Why Styx Without Dennis DeYoung Hurts Some Of Us More Than Others
If you were more negative towards Dennis DeYoung when the band was at their peak, you're more likely to defend the current incarnation of Styx. They've definitely tried to put more of an edge to their music, and even the one replacing Dennis, Lawrence Gowan, has more of an edge to him than Dennis. If you like that image (Larry has a spinning keyboard), you're probably into it.
I didn't really get the covers album (Big Bang Theory) that they did after Dennis was ousted. It took their third effort, The Mission, for me to appreciate this band as it is now. Even their most recent album doesn't really do it for me. It's like Styx trying to be somebody else. I suppose my opinion might offend some fans. They would say, "Dennis is gone.This is the band as they are now." They're not wrong to say that.
I got to see this band reunite for the Return To Paradise Theater Tour. It was my first time. Sadly, John Panozzo was unable to make the tour due to being ill, and he passed away that year. We'll never get a full reunion of this band as a result. However, the three principle singers/writers in this band, Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw and James Young, are still very much alive.
The fact that JY and Tommy still continue to throwing shade at Dennis is heartbreaking to see. Just leave it at "we don't like the guy and we never want to tour with him again." Be brutally honest. Hack, put it on your website and put it in bold letters. It's a damn shame that it has to be that way, but it is what it is.
Since Dennis has a nice band himself, people can go watch his version of the Styx experience and be taken back in time to the glory days. That's exactly what he's aiming for, so much so that he brought in August Zadra to do the Tommy Shaw stuff. In fact, I think August does justice to Tommy.
Those of us who are Dennis fans might say, "Screw the band. He doesn't need them." I get that mentality. However, since Dennis has expressed an interest in one more tour with Styx, some of us would like to see it happen again. Just one more tour.
Let's face it, they're years away from their big success. The only advantage Dennis brings to the band is they might sell more tickets and be able to play bigger venues, but that's a good reason to do it. New hits aren't needed for a new album as that's not where the music industry is these days Then, you have to figure out the pay for the members, but something tells me Dennis wouldn't be a problem here.
Once dates were negotiated, I think it would be time to go tour. I doubt Dennis would commit to a huge tour, but I bet he would honor every date he booked with these guys and give everybody his best effort.
Why does it bother some of us so much, but not others? Dennis brought an optimism to his lyrics. There's a hope that, even though the times might not be so good, things are going to get better. You associate the band with that. So when they're singing optimism and hope and basically a positive message overall, it's hard to wrap your head around the fact that these guys don't get along.
We want to see these three guys together while they're still able to do it. Tommy still sounds amazing and so does Dennis. JY wasn't known for his vocals, but he can do what he does quite well. I'm not saying Chuck or John are easily replaceable, but you can get fill ins and people would be okay with that. Todd Sucherman is an excellent drummer Plus, Chuck could still show up as he does occasionally.
We're saddened because we associate their music with them in such a way that when we see they're not getting along, it puts a little bit of a dark cloud over the legacy of the band. I'm not saying it ruins them by any stretch of the imagination. It just makes you realize that all was not what it seemed.
Dennis just wants to do this for the fans because he knows there's a rift in the fan base. The others don't really care what Dennis thinks. They are so wrapped up in what it is they're doing now that they don't see the positivity that a brief reunion could bring. Even if it was just 20 or so dates where they had to be together, spread across the United States, it would draw attention to the band.
They could all come out publicly and bury the hatchet once and for all. They could put together a live DVD release. At the very end, the three can hug on stage as Dennis and the band go their separate ways. Then, the band goes on being who they are, but fans who are hurt by the rift now see that it's all in the past.
In this day and age, there's so much negativity in the world. Maybe the band doesn't see what a reunion might mean to some of us, but every little bit of positivity helps. Those of us who mourn what once was have a harder time. We'd like to see our music heroes getting along. But sadly, what we see from them is all too typical of the world as it is now. At least we have the memories from when we thought everything was okay.
