In just about an hour or so I’m off to Red Rocks for a Styx / Boston concert. Of course, DeYoung’s absence will turn the the Styx set into the rock equivalent of going over the house of a recently divorced friend and feeling kind of awkward that his hot shrew of an ex-wife isn’t around anymore, making that plate of Saltines and cubed American cheese he’s set out as an “appetizer” both sad and incredibly poignant — while the Boston portion of the show will be performed by not a single member of the original band. In fact, I think the name Boston has been taken over by veteran Christian rockers, which will give tonight’s version of “A Man I’ll Never Be” the kind of interpretive freight I’m not sure belongs in an outdoor amphitheater where thousands of 40 and 50 somethings will be sneaking puffs off lose joints and getting shitfaced on the blood of Christ (albeit in carbonated, pomegranate-flavored form).
Still, if one good thing is to come out of tonight’s proceedings, it’s this: should Tommy Shaw suddenly drop dead onstage in the middle of “Boat on the River,” likely very few people in the crowd will rise up and applaud his death, then launch into fantasies about his being ass-raped by the neck of Beelzebub’s custom Fender Stratocaster.
So I got that going for me.
Domo origato!
Awesome! All that’s missing from the lineup is Blue Oyster Cult.
“…likely very few people in the crowd will rise up and applaud his death, then launch into fantasies about his being ass-raped by the neck of Beelzebub’s custom Fender Stratocaster.”
You’re probably right, Jeff. Unless of course there are people in the crowd who REALLY hated Damn Yankees.
If I asked you what you meant, would I still have rights to tell you what you meant?
What, no REO Speedwagon?
What? No Peter Frampton?
Domo origato indeed.
Wow. Styx with its best singer gone, Boston with ALL of its members gone.
I hope those tickets came free in a box of Cocoa Puffs…
You clearly have too much (clap clap) time on your hands.
cjd, fun fact about Blue Oyster Cult:
although it hasn’t been updated anytime recently, BOC’s website includes a link to NRO Online.
And, Emerson, Lake and Palmer! Welcome back, my friends, to the show that never ends!
I like Tommy Shaw. And even if we get karaoke versions of the DeYoung stuff, that’s cool. I missed seeing them when I was younger. May as well cross this one of life’s to-do list, as well.
>Styx / Boston
I expect a full concert review, complete with small anecdotal observations and vignettes of events throughout the evening.
Or just let me know if Boston plays Don’t Look Back. I don’t think they have the balls to bust it out.
Smokin’ to Smokin’ just like back in the day.
Man, driving back from upper Michigan I noticed that the Stone Temple Pilots were playing at the Indian Casino next week or so, and I thought to myself how do “has-beens” keep it going? STP doesn’t even have its front man. How can “Sour Girl” be the same w/o Scott?
Man, driving back from upper Michigan I noticed that the Stone Temple Pilots were playing at the Indian Casino next week or so, and I thought to myself how do “has-beens†keep it going? STP doesn’t even have its front man. How can “Sour Girl†be the same w/o Scott?
They prolly found a new heroin addict! Didn’t Scott move on to Velvet Revolver?
Weiland got kicked out of/left Velvet Revolver, presumably for drug-related reasons. I’m hoping all involved do the right thing and arrange a GnR reunion tour, but given the raw crazy of Axl I’m not holding my breath.
JeffG
I always thought Tommy Shaw was the best of Styx. I’ve seen them both w/DeYoung and without. And IMHO they survive without DeYoung but there’d be no Styx without Shaw.
Last time they were all together was in 1996 (minus John Panozzo who had just died) and I saw them that August at Universal Amphitheatre (Los Angeles).
But I still enjoyed seeing the band with just JY and Tommy when they played at House of Blues on Sunset Blvd and at The Grove in Anaheim.
Good times.
Carin
Lionel Richie
Right out of college, some friends and I used to make a point of seeing the has-beens at the outdoor concert tours. Mostly ’cause it was just fun to see a concert on a lawn, and not exactly have to fight the crowds, iykwimaithyd.
At my old age (40, cringe) there are only a few bands I would battle the crowds to see:
Tragically Hip
Tool
Queens of the Stone Age
Actually, Weiland’s back with STP, though reprotedly not sounding all that good.
‘Round these parts, Styx and REO are local bands, so I tired of them before most, I suspect.
Also, if GnR ever puts out Chinese Democracy, Dr. Pepper has promised us all a free can of soda.
Though Cheap Trick was really good when I saw them a few years ago. Zander has lost only a bit of his range.
Hey, Jeff.
These old rockers SELL their band names for cash. Some of the 50s – 60s black groups have two or three different bands touring at the same time. It’s pretty much horseshit, for the most part.
My friend from Wishbone Ash has spent thirty years busting his butt to keep the band going (they are a “cult” band in Europe), but about two years ago the original bass player decided to use the name and go touring with a different band that’s about half as good as the one that Andy has.
And not a damn thing Andy can do about it.
And BTW, although they don’t tour much in the states, if you have a chance, go see them. They are smokin’ hot!
Darleen beat me to it. DeYoung was the reason Styx was doing those treacly power-pop ballads. Good riddance. At least Tommy Shaw is a rocker.
Styx, huh?
Wipe your chin if you have something with mayonaise, and you make sure to say hello to that Adam Sandler.
Such a nice boy.
Perfesser just admit you are going off to Red Rocks to see John Tesh (opening for Yanni).
We won’t love you any less.
It’ll be more like the way Homer and Marge love Bart, but…
Comment by Karl on 7/13 @ 4:51 pm #
Though Cheap Trick was really good when I saw them a few years ago. Zander has lost only a bit of his range.
Bun E Carlos rocks! I stumbled across the updated version of “Live At Budokan” at the library and it now has the entire concert. Good liner notes too.
Karl, my son Brendan went to see Cheap Trick at Summerfest last weekend, said they were great.
I recall being talked into going to see Styx in 1978 by Kenny Carlson, because he wanted to take Peggy whatsername out on a double date to make it seem less forward of him, and that was her favorite band.
Red Rocks!! What an absolutely great place to watch a concert. I remember seeing Def Leppard and U2 (not at the same time) there many, many, many,…..many years ago.
I’ve heard that Cheap Trick gives a great show too.
I saw Bonny Raitt and Chris Isaac at Red Rocks, back in 1990-ought-two or so. Full moon rose just as Bonny took the stage. Breathtaking.
Last time I saw Styx was the Kilroy tour, and I swear that Dennis DeYoung was doing lines off the back of his hand between stanzas.
That was at Notre Dame. Nice sound system, though.
I’ve seen regular Trick gigs, but also saw them do the entire Budokan set for the 25th anniversary. My brother saw them back in the day when they would play bars under fake names like “The Horny Bulls.”
I saw Cheap Trick back in … oh shit – 1988 or thereabouts – free concert in Downtown Detroit. Geoffrey Fieger ( “Geoffrey corrected, way back, from our Geoffrey that comments here) is the brother of one of the members of the band.
They did put on a good show, but I thought they were “has beens” back then. In 87 they certainly were a heck of a lot closer to their heyday – I’m gonna guess which was around the early 80’s ?
Man. I feel old.
And, FTR, I always thought Tommy Shaw rocked, and Dennis DeYoung was a bit teh gay.
The jig is up, the news is out, they’ve finally found me
The renegade who had it made, retrieved for a bounty
Never more to go astray
This will be the end today of the wanted man
Boston w/o Scholz? How can it be? And who is Tom suing?
any heavy metal fans here?
Name the guy on the left circa 1986
.
.
.
.
(the guy on the right is my husband who toured with them as assistant, roadie, and keyboard tech)
I saw, and photographed BOC just 2 weeks ago. Only 2 original members, Eric Bloom and Buck Dharma.
Saw Cheap Trick in ’83, rockin’ concert.
Isn’t that Ronnie James? Kinda funny because Rudy Sarzo who is the current bass player for BOC played on Holy Diver Live in 2006.
DIO!!ELEVEN!!!
You rock, Darleen.
Yep, that is Ronnie James Dio … Sacred Heart tour
Heh. I saw Dio on that tour. Rocked then, probably still does now.
According to Wikipedia, Tom Scholz (original guitarist) is touring with Boston.
Thanks, Joe. I figured as much. Boston was set for a summer tour last year before Brad Delp died, and Scholz doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to sell someone else the right to tour under his band name.
Yeah, Scholz was there. Boston had two lead singers, plus a female bass player who sang on a few songs, as well. The one guy pulled off “Don’t Look Back,” but it was early in the set and attempting it blew out his throat. Seriously. He was done. So we were treated to what I think was forty minutes or so of jazz fusion and guitar practice.
Puppet Show and Spinal Tap.
Styx was fantastic — though almost every song they did came from their early catalog. Off the top of my head, here’s what I remember of the song list: “Blue Collar Man,” “Grand Illusion,” “Lorelei,” “Sweet Madame Blue,” “Fooling Yourself,” “Miss America,” “Come Sail Away,” “Too Much Time On My (clap clap) Hands,” “Crystal Ball,” and “Renegade” (encore). The guy who filled in for De Young was a pretty passable clone. Still, Shaw did most of the lead vocals, with Young taking lead on “Come Sail Away.”
Boston broke out “Hitch a Ride” for the first time in a while (sung by the lady bassist), but they labored through “More Than A Feeling” and several others with the guy who can approach Delp’s higher notes out pretty much out of commission. They didn’t do an encore.
Had they tried “A Man I’ll Never Be,” I think the chick would’ve been the one to take it. And that would have just been strange.
My friends in Claude Pate once played a gig billed as Puppet Show, just for kicks.
And I for one would be glad to hear Styx stick to the earlier stuff. “Mr. Roboto” works only as kitch or bathos. “Babe” as a phone ad, maybe.
Too bad about Boston, but Delp’s voice was pretty incredible; it seemed unlikely that Scholz could find one that would meld with his guitar tone the way Delp’s did.
I’m very surprised they did “Come Sail Away” without DeYoung’s vocals…I’m sure it wasn’t the same, but I’m also sure it was good to hear.
I saw Styx with Kansas many years ago, and it was Teh Awesome. One of Styx’s best for the night that evening was “Snowblind,”
Not Styx, but ‘rocker’ related. I’m sure Boston/Styx was great, but if you want to see ‘old’ rockers who are still together and totally awesome, you need to see the ‘RUSH’ tour. I’ve seen them plenty of times 20 years ago, and just saw them again earlier this year. I have to say that this year, was by far the best audio/visual concert experience I’ve ever attended. I highly recommend seeing RUSH before they quit touring. I’m looking forward to seeing them again! Peart/Lifeson/Lee were musically tight and definately rocked! (cooked some great chicken as well) heh.
Thanks Mark, you just had to push the Rush button. I was invited to photograph them and had to turn it down because I was going to be out of town when they played. Now you say it was a great concert, I should have cancelled my vacation.
Carin? Saw cheap trick in ’79 at a venue that no longer exists here in MA.
and you think *you’re* old??
Hmmmmmm…where do I begin……
Axel is a fool (albeit he was a great singer and performer) Slash is too cool to line up with him again. Slash made GnR complete.
Dennis DeYoung was the true personality of STYX. Without him it is like a hamburger without the beef.
Boston? Well, the seventies are over.
Blue Oyster Cult…..it’s over.
Rush?..Rock n Roll !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Cheap Trick….true rockers!
Ronnie James Dio……..shouldn’t have left Rainbow! It was a perfect match !!!!
American Idols Live Tickets Wells Fargo Arena…
Along with having the oomph of a backing band, the concert was littered with the interludes found on“ Doggystyle” and Snoop’ s other hit records as well as an ode to Tupac featuring“ 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” which was a pleasant surprise. Another su…