On March 18, 2014, Dennis DeYoung, former keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter of Styx, and his band took to the stage at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles for a 90-minute concert of almost all Styx music. …And The Music Of Styx: Live In Los Angeles captures that night on CD and DVD.
Even in his late 60s, DeYoung is quite spry vocally, singing as powerfully as always. This is really what impressed me most about this collection, though it’s to be noted that DeYoung’s band — August Zadra on guitar and vocals; Jimmy Leahey on guitar and vocals; Tom Sharpe drums; Suzanne DeYoung on backing vocals; Craig Carter on bass; John Blasucci on keys — are top-notch players who help to recreate these classic songs perfectly.
Opening with “The Grand Illusion” into “Lady” it’s quite apparent DeYoung can still ‘sail away’ across a rockin’ tune as much as belt a ballad. August Zadra takes leads vocal on “Blue Collar Man” after a brief organ solo leading off the song, and again on “To Much Time On My Hands,” as well as on “Fooling Yourself.” The crowd sings along with acoustic guitar and vocals only from DeYoung/Leahey/and Zadra on a pretty “Don’t Let It End” and the band jams out to Zadra and Leahey trading licks on the big rockin’ centerpiece of the show “Rockin’ The Paradise.”
A gem here is “Desert Moon,” the title track from Dennis DeYoung’s 1984 debut solo album. I remember seeing the sappy video on MTV, thinking how effective this long lost love song was. In LA, DeYoung really kicked it out of the park with his vocals eliciting goose bumps about a lyrical subject mined many times before.
“Suite Madam Blue” features a brief solo acoustic guitar opening before the recognizable riff. DeYoung leads the dynamic changes with his studied vibrato and precise enunciation. The band comes in heavy and hard, and their backing vocals certainly add a level, but the audience is waiting for that long held note from DeYoung before the key solo and big loud break — and he delivers! I’d say this is the best song of the 17.
…And The Music Of Styx: Live In Los Angeles gives one a good indication of the still powerful pipes of Dennis DeYoung and reminds us all what a great songwriter he is. While it’s doubtful he’ll be writing any more songs for Styx, a solo album could be in the pipeline. If only we had a Crystal Ball to see into the future.
~ Ralph Greco, Jr.
