Dennis DeYoung wants to be back in STYX for final tour

If he still has the pipes I say yes.There is not much time left for the band or the fans and I would prefer the original.

 

I saw the Kilroy tour and the Paradise Theater Tour.
The Paradise Theater show was a band that seemingly was riding high and performing with real enthusiasm.
The Kilroy show I saw was not good, and had some real tense vibes going on.

 

I wouldnt mind seeing them together. And Dennis can still sing. But I hate it when an artist covers their inability to sing the sustained high notes with an audience join in.

 

I saw Dennis this summer. He put on a great show and he can still sing. Great singer. The show consisted of Styx's greatest hits. Good combination of rockers and ballads. It would be nice to see a reunion, but it does seem unlikely.

 

Yeah, a lot of truth here.

 

I'm in, if they tell him, NOTHING and I mean NOTHING from Kilroy/ Mr. Roboto. I haven't scanned the whole thread yet, so sorry if this was already mentioned.

I would go, just like I would if Steve Perry reunited with Journey.

 

Maybe I'm not really up on everything that went down. What did he do deserving of such hostility?

 

He didn't rawk hard enough.

 

Were there any nasty lawsuits? I can't recall any, but that sort of thing often generates the most animosity. Bands do get over it though (Yes after ABWH).

 

I believe he sued them for the right to return to the band - he says he never tried to stop them using the name or anything like that. But I think that the question I was responding to was about the response of some fans in this thread and elsewhere, who seem to have some hostility toward Dennis, and I can only ascribe that to the much-discussed "Broadway" tendencies of DeYoung's music. If he rawked hard enough, they wouldn't have a problem with him.

 

Styx doesn't need DeYoung, they're doing just fine without him. . He must be desperate to get attention for his latest Hugh Hefner designer wardrobe line .......

 

I don`t know many details but the animosity goes back decades and in general it seems to boil down to Dennis feeling he was bigger than the band.

 

I saw them last summer at a local summer concert series my city has at a very nice venue. I enjoyed the show more than I thought I would. The show was 80% Shaw/JY material, but they did throw in a few DeYoung songs sung by the replacement guy. They were extremely tight and the album tracks they played came across very well. Based on the show I saw and the fact that they've recently released a new album that is being well-received, I don't think there's any chance in hell that they'll bring DeYoung back for a tour. They seem to be in a good place now and they won't take the chance to F that up.

 

The irony is that Dennis brought much of this on himself back in 1990 when he insisted that the other members give up their percentage of the publishing royalties for the songs he wrote as a condition of getting back together for the Edge of the Century tour and album. Up until that point each member received a small percentage of the publishing for all of the songs, as compensation for their work on fleshing out the arrangements in the studio and to maintain band unity. (They do continue to receive royalties for album sales, but as we all know those sales have tanked this century as downloads and streaming have gained traction.)

So once that revenue stream was eliminated it meant touring was and is the greatest source of income for the other members, which in large part explains the constant touring over the past several years. Dennis would have never wanted to tour as much as the other members, and apparently he doesn't have to. Add in the well-documented personality clashes and it's highly unlikely we'll ever see the surviving members together again.

If you're interested in all of the background and inside story on the band I highly recommend locating a copy of The Grand Delusion by Sterling Whitaker. Sterling was able to interview many of the behind the scenes players, including the band's manager during the classic years. He was also able to speak with Tommy Shaw in the early 1990s, a time when he was much more open and honest regarding his experiences with Styx than he would ever be again after returning to the fold.

 

The only reason I can think of for Shaw and Young to even consider it, is the mighty dollar.

I hope their coffers are lined sufficiently to tell him F OFF RIGHT NOW.

Anybody ever see Styx Behind the Music? Dennis DeYoung comes across as the most LSD affected bozo I've ever seen.

 

not according to what I've seen. It went WAY beyond that.

If you were in a band with that guy you might have wanted to punch him in the face for the way he acted towards everybody else. Like you were all beneath him.

 

I am a fan and I'd love to see it.

Bands (or any artistic collaborators) bickering to a point where they can't or won't work together always seems ridiculous to me. Tell each other off, scream and yell and then be done with it and get back to work. Holding grudges sucks. And in a case like this, it's not just yourself that you're doing it for. It's the fans, your legacy after you're gone--including the money you're leaving behind for your family (kids, their kids, etc.).

 

As long as someone isn't ripping me off financially and isn't doing things to turn performances into trainwrecks, the music that I can make with someone is always the trump card for me. I'll put up with people being a-holes, being prima donnas, etc.--we can tell each other to screw off, I can ignore them, whatever. What matters is the music, especially when there are people who care about us making music. I don't have to like someone to work with them and to do good work with them.

 

The tours in '96 and '97 were both great (and had no Kilroy songs), but I can see why they do not want him back. He is kind of a dick and too much of a control freak. '

The new album, The Mission, is really good.

Gowan's on stage presence and behavior is...corny and almost embarrassing.

I would be all over it if DDY was welcomed back into the fold, but I am not holding my breath. And I totally get why it will likely never happen.

 

I was referring to "fan's" attitudes, not the band's.

I saw the Behind The Music episode and I don't remember coming away from it thinking that Dennis was the only villain. I still think the way they dumped him was cowardly.

 

I didn't think any of the core three came off that well in that Behind That Music. As much of a fan as I am of Tommy Shaw, the whole making fun of Babe in front of live crowds when on tour with Damn Yankees was pretty classless (but he was in a band with Ted Nugent, so there ya go).

 

I saw Styx in concert in April, 2013 and then I saw Dennis DeYoung two months later.... he was MUCH better, put on a longer show (8 more songs than "Styx"), and seemed genuinely happy to be there, unlike those other guys...

 

He sounds absolutely amazing and 100 times better then Gowan who I find cringe worthy when he sings Dennis' songs. He could add a ton to the current Styx but I don't think that will ever happen. Tommy and JY wouldn't go for it and leave Gowan hung out to dry. It's too bad Tommy and JY couldn't have a meeting with Dennis and see if he is up for some serious touring and not just 30-40 shows and he's done. Then the current Styx is screwed as I doubt Gowan would come back. Dennis would have to commit to extensive touring for the next few years. Still with the new Styx album 'The Mission' I don't see this happening as the band wants to promote the album and try to make some money on album sales. This is probably the worst time the currnt Styx lineup could even think about Dennis joining.

 

I saw Damn Yankees live back then and remember them making fun of "Babe," but to be fair they also goofed on Night Ranger's "Sister Christian," so Shaw's DY bandmate Jack Blades got some of it too.

However, they didn't make fun of any of Ted Nugent's pre-DY output, probably because Ted was armed while onstage. Haha

 

He still sounds amazing live though.