Styx and stones fail to faze singer, guitarist Shaw

Kirk Baird

Friday, June 1, 2001 | 8:51 a.m.

Journey, Styx, Bad Company, Night Ranger, Billy Squier and Molly Hatchet.

In 1979 it would have been a concertgoer's dream show. In 2001 it seems more like the listing for upcoming episodes of VH1's "Behind the Music" and "Where Are They Now?"

On Saturday, however, it's the lineup for the ninth annual Junefest at Silver Bowl Park.

With these bands that helped define classic rock, it would be easy to label the concert as an oldies show.

Not surprisingly, it's a tag that's resisted by at least one of the artists on the bill -- Tommy Shaw, guitarist and singer for Styx.

Relaxing in Burbank, Calif. during a break in the band's touring schedule, Shaw has been battling a chest cold the past two weeks, and was resting his throat for upcoming concerts. Consequently he answered questions via e-mail.

Which only enhanced the irony in his reply to, "How musically relevant is the band?"

Shaw's response: "I think I can best answer this question with an interpretive dance. Here goes ..."

Although Shaw did indicate later that he embraced the band's past ("It is how we are here and who we are today," he said), his hesitancy to address the band's current relevancy is, at the very least, understandable.

In the late '70s/early '80s, few -- if any -- bands better defined the term "arena rock band" than Styx.

With its mixture of crunching rock, soaring ballads and everything in between, the band scored a string of platinum and multiplatinum albums before temporarily calling it quits in '83 after the ill-conceived concept album "Kilroy Was Here."

But that was nearly 20 years ago.

Other than scoring a hit single in 1990 with "Show Me the Way," an anthem of sorts during Desert Storm that reached No. 3 on the charts (which, incidentally, was recorded before Shaw rejoined the band), Styx hasn't done much on the music charts to add to its legacy.

There's also the fact that only the other original member left is Shaw's fellow guitarist and vocalist James "JY" Young. The others -- Dennis DeYoung (keyboards, vocals); Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals); John Panozzo (drums) -- have quit the band or, in the case of John Panozzo, died.

So what is it about the current Styx lineup -- which features Glen Burtnik on bass, Lawrence Gowan on keyboards and vocals and Todd Sucherman on drums -- that has Shaw so excited?

"Imagine reissuing the 1964 1/2 Ford Mustang using the latest technology and cutting-edge materials, with no maintenance required for the first million miles. This is Styx today," Shaw said. "We are now able to perform music we were never able to re-create live.

"I am crazy about this band."

So is the public, apparently. The band continues to attract large numbers of fans to its shows -- Shaw said 1.3 million people have seen the band perform since July '99 -- while playing the hits most know by heart, such as "Come Sail Away," "Babe," "The Best of Times" and "Too Much Time on My Hands."

Meanwhile the band is having such a good time on the road, he said, that it's put off going into the studio to work on a new album.

"There are more teenagers in our audiences today than there have been in 20 years. I know we're handsome, but there must be a better explanation," he joked. "We will eventually stop scent-marking the planet and make a new studio album. But for now this retooled Mustang is just getting broken in."

Despite Shaw's euphoria over Styx, all is not perfect with the band.

Adding to the group's history of offstage turmoil (most of which was detailed on the band's "Behind the Music" episode) are the recent legal entanglements the group became involved in when DeYoung filed a lawsuit in federal court in October claiming misuse of the Styx trademark by Shaw, Young and Chuck Panozzo.

A court date has been set for May 2002. That's all Shaw would say about the lawsuit.

But, he added, should there be any desire by VH1 to create a "Behind the Music" sequel, there's plenty of soap-opera fodder to be had with Styx.

"People enjoy real-life drama and we certainly have had our share," Shaw said. "It really is an entertaining episode. Believe me, that well is far from dry, so if they want to do Part II, Part III and IV, they won't run out of material."

Even with the past troubles, Shaw said, if he could do it all over again, he wouldn't change a thing.

"If I had, we wouldn't be in this beautiful place where we are today," he said. "Ask every musician on the planet if they would trade pasts with us."

Just don't ask them if they're "musically relevant."