Former STYX singer DENNIS DEYOUNG – “A quarter of a century later, TOMMY SHAW experiences a revelation”

Following a recent interview with Cleveland.com in which guitarist Tommy Shaw praised the song “Best Of Times,” former Styx singer Dennis DeYoung took to social media to echo Tommy’s positive opinion of the song, saying he had “a revelation.”

DeYoung wrote:

“Hey kids,

“A quarter of a century later, Tommy Shaw has a revelation. In this interview, Tommy raves about ‘Best Of Times’, calling it ‘a brilliant song’. He goes on to say that they are proud to play it.

“Thank you, T, that’s really nice of you. And you’re right, your solo in that song is perfect. The same goes for the one in ‘First Time’ – you’re sure to hit the right notes as there are so many to choose from.
“I really wish you had invited me back on this tour to sing this song, it’s one of my favorites. In case you forgot, you play a lot of other songs that I could sing and play as well, like ‘Mr. Roboto.’

“I know you’ve been playing this one as an encore for a while now. You also had very nice words for it, calling it a ‘timeless song with an incredible arrangement’. You don’t need to make up songs about robots when you have this in your repertoire, you know. Although the song isn’t about robots, it’s about the concerns I had about the technology that humans could create. Thank God that never happened. But you know you were there adding the vocoder to the song, and that was you, me and JY singing in Japanese what JY’s friend’s parents came up with, man we had fun doing it. All the band members and two sound engineers gathered around the mixer and mixed it in real time, each of us with hands on the knobs with individual responsibilities, a real team effort. We wanted it to sound like machines had recorded it, even dictating the way John played his drums. That was also the reason why the guitars are underplayed. Guitars sound too human. This song was our way of saying, here come the machines.

“I see you added BOT to the set first in Canada. Smart choice since it was number one up there. Man, I love the Canadians. If I remember correctly, they gave us two more number ones – ‘Babe’ and ‘Mr. Roboto.’ And then the great Quebecers gave me and Eric La Pointe another number one in 2006 with ‘100 Beers From Now.’ Notice it says ‘Years’ not ‘Beers.’

“It gladdens an old man’s heart to know that my ballads and my one foray into techno are still loved by so many of our fans. Think of me every night when the crowd goes crazy during Roboto and when they get all teary during The Best Of Times. I know they will because I have seen it myself countless times over the last 25 years.

“Cheers, Bobby Kilroy”

“Cold As Ice,” “Too Much Time On My Hands,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Renegade” and more. Nothing sounds like the soundtrack of summer more than Styx and Foreigner’s biggest hits. Recently announced as inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Foreigner will hit the road in June, co-headlining the “Renegades & Juke Box Heroes” tour with Styx and special guest John Waite. To add to the excitement, Styx and Foreigner are announcing Renegades & Juke Box Heroes, a very special, limited edition companion album available exclusively at tour stops starting today in Grand Rapids, MI at the Van Andel Arena and at select retailers starting July 12.

Available as a picture disc or in elegant silver vinyl, this essential collector’s album features both bands’ biggest hits and was mastered for vinyl by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, with lacquers cut by Joe Nino-Hernes. Tracks include Foreigner’s most popular hits including “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice” and the worldwide No. 1 hit “I Want To Know What Love Is,” alongside Styx classics “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” “Come Sail Away,” and “Renegade,” and more.

Only 1,000 copies of the picture disc and only 5,000 individually numbered copies of the Silver Edition are available. With many tour dates already sold out, demand is sure to be high. Once they’re gone, they’re gone for good. A 13-track CD featuring all three artists and the vinyl tracks is also available. The songs are available from all digital retailers. The picture disc will be available on Foreigner and Styx’s websites, and the Silver Edition will be available on Amazon on July 12.

Tracklist (both versions):

Juke Box Heroes Page:

“Feels like the first time”
“Freezing”
“I want to know what love is”
“Juke Box Hero”

Apostate side:

“Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)”
“Come on, set sail”
“I have too much time”
“Apostate”

Tour dates of Renegades & Juke Box Heroes with Foreigner and John Waite (final act in brackets):

June
18 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater – STL (Styx)
19 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP (Foreigner)
21 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion (Foreigners)
22 – Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion (Styx)
25 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena (Foreigners)
26 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheater (Styx)
28 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center (foreigners)
29 – Concord, California – Toyota Pavilion in Concord (Styx)
30 – Bend, OR – Hayden Homes Amphitheater (foreigners)

July
12 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater (Styx)
13 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion (foreigners)
15 – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium (Foreign)
17 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheater (Styx)
19 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre (foreigners)
20 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater (Styx)
23 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center (foreigners)
24 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live (Styx)
26 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center (Styx)
28 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion (foreigners)
30 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC (Foreigners)
31 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake (Styx)

August
2 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center (Styx)
3 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater (foreigners)
4 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion (Styx)
16 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater (Foreigners)
17 – Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater (Styx)
20 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at VB (foreigners)
21 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Walnut Creek (Styx)
23 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center (foreigners)
24 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheater (Styx)
26 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center Omaha (foreigner)
28 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center (Styx)