On stage in front of 3000+ people with a singer who sold 25 million albums and zero rehearsals: no pressure, right?

This past weekend I filled in on keyboards with Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx. This was my second performance out of four (at this point at least). I was called to fill in for the excellent keyboardist John Blasucci, who needed to take a few gigs off. It was at the outdoor stage at Batavia Downs, a casino outside of Buffalo, New York, and it stopped raining just in time for the concert.

A good portion of my career has been in scenarios where I’m called to get a full concert’s worth of demanding material together, with relatively short notice. In 2003 I was tapped to play keys for the 70’s UK prog rock band Camel on their farewell tour. Lots of tricky music there, and I had just a couple of weeks to get it down.
In the case of Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx, I had a bit more time to learn everything, but the catch was this: we would have no rehearsals. I fly in, shake everybody’s hand, do our soundcheck, and then it’s showtime. One best come prepared.

There were a few factors on my side here. First, this is an excellent band. I’ve worked with guitarist Jimmy Leahey for years, most notably together in Glen Burtnik’s band (a staple of New Jersey rock). I was newly acquainted with guitarist/singer August Zadra, bassist Craig Carter, Suzanne DeYoung on backing vocals, and drummer Mike Morales. These musicians are aces all around and were easy to jell with musically.

Then there’s Dennis. I’ve been hearing Styx music since I was a little kid listening to my sister’s copy of Pieces of Eight on 8-track tape—yes, 8-track! A a card-carrying Gen-Xer, I just about missed that fad, but caught some of it thanks to having older siblings. Dennis parted ways with Styx (who also still tours as a separate entity and is also excellent live), and I have to admit I’d never heard him perform before. The man is 70 years old and is in unbelievable shape. He’s kept his singing voice in great shape too, which is not an easy thing to do when you’ve been touring in the rock scene for over 40 years. He still plays keyboards live, but there’s enough orchestration to justify having yours truly on hand as well.

The show has a ton of energy, and this music brings back great memories for a lot of people. On the menu are many Styx favorites, like “The Grand Illusion”, “Fooling Yourself”, “Lady”, “Too Much Time on My Hands”, “Blue Collar Man”, “Renegade”, and of course blockbuster hits like “Come Sail Away”, “Babe”, and “Mister Roboto”.

I’ll be with the band for 2 more shows: St. Charles, Illinois on July 7, 2017 (playing The Grand Illusion album in its entirety), and Milwaukee, Wisconsin at Summerfest on July 8, 2017. If any Steemians like their classic rock served up with a lot of energy and fun, please join us!