Dennis DeYoung LIVE!

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February 12, 2010 at the Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.

by Kimberly Shockley & Gary Dean Ash
Staff Writer

The Friday night rock and roll show was more like a “double bill” than an opening band followed by the main attraction. Shooting Star performed only a few less songs than Dennis DeYoung and company. Those who made the trip out on that cold February night, definitely got a two-for-the-price-of-one!

Shooting Star is BACK. If you’ve not seen them in several years, you’ve got to make sure you catch them at an upcoming show. The new lead singer, Ronnie Platt, is from Chicago, as is Dennis DeYoung. Platt was on top of his game during this performance, and his personality and energy pull the band together on stage. Janet Jameson, the new violinist is red hot and can bring the audience to its feet in admiration of her talent. The “dueling” strings performance after “Hang On For Your Life,” which featured founding band member and lead guitarist Van McClain and Jameson, was one of the highlights of their performance. The other founding member, Steve Thomas, delighted the crowd with his solo performance during “You’ve Got Love.” Thomas really showcased his talent and proved he knows how to pound the skins. Shooting Star fans will want to be on the lookout for a new live album, featuring the current lineup.

Shooting Star Set List:
1. Summer sun
2. Bring It On
3. Flesh and Blood
4. You Got Love
5. Hollywood
6. Don’t Stop Me Now
7. Tonight
8. Breakout
9. Hang on For Your Life
10. Guitar Violin duel
11. Last Chance

The Dennis DeYoung and Music of STYX performance was more of rock and roll show than past performances over the last few years. New lead guitarist, August Zadra, took the spotlight in three new STYX classics that were added to this tour: “Blue Collar Man,” “Renegade” and “Too Much Time.” Zarda’s vocals were right on the money, and if you closed your eyes, you might have thought you were hearing Tommy Shaw on stage. As DeYoung put it, “Surprise, surprise!” This was only the second performance for the new band, and although at times Zarda and guitarist Jimmy Leahey appeared to be less than confident on stage, the rest of the time, they played the stage with high energy like they owned it. The energy was contagious, not only for DeYoung and the rest of the band, but you could feel the energy in the crowd, which was on its feet for most of the performance. Singing backup, Suzanne DeYoung showed she still has “it,” not only the voice, but the looks. Dennis DeYoung assured the audience there is no Botox, no face lift, and that “them puppies is real,” which brought cheers from the crowd. All in all, Dennis DeYoung and his new band played a fantastic rock and roll show.

Both bands have new albums out, but surprisingly neither chose to include even one new song in their set list. This fact did not detract one bit from either performance, though. The crowd heard the best of the best from each performance. This was truly a rock concert in every sense of the word.

Dennis DeYoung Set List:
1. Grand Illusion
2. Lady
3. Lorelei
4. Blue Collar Man
5. Desert Moon
6. Light Up
7. Mr. Roboto
8. Too Much Time on My Hand
9. Babe
10. Suite Madam Blue
11. Rockin the Paradise
12. Renegade
13. Best of Times
14. Come Sail Away

Photos appear courtesy of Kimberly Shockley & Gary Dean Ash