Illinois Entertainer November 2014 | Page 12

dumb, stupid luck. I've got some of that going for me. I've really been focused my whole life on taking care of the vocals. I don't smoke, don't drink and I didn't do drugs, so that helps, and when I was younger, I hired people to yell at my children so it wouldn't hurt my vocal chords (smiles). IE: Are there any songs in the set list that surprised you during your revisitation? ferent versions than any other Styx song. Every kid who has a roll of tinfoil and an antenna does some kind of imitation of "Mr. Roboto" and it's crazy because I never thought of it as a single…Elevenyear-old-boys loved it in 1983 and 11year-old boys still love it in 2014. I look into the audience, and if parents bring their kids to see me, that's the song baby! Styx circa 1981, DeYoung (right) IE: How about the most meaningful song 11•2014 DDY: We do "Don't Let It End" acoustically, just me and Jimmy for the most part. It's really, really nice and I think I like it better than the original. I rarely say that because I don't care what anybody says, if Eric Clapton had released "Layla" acoustically first, it wouldn't have been a hit. That's my opinion of when you try to do something completely different. But "Don't Let It End" does work better. I think I'm singing it better, it's more intimate and it's lovely. IE: What's your biggest crowd pleaser these days? DDY: The response from "Mr. Roboto" is stunning. I honestly thought that would never happen, but they really do love that song. This is what I used to say about being in Jesus Christ Superstar after being in it for six months. "I can't explain it, but you can't deny it." If you went to YouTube to find "Mr. Roboto," there are more dif- to you personally and also the one fans seem to be most moved by? DDY: Well "Lady" changed my life. If I hadn't written it and it hadn't became a hit record, I wouldn't be talking to you, but I think probably "Come Sail Away" means the most to people. There's something in that song lyrically that connects with people. And all artists get this, not just me, where people sincerely come up to you and thank you for the music because it changed their life fundamentally and it saved their life fundamentally. You hear that and you think "I was just t