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tii iLertaini Rip-off: By Danny Powell Staff Writer Last Thursday's Styx concert at the Carolina Coliseum was in nlain pnnuoh terms, a big rip-off. One would think that a band that goes on tour promoting a new album and stage concept would play the new LP to death and leave out much of the early material. But for some reason beyond comprehension, Styx did the exact opposite. The group did not even play all of the songs on the album, leaving off possibly some of the best tracks on the disc. The concert began without an opening band, which is one of the bad points of the evening. Without the sound of another group to pump up the audience in preperation for "the main PVf*nt " Stvv W9? unina tn hauo fn , "V.W VV ^ VV put on one hell of an opening. It did not happen. THE OPENING was a janitor sweeping the floor in front of the image of the Paradise Theater. Then the spotlight hit a lone Dennis DeYoung standing beside a piano, and he went into the new LP's introduction number of "A. D. 1928." When he got to the last word of the intro, "paradise (what else)," the screened image of the theater raised to reveal explosions and the rest of the band, which went right into the next number of the nlhnm ,4Ro^kin' Thp Paradise." The next three tunes proved lifeless and dull enough to make the first few rows grow quiet, and those a. the rows that are usually the rowd'est in any concert. Tiougl the songs were \erv popular, the crowd could not get excited by the seemingly uninspired band. "Blue Collar Man," "The Grand Illusion" and "Lights" were so boring that the only applause came when some ignorant fan set off a string of firecrackers. Though the beginning was sluggish, the beat picked up after a DeYoung piano recital of classical music led into the band's Aun's Feed I LEXINGTON ? On a slow Lexington i Saturday night at Aun's cilmen eat tl Feed Stable 19 miles from Grammar s< Columbia, owner Fred Aun and grandpa is standing behind a counter the deli. Its preparing a monstrous faltering and sandwich while his father, considering 69-year old Michael accepts another in th money for his cash register area. The front of the place is a genuine delicatessan, not a 4,I FELL ir household word in the south. Arbor (Mich. The back is a lounge there for decorated with ornate Michigan) gi painting and stunning hand- Fred, his fact carved figures pasted to the a thick beard wall. A sign in the doorway glasses with between the front and back souvenir swe reads "What the hell are you to his body. " looking up here for *' " was a lot mo A converted Army down here." barracks turned business in Fred is the 1975, Aun's Feed Stable is children. The slowly becoming one of the George, Micl most prestigious taverns in Charlie, Jef South Carolina. OUI John, Franci: magazine wrote that it was except one one of the country's top ten. throughout Sc 'Z ...,I Z. ' ^ omside'/*JS, mentTLL- ? Styx at 1 first big hit, "Lady." The spirit of the audience was raised by this favorite-fromthe-past, which set the pace for the remainder of the concert. SHAW'S acoustic guitar solo, with the audience keeping time with their claps, was a good example of the newest members' expertise on the guitar. Shaw is a fantastic musican that could do well with or without the band. When the rest of the band returned to the stage with Shaw, they did the theme song from their "Crystal Ball" album. It was a good, stirring rendition of the tune, and it was apparent the band was finally waking up to perform. The next song never made the charts, but it is one of the best songs Styx has ever recorded. "Suite Madame Blue" was the only song the group performed from their "Equinox" album and one of the best they did all night. But perhaps I am a little biased at this point, because it is my favorite Styx tune. AFTER A brief "State Street Sadie," Styx did another new song and their current single release, "Best of Times." It was an exueueiu version 01 me song, much r>etter than what is on the album, and was finally coming to full life. "Fooling Yourself" was the next song and the crowd truly enjoyed it. The response was surprisingly long and energetic, which is what they needed for what was to come next. James Young took the solo spotlight, and *. ifter relating his disrespect of his mother's desires for soft music, he did a guitar solo that was very good. The solo was an intro for the next tune, "Miss America," which Young also had the solo honors. After DeYoung came back on stage and sang a solo tribute ("Babe") to the released 52 American hostages, Styx did "Renegade" and "Come Sail Away," with a dazzling light show complementing their sound. The audience resDonded tremen Stable a friern County coun ic St. Andrews i love with Ann ) when I was up the (USC ime," drawled i hidden behind ? , mustache and his Michigan Father Michael files atshirt clinging empty beer bottles into wire I thought there slots and then sits down for re we could do coffee. The night before, he went to a fish fry and since fifth oldest of 11 he's lost 85 percent of his re's also Mary, stomach, got drunk rather hiael, Lorraine, quickly. That night, after he mnie, Teresa, took Tylenol, Michael fell out s and Andy. All of bed and remembered that are scattered his wife said, "You can't eat )uth Carolina. oysters and fish and drink." WhMWF^-* -^\W vljP^Li i! ab/o (Photo by Chip Lowell) _?__ ? i , ,, ...II ! . the Colij [ ~- -~J7fr 'lit* r~"i^_r - - ~::pi~/~ fBL * Dennis De Young sing. dously as the group left the stage. At last, Styx had peaked for the night. "WE WANT Styx!" was the chant of the audience until the five member band reutrned for their only encore. "Borrowed Time" and "Half-Penny, Two-Penny" were the two encore songs, before DeYoung began the ending to the "Paradise Theater" album, "A.D. 1958." dlv stoo off b M f * f nside Entertainment Mr. Aun has decorated the Feed Stable with scenes of locations in North Carolina, " ?H Kentucky and Tennessee. There are waterfalls, cow boys, mountain, horses and ; the transplanted northern r father from Summit, New Jersey has given the business - l a foundation - ' J&S? "SURE I'D run it differently," he says, stroking Cus his snow-white hair which complements his mustache. "E5ut it's Fred's business and dragging he can do what he wants as concerned at far as I'm concerned." their conceri The entertainment is by different nightly. Saturday, mospheres a folk singer played to an delectable ( uninterested, small crowd of anfl a choice 22 people. But Friday's, "we beers. have them sitting on the floor," Mr. Aunsays. "YOU'VE your bread Fred said Fred will tell about the evening, his Feed Stable s ac- his business i complishments. One might "We've got a hear about the profits of the wishing well outside going to As the 1 the local children's hospital machine chi or the February Sl'm scoring, F Whitman party proceeds to Reubens, Ho be donated to the Garcia specialties, i Birds, a black family whose bottles of bee insuranceless house burned guests. Abov down right before they loves a good moved in last Christmas. friends tha But the Ann's are not imitation am >eum "HH| s 'Renegade' (Photo by John Parne/I) Styx did not play any of their tunes like they were live songs; they played more of their tunes like they were in a recording studio. Even though the music, for the most pa. t. was excellent and the light show was marvelous, it was a disappointing night for Styx fans. The concert couid have been 100 percent better if Columbia were not such a minor stop in Styx's world tour lighway 6 torr>or* or"r,,/ d ? ?'? atmosphere (Photo bx Chip Lowe/// ThoW" ?"'* M,c> thai - ,,M*>nds H>m others ami _ ; 4 ; i ,V1 ? Ann 4/*.-\. n?\ a Uio ! IN rpilOIIll/A'U "" 1 F>" ,w ndliest of at- homo next door for most of the most the day. He'll either be at the sandwiches Feed Stable, go fishing in the of 45 different -afternoons or tell his customers some fish stories. He'll drink with the best of GOT to realize them because he is one of the and butter," best: more concerned with later in the making the place better than eagerness for he can ever realize. family here?"* <?"* down tamuy nere. hi., hway 37K and then ironco pinball highway 6 to 207 South l^ake med out some Drive is worth driving just r??rl nrpnaroH for the Ann atmn<nh??r?? r. ~~ ? r,,v^ v agies and other There are other bars in grabbed a few Columbia, but when the r and served his Lexington residents gather e all, Fred Aun for some good company and I party and the their voices drown out the t sit on the music of the visting band, mal-skin chairs there's no place better