The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 26, 1981, Page Page 7, Image 7
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