Hot off their Soundtrack of Summer tour, Styx played a sold out show to one of the biggest crowds of the year at Artpark. No rest for the wicked they say, so how would Styx fair in front of a crowd that hasn’t seen them in 7 years? It was like putting on an old pair of shoes. They fit perfectly!
The current incarnation of Styx is comprised of James J.Y. Young (guitars, keys, vocals), Tommy Shaw (guitars, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums), Ricky Philips (bass) and Lawrence Gowan (keys, vocals). Also, original bassist Chuck Panozzo still tours with them on occasion but was not with them for this show. The band gave the crowd lots of eye contact and moved around in such a way that it almost seemed choreographed at times. They came together at certain points and interacted with each other at certain parts which made for a real fun show for the fans.
Young showed his diversity by playing the keys for the beginning of “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man.)” Shaw, who still has a great set of locks on him I may add, enjoyed a spotlight on “Man in the Wilderness.” He was able to hit all the high notes during the song, showing he still has the range along with the harmonies he has always been known for. Gowan, whom you can almost call a local native (from Scarborough, Ontario), joked about how this was almost like home for him. He also kidded about the cross border shopping between the two countries. He also was all over the stage and on top of his keyboard at times which moved 360 degrees. Gowan really took center stage for the last few songs before the encore as he did a medley of songs from The Rolling Stones, Wings, and Queen. He then started “Come Sail Way” which brought the house down. Another highlight was “Sweet Madame Blue.” The songs sounded really great live and the band played it flawlessly.
Shaw bounced between acoustic and electric all night and was also very mobile. After 40 years in the business, I would classify Styx as consummate professionals. They come out to perform the classic songs you want to hear, and do it to their best of their ability. They played them with the enthusiasm of a young band, like it was the first time, almost acting as if they had to sing for their supper, so to speak. I was very impressed by that.
Setlist:
The Grand Illusion
Too Much Time on My Hands
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Lady
Light Up
Man in the Wilderness
Miss America
Crystal Ball
I Am the Walrus (The Beatles cover)
Suite Madame Blue
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Rolling Stones cover), Live & Let Die (Wings cover) and Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen cover) medley Come Sail Away
Encore:
Rockin’ the Paradise
Renegade
We would like to thank Amanda Cagan from ABC public Relations and Maria Hays from Artpark for her assistance in helping BackstageAxxess review the show.
