get to later.

Although he's far removed from 1976 -- when he was the biggest thing in the rock world and a 16 magazine pinup boy -- he can still rip through a guitar solo with delight in his face. His blond mane has thinned to a mature buzz cut, and the jumpsuit he used to wear on stage has been replaced with a conservative, button-down shirt and slacks.

That wouldn't amount to squat if his music hadn't grown with him. It has.

He played the hits -- Baby, I Love Your Way, Show Me the Way and (I'll Give You) Money, which sounded better than ever with that ominous bass line. But he was also impressive on some new songs, including Not Forgotten and I Need Ground from the album Now, which sounded as good, if not better, than the hits everyone sang along to.

Do You Feel Like We Do, which stretched 13 minutes, contained those moments that classic rock radio has been spotlighting for nearly three decades -- the electronically modulated voice-box device and the huge guitar solo that closes out the song.

He closed with The Beatles' While My Guitar Gently Weeps, which was written by the late George Harrison and included Eric Clapton on lead guitar. It was a classy, sentimental nod to two guitar heroes. By the end of his set, you expected nothing less.

Styx -- sans Dennis DeYoung -- followed and seemed silly in comparison with Frampton. Tommy Shaw and James Young, along with newer bandmates, posed like superheroes as they appeared, in silhouette, on a ramp at the back of the stage before busting into Blue Collar Man.

Whether it was Shaw's Townsendlike windmill, DeYoung replacement Lawrence Gowan's antics with a revolving keyboard or drummer Todd Sucherman's enormous set of drums (seriously, two bass drums?), it was straight out of Spinal Tap. And the sound was muddled and too bass-heavy to boot.

An ill-advised medley lumped a selection of '70s and early '80s hits, including Mr. Roboto, into a laborious hodgepodge of melodies and snippets of lyrics from 18 different songs. As soon as you recognized a song, it had morphed into a different one.

Plenty of faithful Styx fans sang along to every word and ate up the histrionics, but even some of them seemed confused during the medley.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stefan Stevenson, (817) 390-7341 sstevenson@star-telegram.com


http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/entertainmen ... 179.htm?1c

[GaryS]

You know... a good critic will write a review based on the audience reaction and not on his own opinion. The band is playing to the audience that is present... the fans. They are not playing to some "almost as bitter as JY" critic. The critics have ALWAYS slammed Styx. I am sure that the show was great.

[bugsymalone]

Styx has never been the critics' favorite, that is for sure. Sounds like this guy was no exception.

I notice he made sure to mention Dennis was not a part of it. Just an observation.......

Bugsy

[Ash]

Spinal Tap... LOL

I could see JY up there singing "Big Bottom"

"Big bottom
Big bottom
Talk about mudflaps
My gal's got 'em
Big bottom, drive me out of my mind
How can I leave this behind?

My baby fits me like a flesh tuxedo
I like to sink her with my pink torpedo"

[froy]

Styx -- sans Dennis DeYoung -- followed and seemed silly in comparison with Frampton. Tommy Shaw and James Young, along with newer bandmates, posed like superheroes as they appeared, in silhouette, on a ramp at the back of the stage before busting into Blue Collar Man.

Whether it was Shaw's Townsendlike windmill, DeYoung replacement Lawrence Gowan's antics with a revolving keyboard or drummer Todd Sucherman's enormous set of drums (seriously, two bass drums?), it was straight out of Spinal Tap. And the sound was muddled and too bass-heavy to boot.

An ill-advised medley lumped a selection of '70s and early '80s hits, including Mr. Roboto, into a laborious hodgepodge of melodies and snippets of lyrics from 18 different songs. As soon as you recognized a song, it had morphed into a different one.

Plenty of faithful Styx fans sang along to every word and ate up the histrionics, but even some of them seemed confused during the medley.


AND CONFUSED THEY SHOULD BE
FACT IS ONLY THE TICKET SAY'S STYX BUT THE GUYS ON STAGE ARE A MISS MASH OF IDIOTS .
I GUESS LARRY GOWAN IS STILL SPINING THE PIANO AROUND YEAR AFTER YEAR NO NEW IDEAS FROM THE FILLIN ENABLER.
BUT THEY DON'T CARE THEY JUST WANT THERE 5000 DOLLAR PAY CHECK AND ON TO THE NEXT TOWN OF FOLLOWERS AND ANTHER HELLO FRIENDS WE PLAYED TO A PACKED HOUSE LAST NIGHT SCAM.
THE REAL STYX FANS KNOW WHO THE REAL STYX IS AND SADLY THEY WON'T BE COMMING BACK DUE TO STUPIDITY AND SPITE .
BUT THAT'S OK THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US AND WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stefan Stevenson, (817) 390-7341 sstevenson@star-telegram.com


http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/entertainmen ... 179.htm?1c[/quote]

[journeyonsistah]

I saw this show and it totally ROCKED.....I am now a converted Ricky lover!
Of course, front row center didn't hurt!

[styxfanNH]

AND CONFUSED THEY SHOULD BE
FACT IS ONLY THE TICKET SAY'S STYX BUT THE GUYS ON STAGE ARE A MISS MASH OF IDIOTS .
I GUESS LARRY GOWAN IS STILL SPINING THE PIANO AROUND YEAR AFTER YEAR NO NEW IDEAS FROM THE FILLIN ENABLER.
BUT THEY DON'T CARE THEY JUST WANT THERE 5000 DOLLAR PAY CHECK AND ON TO THE NEXT TOWN OF FOLLOWERS AND ANTHER HELLO FRIENDS WE PLAYED TO A PACKED HOUSE LAST NIGHT SCAM.
THE REAL STYX FANS KNOW WHO THE REAL STYX IS AND SADLY THEY WON'T BE COMMING BACK DUE TO STUPIDITY AND SPITE .
BUT THAT'S OK THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US AND WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THEM

Isn't that typical Froy, If you don't care about this line up, why bother wasting your energy trashing them. DDy has come to terms with it, why can't you? Do you waste all your energy trashing other bands like Journey, Yes, Pink Floyd, Kiss and the like for key members carrying the name and continuing to play to audiences without the original lineup.

Ironically, I thought it was the deaths of JC and John Panozzo that prevents the original lineup from reuniting? But you probably don't consider them original members either. Or is any lineup that only includes Dennis a viable band?