Styx is ingrained in the classic rock genre as an artistic band with Midwest sensibilities.
During its commercial heyday, Dennis DeYoung was the main face of the group, contributing lead vocals and songwriting proficiency. He will perform Feb. 11 at Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville.
“I don’t understand artists who say they’re tired of playing their hits,” said DeYoung, who lives outside Chicago..
As he sees it, musicians eagerly answer a clarion call to rack up popular records: “That was the point in the first place — to get hits,” he said.
With Styx having a wealth of Top 40 singles, including “Lady,” “Lorelei” and the chart-topping “Babe,” DeYoung often gets immediate affirmation.
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“If I play a few notes on a song and people scream; mission accomplished,” DeYoung, 69, said. “I play these songs 40-some-odd years later — they like ’em. They thank me for coming to their towns. You talk about making a proper career choice, here it is!”
Although Styx’s record-selling prowess faded more than 25 years ago, its material lives on for new generations through movies, such as “Moana” (2016), which used “Come Sail Away” — a 1977 Top 10 hit for Styx — in a promotional video, and the Adam Sandler movie “Big Daddy” (1999).
More recently, “Renegade” was adopted as a raucous rallying cry by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. And “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” gently spoofed Styx’s 1981 blue-collar lament, “Too Much Time On My Hands.”
Yet, Styx has had a long-running battle with rock critics, who panned the releases of DeYoung and company, while the public gobbled them.
“How long can the rock press get away with being wrong?” DeYoung asked.
DeYoung’s band isn’t the only group on the road that draws a sizable following because of its Styx material. Fronted by original Styx members Tommy Shaw and James “JY” Young, the band that actually calls itself Styx has been a steady touring draw for years.
Both groups continue to find audiences 26 years after Styx’s last Top 10 single — 1991’s “Show Me the Way.”
DeYoung leaves the door open for a reunion tour with Shaw and Young, but stresses he did not want to leave the band when the split came 18 years ago.
“I got replaced in the band in 1999,” said DeYoung, a keyboardist. “I wanted to be in the band, but they replaced me when I was ill.
“So if they think a reunion is in order, then I’ll be there. And you know what the fans really want? They want to see those three guys on stage.”
The Shaw-Young side of the story has painted DeYoung as not being fully committed to the band or to necessary touring during that pivotal time of the late ’90s, and they’ve battled in court while each tours and promotes the Styx legacy.
It all began in Chicago in the early ’70s. Larry Mollo of South Holland, Ill., counts himself among the legion of Styx fans and his wife, Barb, hired DeYoung to perform last spring in Toronto at a conference.
“I like Dennis DeYoung as a singer,” Mollo, 64, said. “His voice is spot-on. He knows the way he wants the music to sound. He’s a perfectionist.”
While the show in Merrillville will be flush with familiar Styx tracks, DeYoung promises some surprises.
“I’m going to be playing two or three songs that people never hear,” he said. “They’re going to hear a couple of deep cuts.”
Performing as a special guest at DeYoung’s show will be Jim Peterik, who is known for his work in the Ides of March and Survivor.
Bob Kostanczuk is a freelance reporter.
Dennis DeYoung and the Music of Styx
Where: Star Plaza Theatre, 8001 Delaware Place, Merrillville
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11
Tickets: $40, $50, $60
Information: 219-769-6311, www.starplazatheatre.com
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