Tucson Lifestyle May 2012 : Page 30
Datebook released, but how much fun it can be to go to a concert where you know the words by heart. Styx began in Chicago when twin brothers Chuck and John Panozzo and their neighbor Dennis DeYoung launched a project that would eventually change all their lives forever. “In 1962 when we were just kids we started a band that even-tually became Styx in 1972,” recalls Chuck. “I was teaching high school when we got our first record deal with my broth-er, Dennis, JC [John Curulewski] and James Young.” The band released three albums that received acclaim in the Midwest, but they didn’t really break through until the song “Lady” started getting national airplay in 1975, about the same time that Tommy Shaw replaced the departing JC. Signed to A&M Records, the band continued to produce hits, including “Lorelei,” “Suite Madame Blue,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Babe.” But it was in the 1980s that Styx became a household name, thanks to albums like Paradise Theater and Kilroy Was Here , which pro-duced hits such as “The Best of Times,” “Too Much Time On My hands,” and “Mr. Roboto.” A classic Styx song is so much more than a four-minute tune: it’s a story that unfolds and draws you in. Before you know it, you’re singing “Come Sail Away” right along with the band. “So many of our songs have been hit records, and what’s amazing is to hear the audience sing with us,” says Chuck. “They recognize them from the first note, which is pretty remarkable. To hear 30,000 people accompany you is pretty exciting; so is seeing the happiness on their faces. This music is like a time machine. We bring people back to when they were 14 or 20 or 25.” The music has not only been a source of hope and inspiration for the fans, but the band as well, which has endured its share of hard times. John Panozzo passed away in 1996, and Chuck continues to deal with his own health problems (detailed in his excellent autobi-ography The Grand Illusion: Love, Lies and My Life With Styx ), which sometimes prevent him from performing with the group. But there’s no bitterness in Chuck’s reflections, just joy in what Styx May 4, 8 pm Styx and REO Speedwagon in Concert Two of the biggest bands of the 1980s have joined forces for a tour that is sure to rock your world, and take you back to the days when your jackets had mattress-sized shoulder pads and your hair was so high that it was dangerously close to low-flying jets. Both Styx and REO Speedwagon have paid their dues and then some, working hard to get to the top of the rock world, touring and recording at a pace that would make the Energizer Bunny drop from exhaustion, all the while enduring the daggers of high-brow critics and fickle radio programmers. The good news is, they’re still here, still rockin’ as hard as ever, and reminding audiences of not only how many great songs they’ve 30 TUCSON LIFESTYLE | MAY 2012 www.tucsonlifestyle.com
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