Date
  Title
  Another fine day...
  Thank you..
  Dream Weekend
  Opening Night
  Vegas Baby!
  REO ROCKS!
  Thank you, Survivor...
  On the road--OFFICIALLY!
  The Today Show Odyssey
  Another Day in the Life
  Last night at Pine Knob...
  The Day After Springfield, MO
  Morning in Minnesota...
  Land spreading out so far and wide...
  Pursuing perfection in the prairie...
  Thinkin' of Lincoln
  On the road...
  Smiles, Hemlock and Magic...
  Psyche Delicacies...
  Roll Them Bones...
  The road to 47...
  Helplessly Hopped...
  Laughing at land mines
  Happy, nappy people...
  Delawareness
  Jumpin' & Jivin' in Jersey Baby...
  Another day in STYX...
  Konocti to Canada...
  Benjamin Orr...
  North Bay newcomers...
  North Bay to Quebec City...
  A rite of passage...
  Train kept a'rollin'...
  That voodoo that we do...
  Day off in Munich...
  Last day in Germany
  London today, LA tomorrow ...
  Looking at you from Lowell
     

10/13/00 - North Bay newcomers...

Hello friends,

I am writing to you from my hotel room in North Bay, Ontario. We drove here after last night's show in Kitchener. I can't believe it, but this was this band's return visit there! After 181 shows with the new members, we are coming full circle here.

Last night in Kitchener we played in a gorgeous theater, with almost perfect acoustics. Because it was a little more intimate than arenas and other general admission shows, we broke it down mid show and played the acoustic set, which really sounded pristine. After not doing it for a while it felt brand new again.

Just as we were about to take the stage, we were warming up backstage and Lawrence jokingly broke into a ragtime version of "Everything is Cool" and everyone instantly began to sing it that way. It sounded so strange, yet cool that as we were walking to the stage we decided to do it when we got into the show. So, just before "Lady," where Lawrence plays a smoking piano instrumental, he ended that with the ragtime we had just been playing around with. What a treat! To me, this is what makes a live show electric--mixing the well rehearsed with the spontaneous.

Driving up from Toronto yesterday we were once again glued to the windows, being treated to the natural color extravaganza of the season, this time narrated by Bob Roper, our Canadian partner who took the ride with us. What a perfect time to be here.

Have you ever noticed the things we wear in our ears? In case you wondered what these contraptions are (you must have noticed singers on stage with their ears plugged up with plastic things that had wires running from them--no they are not hearing aids!). These are our monitors. They are connected to wireless transmitters clipped to our belts. The wires run down our backs inside our clothes, and that lump you see on our left hip is the transmitter. When you see us reaching around and fiddling with it, we are adjusting the volume control. You probably also noticed we don't have cables connected to our guitars any more either. We are walking, talking transmitters!

Yesterday, audiologist, Doctor Brenda came to the show to create a new set of ear molds for me and Gary Loizzo, our sound engineer. This entails an initial ear exam, then stuffing a tiny tampon-like piece of sponge into your ear canal as far as you can bear it, and the string hangs out, so that when the gooey silicone is injected, there is something there to stop it from coming out the other side ;-) and something to help pull it out when the silicone impression solidifies. In order to create an airtight impression (when you sing, and smile your ears change shape ever so slightly, and when you are using these monitors it is important not to have any ambient leakage to confuse you on the acoustical aspects so that you have fewer problems finding pitch), I had to sit there smiling as wide as I could for as long as it took to let the silicone set. Everyone in the band and crew had a good laugh at my expense as they all seemed to find a reason to walk by and look in to the dressing room where I sat with my ears filled with pink rubber, and a crazed, Jack-Nicholson-as-the-Joker smile on my face. But Doctor Brenda was a real pro and made sure we got what we needed to have new monitors made for me before we take off for Europe next week.

Aren't you happy I shared that with you? Oh, the sacrifices we make for you...

We are in a new town tonight. Never played here, and there is always something exciting about that. There will be first time fans here tonight and we love being here for them. This is what our mission is all about. To bring STYX to the world.

By now you may have heard or read about a lawsuit being filed against us by Dennis DeYoung. Don't be alarmed. This is something we will endure in order to continue to bring STYX to your town. It is unfortunate that it has to be aired in public, but that's okay too. We have no hard feelings. I suppose it is pretty juicy news, so enjoy that part of it. You probably will hear more as time goes on.

As someone once said, "There is no such thing as bad publicity!"

See you in North Bay tonight!

© 2000 STYX and ArtSite Design. All original photos in site design by MARK WEISS/ANGLES

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