Growing up, I had all of Styx’s albums, including their first 2 albums and their first Greatest Hits album, which didn’t include a lot of their more famous songs. They were one of my favorite bands and were frequently listened to. So, to say I was looking forward to seeing them in concert is an understatement. Sunday night they put on a great performance and I wasn’t disappointed.
The band has undergone a few changes, the biggest being the absence of Dennis DeYoung, but sound as good as ever. Some of the original band members are still with the band, including guitarist/lead vocalist Tommy Shaw, guitarist/vocalist James “J.Y.” Young and bassist Chuck Panozzo. Shaw may be a lot older, but still has excellent range. The band joked about their age and how most of the songs were originally released over 40 years ago. The average age in the crowd was over 40, but were ready to rock. Judging by the reaction of the crowd – there were a lot of hugs and high five’s in the audience, a lot of people enjoyed the performance.
The set list was a greatest hits compilation along with a few new songs (Overture, Gone Gone Gone and Radio Silence) from their latest CD “The Mission” which was released in 2017. It was a fun night and great to see Styx performing live again.
Set list : Overture / Gone Gone Gone / Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) / The Grand Illusion / Lady / Light Up / Radio Silence / Miss America / Crystal Ball / Rockin’ the Paradise / Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) / Too Much Time on My Hands / Come Sail Away
Encore: Mr. Roboto / Renegade
Yes – great concert. Styx performs about 150 times per year, so go out and see them. No flashy graphics in the background, just great music from the best years of a lot of baby boomers lives (late 70’s/early 80’s). Tommy Shaw still has a great voice. Some of my favorites were Mr. Roboto; not a huge fan of the song when it came out, but performed live it was loud, melodic and the drum player just killed it. The drummer was recently voted one of the best in the world by the way. Also great live versions of Renegade and Rockin’ the Paradise (not from the concert, but a great clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWaft0Fdb8U)