Dennis DeYoung's Toadally Awesome Concert

[sterlingwit]

I have been meaning to get out to see Dennis live for a very long time, and the only reason I have not done so is because I simply keep on thinking he will book something here in Nashville. I even missed last year's appearance in a town here in Tennessee, which was stupid of me. So when I saw that he was appearing 6 hours from here, and FREE, I knew I had to go. I had seen the current touring lineup of Styx live in Nashville last month, and I felt it was only fair to see them both.

 

So we drove over to Conway, Arkansas, to attend his show on Saturday, April 30th, 2005. I was surprised when we drove into town . . . the concert was the grand finale of a three-day festival called Toad Suck Daze (yes, you read that right), and I had absolutely no idea what to expect. As it turns out, Conway is a fairly small town, population 55,000, and this festival is THE event in town for the year. The local paper even had headlines like, "Toadally Awesome!" There was toad paraphernalia everywhere. We kept on asking the locals what the phrase meant, and it has something to do with the old boats that used to ship in and out of the riverport. They would come into port, and the guys on board would drink so much they would swell up like toads, or so legend has it. This was the 25th Annual Toad Suck Daze, and it's been going on for so long that most of the people have no idea why it's there. They go because it's the only thing to do in this town all year, basically. So it was a much bigger deal than I thought it would be. Basically all of downtown Conway was a street festival, with merchants, food courts, and contests such as Stuck on a Truck, where people touch a truck for as long as possible to win it. The last one still touching the truck, wins it. When we pulled out of Conway on Sunday morning, there were still quite a few people touching this truck after 48 hours.

 

After checking into the hotel, we were driving down to the festival area when my girlfriend Carla said, "Do you notice there are no signs for beer in any of the gas stations?" We went to a Kroger and confirmed that, in fact, Conway is in one of the only dry counties left in Arkansas. We were surprised and, frankly, appalled. We figured if we were going to stand in the middle of a bunch of Arkansans to see Dennis at a thing called Toad Suck Daze, no way were we doing it stone cold sober! So we made a quick beer run to the next county and made it back in plenty of time for his 9:30 set.

 

When I saw the actual venue I had a little bit of trepidation. It was actually just a little bandshell set just off the street, with a train track running literally right behind it. I knew right away this would be a no-frills show, with no staging and minimal lights, and I wondered if that was the right kind of venue to see someone like Dennis in, when he is so widely known for his theatrical staging and such. I wondered if the unusual circumstances might make Dennis and the band tense and uncertain.

 

It turned out just the opposite. They came out at 9:30 PM, and it was chilly, maybe in the low 50s or high 40s. Dennis was wearing a leather jacket and a scarf, and Dawn Marie wound up leaving the stage long enough to get her jacket before too long. But they rolled with what could have been a tough situation and made the best of it, and wound up giving a great performance despite the absence of some technical elements. Dennis seemed more relaxed than I have seen him at Styx shows I have attended, and was in very good humor. He spoke to the audience often and made a genuine connection, sharing a lot of stories and joking around a lot. I knew he would not be able to resist commenting on the unusual venue, and sure enough, after "Lady" he said, "So, Toad Suck!? When the call came in and asked if we wanted to come down to Arkansas and play Toad Suck, I said, 'Who wouldn't?' I had to come down just to see what was going on." Everyone laughed. He also said, "You think I don't know Arkansas? I played here wth Styx all through the 70s." And he went on to name a bunch of towns all around that area.

 

The sound started off rough during "The Grand Illusion", but by halfway through the song they found the balance, and the rest of the night the sound was clear, with a good balance between vocals and instruments. The band was tight and solid, and re-created the Styx songs very well without merely playing note-for-note covers. They did their own take on the material, but also sounded enough like the records to draw the audience in. The vocal harmonies were dead on, and Dennis himself was in exceptionally strong voice, giving the best consistent vocal performance I have ever heard from him live. Let me just say, without getting too much into an old controversy, that I saw Styx in Nashville last month with Gowan and liked it a lot. However, having seen them both in that time span, I have to say that there is absolutely no real comparison between Dennis and Gowan as far as pure vocal ability goes. Dennis is quite obviously a far stronger, far better singer, and his is of course the signature voice that sang the songs originally. And his show was a rock show, not some Barry Manilow-esque Vegas show as JY likes to say. Pacing-wise it was comparable to the Styx show with the exception of a few ballads. It had more actual Styx hits in it than Styx' show did, because they don't play "Babe", "Best Of Times", "Don't Let It End", "Mr. Roboto" or "Show Me The Way".

 

Highlights included "Lorelei", "Pieces of Eight" (w/"Hall of the Mountain King" interlude), "Castle Walls" (during which an actual train came by, drowning out the band for a minute. During the quiet section right before the guitar solo, Dennis looked up and yelled, "Here comes the train!" It was very funny). To introduce "Castle Walls" Dennis told a story about Styx being in NYC and going to see The Exorcist. He said, "I was rooming with the bass player at the Excelsior, and he said, 'Dennis, can we leave the lights on tonight?' Then a couple of years later one of the band members who shall remain nameless . . . Tommy Shaw . . . was dating Linda Blair, and there she was on our plane. I nudged my wife and said, 'Look at that!'" Dennis feigned horror at this, also very funny.

 

The entire set was very well-received. Not one song failed to go over with the crowd. "Mr. Roboto" got a huge reaction, as did "Babe". "Hello God" went over well, which is tough to do for a new song. And of course, "Come Sail Away" turned into a huge singalong. In his intro Dennis said, "When I was a younger man I used to do a speech about dreams at this point in the show. But when you get older, you realize that the dreams you had when you were younger, sometimes you don't get them. So what do you do? Get a new dream. A better one. And carry on."

 

All in all, I was very impressed by how they turned a relatively tough set of circumstances into such a great show. The audience loved every minute of it. The demographics were from 15 to 50, and it looked like everybody knew the words to every single song. I was surprised by how many young kids knew all of it, and how into it they were. Just as much as at the Styx show, absolutely. Now I am really psyched to see Dennis again, at a theater venue with full production. I'm sure it's amazing.

 

I hope all is well.

 

 

Sterling

[Ron]

Sterling-

I'm glad you got to see the show and had a good time. The first time I saw Dennis solo was at an equally-rinky-dink-type of venue, and expected the worst, but was quite surprised (and pleased) that it turned into an awesome show that until two weeks ago was my favorite Dennis concert. I think your comment that ... re-created the Styx songs very well without merely playing note-for-note covers... is very well put. One of the things that I enjoy about his current show is that while playing songs that are around 30 years old, they still sound fresh and exciting. A lot of credit needs to go not only to Dennis but to the fine musicians that are onstage with him for pulling this off.

 

I had tried on several occasions to try and talk with the person in charge of booking ToadSuck, and the closest I got was a radio station's promotions department. I was curious because wasn't sure who all Mac knew from the different stations, and I did know that he talked with those that he worked with about how much he liked Dennis. I wondered if there was some connection. I know Mac would have enjoyed the show.

 

Glad to see you active again Sterling. Come back more often.

Ron

[teesa_66]

He lives! Sterling lives!!!!

 

J/K Glad to hear from you and glad to get such a great review of the show! Sounds like it was most definitely worth the 6-hour drive, but then, I already knew that, seeing as how I've driven the 5.5 hours to Chicago and 7 hours to Milwaukee 5 (or is it 6) times now, just to catch a DDY show.

 

As for the venue, it sounds somewhat similar to the Jammin' on Main I saw in Cincinnati in 2003 (?), although there DDY was kinda competing with other shows going on at the same time. I really liked the informal atmosphere, there; It was like one great big party!

 

Don't be a stranger, Sterling!

 

Terri

 

p.s. any word on a publication date?

[sterlingwit]

I think your comment that ... re-created the Styx songs very well without merely playing note-for-note covers... is very well put. One of the things that I enjoy about his current show is that while playing songs that are around 30 years old, they still sound fresh and exciting. A lot of credit needs to go not only to Dennis but to the fine musicians

 

 

I absolutely agree. Everyone played very well. Hank is a great addition to the band, both his bass playing and his singing are real strengths. He plays some of Chuck's parts note-for-note, but in several areas he departs from the recordings and brings his own vibe to the songs, which does help put an original stamp on things. Dawn sings her parts very well, and she and Dennis have genuine chemistry. Plus she's much easier to look at than JY! Having a female voice sing those parts brings a slightly different element as well. Kyle is a very good drummer, and John Blassucci (I hope that spelling is right) played the keyboard parts very well. And what can you say about Tom Dziallo? He's simply a great guitarist, very consistent. He usually really doesn't stick to the solos from the Styx records at all, choosing instead to play new solos entirely, but he manages to retain the feel and intent of the songs while doing his own thing. He's a chameleon in that regard. This band is obviously very well-rehearsed and the chemistry between everyone appears genuine. That's probably one of the reasons the show is so enjoyable. Dennis kinda made some jokes about each person in turn. He said, "On guitar, Tom Dziallo. Tom said to me, 'Okay, I'll come down to Arkansas, but only if I get to wear my leather pants.' And on vocals, the beatiful Dawn Marie, who just asked me if she can get her coat. Okay, go get your coat." LOL, stuff like that. Very relaxed and in control of the situation.

 

I hope all is well.

 

Sterling

[sterlingwit]

He lives! Sterling lives!!!!

 

J/K Glad to hear from you and glad to get such a great review of the show! Sounds like it was most definitely worth the 6-hour drive, but then, I already knew that, seeing as how I've driven the 5.5 hours to Chicago and 7 hours to Milwaukee 5 (or is it 6) times now, just to catch a DDY show.

 

As for the venue, it sounds somewhat similar to the Jammin' on Main I saw in Cincinnati in 2003 (?), although there DDY was kinda competing with other shows going on at the same time. I really liked the informal atmosphere, there; It was like one great big party!

 

Don't be a stranger, Sterling!

 

Terri

 

p.s. any word on a publication date?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Hey Terri:

 

Thanks! I just haven't made it to the board as often as I intend to. Usually when I'm on the computer I am working, so I don't think about it until I am ready to sign off. But I love this site.

 

As far as a publication date, it looks like August or September, not sure which. There are still a couple of photo clearances to obtain, a couple of legal things to take care of, plus I am working on making a deal to possibly get the book excerpted in a magazine as a promotional tool when it comes out. That is important exposure, so I hope it winds up happening. I will post when things are completely set and let everyone know. Thanks for asking.

 

I hope all is well.

 

 

Sterling

[ladybugking]

Sterling, so glad you FINALLY made it to a DeYoung solo show. You can now not only talk the talk, but walk the walk, LOL.

 

What is so great about his shows is how high energy they are. Everyone is always so [/b]on and the audience usually reacts positively, feeds that back to Dennis and he is even MORE on fire!

 

I have now seen him 3 different times at really different venues and each one has been amazing.

 

Kathy

[Ron]

The band is THE reason that makes Dennis' solo show so good! When I go to a show, I like to watch as much as possible, since there are more people than just Dennis onstage. Being as close as I was in NYC, it made the show that much better. Kyle's energy, Hank's playing and singing, and Tommy's playing--seeing the things that he does to make certain effects that I had no idea how they were created. I really couldn't see John from where I was sitting, but I remember seeing Rick play, and how he concentrated and watched Hank and Kyle so everyone stayed together. Kudos to Tommy, who takes music written for two different guitar players (each with their own unique style) plus his own style and creates guitar work that is his own, yet sounds close enough to the recorded version that we know in our head.

Ron