Well, first of all - the split between Dennis De Young and Styx must be addressed. He was a major part of the band in their “glory days” which simply cannot be dismissed, as much as the latter-day version of the group would like us to believe. Not that I was ever the biggest fan of crap like “Mr. Roboto,” but it is a little infuriating that the group were unable to put aside their differences for an event like this.
The event in question is something which is becoming very popular with classic rock bands. Instead of playing a set comprised of mostly older hits, interspersed with new (usually bathroom-break) tunes, they simply go out and play the full albums of what we all came to see in the first place. Rush were highly successful with this idea in 2010 with their tour incorporating the full Moving Pictures LP. The year before, I took my son to see Motley Crue play all of Dr. Feel Good - (plus other classics). It is a smart move on a band’s part - and without question, the audiences love it.
I’ll get my bitching out of the way quickly, and move on into the concert itself. But there is no denying that Dennis De Young should have been a part of this show. Styx’s The Grand Illusion and Pieces of Eight remain the group’s most respected albums. Yet how screwed-up is it when the very first song, which was the very first song on The Grand Illusion is De Young’s title track?
I know people accept nostalgia acts without all of the original members, and evidently only two of the original (or “classic”) members are present - these being Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.“ Young. But in this case it just seems that for all of the money involved - and a DVD being made, that somehow the members could have found a way to include De Young.
Ok, having said all that - I did find a lot to enjoy in this DVD. I must admit that even though I actually owned both records back in the late seventies, I never saw them in concert. Not that they were that much of a “guilty pleasure” at the time, it’s just that as a broke high school kid I never felt strongly enough about them to actually do the necessary work to get to the concert(s).
Article comments
1 - Dr. Jimmy
You should've mentioned how badly Dennis DeYoung is missing.
2 - rock fan
Just received our Grand Illusion / Pieces of Eight LIVE DVD. Blu-ray is "amazingly" crisp and clear. STYX performs the two iconic albums back to back and in order of the record. I have never seen anything like it. The production was a spectacle! The music sounded was just as great as it did and exactly as I remember it in 1977 and 1978. I enjoyed everything about it. Tommy Shaw, JY and Chuck looked great. Todd, Ricky and Lawrence Gowan are likely the best sounding and most active touring band in the country today. I loved the "bonus" features....Putting on the Show! Particularly enjoyed the guitar techs talking about the behind the scenes activities pre-show. Getting an up-close look at the instruments and guitars used by each of these iconic rock legends was like having a personal back-stage pass to a STYX concert. James (JY) Young plays this cool carved strat on songs: "I'm OK and Sing for the Day." What an awesome axe! It was featured on the bonus segment as well. Tommy Shaw has about 10 guitar changes and Ricky plays some wild 5 string basses too. All in all the one of the best LIVE concerts I have ever seen. A must have for STYX fans!