Styx's second string didn't miss a beat

08/28/99 01:00:00 AM

By DOUG FOX
The Daily Herald


OREM -- Lost in the midst of a highly entertaining Styx concert Thursday night was one moment of extreme irony.
It came in the middle of the song "Lights," which occurred in the middle of the band's 15-minute unplugged segment, which was neatly tucked in the middle of the two-hour, 20-minute show.
The song essentially describes the intoxicating feeling a performer receives being bathed once again in the spotlight -- "just like a thousand nights before."
At one point, speaking of the lights, guitarist Tommy Shaw sang, "Give me hope, give me my energy."
That's when irony hit like a 10-pound sledge.

Co-founding member Dennis DeYoung, you see, was forced to sit out the band's current tour due to long-term flu symptoms. One of the side effects of his condition is that light saps his energy, an unfortunate turn of events for someone who makes his living constantly in and under its constant glare.
The light giveth and, it would seem, the light taketh away.
Most of the several thousand Styx fans in attendance Thursday night no doubt walked into the McKay Events Center wondering just what type of show to expect without DeYoung, the keyboardist and lead vocalist on a handful of the band's biggest hits.
They did not, however, walk out disappointed.
Lawrence Gowan, a popular performer in his own right north of the American border, turned out to be a perfect temporary replacement. There were times the Canadian key-tickler sounded incredibly similar to DeYoung, but mostly he offered his own vocal reading while maintaining the original spirit of the tune.
Gowan became a focal point of the show on many occasions, whether it be from staring at the quirky rotations of his swiveling keyboard setup or seeing him actually stand on top of the unit while belting out the vocals to "Come Sail Away."
Inhibited is certainly one word missing from Lawrence's lexicon.
The same might also be said for bassist Glen Burtnik -- another temporary fill-in for Styx this summer. Burtnik, who actually subbed for Shaw on guitar during the band's 1991 tour, is stepping in for Chuck Panozzo this time around.
Where you might typically ignore the lower-than-low-key Panozzo during a normal Styx show, there was no overlooking the blue-haired Burtnik. He was all over the stage and even assumed lead vocals on "Edge of the Century" and a shortened, unplugged version of "Sometimes Love Ain't Enough" -- the Patty Smyth, Don Henley duet that Burtnik co-wrote.
Drummer Todd Sucherman, who joined the band in 1996 just prior to the death of John Panozzo, was also worth watching as he kept up the powerful backbeat throughout the evening.
Of course, fans were mostly there to see, and hear, guitarists Shaw and James Young -- the only two members of the band's classic lineup on this summer jaunt.
The two took fans on a tour through the Styx archives, from a scorching rendition of 1975's "Lorelei," a song bolstered by J.Y.'s lead vocal turn, to a trio of offerings from the band's current "Brave New World" release.

In between, there was a bevy of classics, including "Blue Collar Man," "Lady," "Snowblind," "Rockin' the Paradise," "Crystal Ball," "Too Much Time On My Hands" and "Miss America."
Performing on a stark stage but with a polished sound, the band also stretched out with a few closet classics like "Man in the Wilderness," "Queen of Spades" and "Half Penny, Two Penny."
Shaw and Young also entertained with their between-song banter, which seems unrehearsed, unless you've seen Styx before -- then you know the intricate wordplay is pretty much scripted.
The band closed the show with a shortened rendition of ZZ Top's "Tush" and a lengthened version of its own "Renegade."
As the group left to thunderous applause, it was obvious fans weren't focusing on Styx's missing ingredients but rather feeding off what was available.
Two-fifths of the pie, after all, beats no pie at all.