SMOOTH SAILING FOR DENNIS DEYOUNG AFTER STYX, CURRENT TAKES SINGER IN NEW DIRECTION.

Byline: Gerry Gittelson Staff Writer

Down but not out. That's singer Dennis DeYoung's story, and he's sticking with it.

The former lead vocalist for quintessential classic rock band Styx, DeYoung has been sidelined the past several years because of a rare eye disease that caused him to be ultrasensitive to light. Then he endured a major legal hassle with his former band mates, who continue to use the name Styx without DeYoung, the group's beloved original frontman and primary songwriter.

On the comeback trail, DeYoung is touring as a solo artist for the first time, and he's doing so in style. He'll team with a 40-piece orchestra and large children's choir for a much-anticipated concert at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts at 8 tonight.

DeYoung, 57, is scheduled to perform Styx classics such as ``Come Sail Away,'' ``Lady,'' ``Babe'' and ``Grand Illusion,'' along with solo hits such as ``Desert Moon.'' Every selection will be fleshed out by a wall of sound in a show that figures to be a breath of fresh air in a music climate increasingly littered with acts relying on looks but no hooks.

DeYoung said the tour has exceeded all expectations and he's eager to return to Southern California.

``It's like a dream for me to have the opportunity to stand in front of an audience and play the same music I've been playing for 30 years but with a full orchestra behind me,'' DeYoung said. ``It's a thrill to say the least.''

As for the troubled years preceding his return, DeYoung is happy to leave his problems behind. But he also is willing to put such misadventures in prospective.

``You know, every time I pick up the newspaper I read about people a lot worse off than me. I don't have any complaints. I've lived a charmed life,'' he said. ``The last few years haven't been the best of times. But life's always a struggle. It's like my song 'Grand Illusion.' Don't believe someone else's fantasies because they're always bigger than real life.''

DeYoung is the first to concede the face of pop music has changed drastically since Styx was in its prime in the late 1970s and early 80s. Back then, the Chicago-based group consistently played multiple nights at the Great Western or the L.A. Sports Arena.

However, Styx, and particularly DeYoung, continue to hold a special place in the hearts of rock fans, and most of these solo dates at 2,000- seaters have sold out.

That's got to make DeYoung feel good.

``I think with every generation we're getting a little bit further away from what the whole idea of rock music was in the first place,'' he said. ``In the '50s and the '60s it was all brand new. In the '70s, bands like us added a little bit of a different spin on it. But now it's become so diluted and far away from those first magical three chords. I like some of the songs on the radio these days just like everyone else. But it's highly disposable. We're in the remote-control generation, and nowadays it's click, click, click.''

That said, DeYoung vows to give Southern California fans an ambitious musical adventure.

``It's going to be different but it's still rock and roll, and it's still Styx music,'' he said. ``It really doesn't matter how you quantify it.''

DENNIS DeYOUNG

What: Former Styx frontman sings the band's music accompanied by a symphony orchestra and a children's choir.

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos.

When: 8 tonight.

Tickets: $42 to $72. Call [phone].

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

He may be touring with an orchestra, but Dennis DeYoung is still the ``modren man.'' The former Styx singer behind ``Mr. Roboto'' and other hits comes to the Cerritos Center tonight.