Live In Los Angeles
| ~ Dennis DeYoung ~ |
It has been eleven years since the Soundstage CD/DVD that we have seen a live recording from Dennis DeYoung featuring the music of Styx. The Soundstage performance featured Dennis and his band with a live orchestra and included selections spanning his entire career including songs from Styx, his solo career and the play "Hunchback of Notre Dame", but this CD/DVD brings the chart topping music of Styx with solo career stand out Desert Moon featuring just his current band. This is very different performance than the last time we heard from Dennis live and shows he can still rock with the best of them.
Recorded at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, Dennis Deyoung performs a collection of Styx songs that brought them to the rock and pop charts. Deyoung has assembled a group of talented musicians in his current band that deliver the classic Styx sound circa 1981. With this band, Dennis has the ability to be the frontman that can travel the stage or be behind the keys when needed. John Blassuci takes the lead and backup keyboarding duties and provides the synthesized robot voice for Mr. Roboto, Jimmy Leahey and August Zadra provide the dual guitar work with Leahey featured on electric and acoustic and Zadra doing double duty on electric guitars and lead vocals. Craig Carter on bass and Tom Sharpe on drums provide the rhythm section with Suzanne DeYoung rounding out the vocals.
There are three different presentations of this performance with each providing a different representation of the same show. I only mention this because each version can color how you view the recording based on its medium. The AXS cable concert footage was shown on AXS cable as part of their Headliners Club series. It is more of a 52 minute short of the overall perfomance and resembles more of a a greatest hits package. The DVD and Blu-ray give a great representation of what it is like to attend a Dennis Deyoung and the Music of Styx show, complete with jokes and crowd interaction. The CD will give you the entire concert as it was performed live including "Rockin' The Paradise" which was left off the DVD/Blu-ray and AXS cable showing.
As you watch and/or listen to the performance you will notice how well Dennis' voice has held up with that signature voice of his. He is in great vocal form throughout the show as he brings you back to the way you originally heard the songs. August Zadra shows you why Dennis has selected him to handle the hits that were penned and orignally sung by Tommy Shaw. August has made these his own, while paying great respect to the way they were originally recorded by Shaw. The harmonies of all members are what you would expect from a Styx performance and the band doesn't disappoint vocally or musically. This is clearly a band that enjoys playing together and comes through especially when watching the video. Kudos also go to Dennis in the final mix for including the audience audio. A subtle but often forgotten component to any live performance recording.
The set list is a hit laden collection that includes hit after hit from the Styx catalog beginning with Grand Illusion and ending with Come Sail Away. If you listened to the radio in the 1970s an 1980s, then you will know the words to virtually every song included with this recording. The addition of Zadra allows a better representation of the Styx catalog than Dennis was previously provided with his prior band and is a welcomed addition. It is a collection of songs that brought Styx into the main stream and into the hearts of its fans. After listening to the entire performance, there is hardly an "I wish he played..." song missing. Sure, there are lots of personal favorites that come from the deeper Styx catalog that a fan may wish was played, but at the end of the day you don't feel disappointed that it wasn't.
Stand out songs are "Suite Madame Blue" and hearing Dennis hold "that note" for what seems like eternity and "Mr. Roboto" - the song that was never meant to be a single and still transcends pop culture more than 30 years later and "Rockin' the Paradise" because he still rocks this one out of the park. "Don't Let it End" with Jimmy Leahey on acoustic guitar is just beautiful take on the original as is Jimmy's solo on "Desert Moon. But, for those that have never seen the show live for themselves, it is the emergence of August Zadra singing "Crystal Ball" and "Renegade" that brings out what was missing from previous solo line-ups. Disappointment comes with whatever happened that caused "Rockin' The Paradise" not to make the video.
Dennis shows he can still rock with the best of them. The band allows him to get out from behind his keyboards and interact with the audience while still being able to get behind them and play while August sings lead or for a signature DeYoung riff. Dennis doesn't just sing the songs, he and his band own them throughout the performance.
Dennis Deyoung and the Music of Styx - Live from Los Angeles will bring people back to their high school years. The songs are as relevant today as they were when they were originally recorded. If you are a fan of Dennis and/or a fan of Styx, this is a must have for your CD/DVD collection. You will listen to it time and again and you won't be disappointed.
Mark Lew
Styxtoury.com
| Disc 1 | Chart Pos |
Original Album | CD | DVD | AXS |
| The Grand Illusion | - | Grand Illusion | x | x | x |
| Lady | 6+ | Styx II | x | x | x |
| Lorelei | 27* | Equinox | x | x | x |
| Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) | 21* | Pieces of Eight | x | x | |
| Show Me The Way | 3# | Edge of the Century | x | x | |
| Mr. Roboto | 3* | Kilroy Was Here | x | x | x |
| Crystal Ball | - | Crystal Ball | x | x | |
| Don't Let It End | 6* | Kilroy Was Here | x | x | |
| Too Much Time On My Hands | 9* | Paradise Theater | x | x | |
| Disc 2 | |||||
| Rockin' The Paradise | 8^ | Paradise Theater | x | ||
| Desert Moon | 10# | Desert Moon | x | x | |
| Babe | 1# | Cornerstone | x | x | x |
| Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man) | 29# | Grand Illusion | x | x | |
| Suite Madame Blue | - | Equinox | x | x | x |
| The Best of Times | 3* | Paradise Theater | x | x | x |
| Renegade | 16* | Pieces of Eight | x | x | x |
| Come Sail Away | 8# | Grand Illusion | x | x | x |
CHARTS: |