I highly recommend seeing Styx on this tour...

[zekeyou]

I saw them in Augusta, GA last night and see they are in south GA tomorrow (Valdosta) and have a few more shows before the summer tour with Kansas and Foreigner. Honestly, this was probably in my top 15 live performances.

Well, I went into the show expecting something decent--but WOW! Given the longevity of James Young/Tommy Shaw, they are pretty much more simpatico than most guitar tandems out there-- and still very energetic, and hell, ambulatory. Since Dennis Deyoung was jettisoned back in the late 90's, they've had the same clone-y guy singing/playing keys, and their rhythm section has been around for a decade or so. Their original bass player also apparently tours with them and occasionally plays on select songs.

Back to Young/Shaw-- their trademark vocal harmonies are still very crisp, and thrown together with the singer easily replicate all the classic material-- and without strain, too. Thankfully (for me, anyways), the band stayed clear of all their modern output and stuck with the 'hits'. For a change, too, I felt like I was one of the younger guys in attendance...

1) Medley: Borrowed Time/Mr. Roboto/Rockin' the Paradise/Superstars/Half Penny-Two Penny/Borrowed Time
2) The Grand Illusion
3) Too Much Time on My Hands
4) Lady
5) Lorelei
6) Snowblind
7) I Am the Walrus (Beatles)
8 ) High Enough (Damn Yankees)
9) Crystal Ball
10) Suite Madame Blue
11) Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) (also with bassist Chuck Panozzo)
12) Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
13) Miss America
14) Come Sail Away (also with Chuck Panozzo)

Encore:
15) Renegade (also with Chuck Panozzo)

Also, I believe tonight marks the first time I've seen a Supertramp t-shirt. In the last 2 1/2 decades, anyways.

 

[drmetal8]

Seeing them tonight from the 7th row here in Orlando at Hard Rock Live. Saw them last summer on their tour with REO Speedwagon and 38 Special. Great show!
Looking forward to the show tonight. Styx have become one of my favorite bands over the years. Now if I could just convince them to play "Queen of Spades" somehow....

Btw, that opening medley sounds awesome! Can't wait to hear that!! Thanks for the setlist.

 

[zekeyou]

Seeing them tonight from the 7th row here in Orlando at Hard Rock Live. Saw them last summer on their tour with REO Speedwagon and 38 Special. Great show!
Looking forward to the show tonight. Styx have become one of my favorite bands over the years. Now if I could just convince them to play "Queen of Spades" somehow....

Btw, that opening medley sounds awesome! Can't wait to hear that!! Thanks for the setlist.

Beware the medley is only about 5 minutes long-- so only snippets of most, with the bulk being Borrowed Time....

Yeah, a good friend had told me he saw them a few years back and he was surprised at how great they sounded-- and was right-- that band is very, very tight and they (Young and Shaw in particular) still look and play like they are having the times of their lives.

 

[drmetal8]

Yeah i figured the medley was short. Amazing that they are coming out to Borrowed Time. I agree, they sounded awesome when I saw them last year. Styx are one of the best live bands I have ever seen. I was lucky enough to catch a Todd Sucherman drumstick. Man that guy is an amazing drummer.

 

[zekeyou]

Prior to the show I was checking out reviews of recent shows-- the medley appears to be tweaked a bit, and I know they said last night was the first time on the tour they were playing "High Enough". In Myrtle Beach earlier in the week they also did "Boat on the River" and a song I'm not familiar with called "One With Everything" from one of the more recent albums.

And yes, that guy can drum. Their main bass player (not Panozzo) is pretty solid, too.

 

[drmetal8]

I think them playing High Enough is cool. (And it also shows how much say Tommy has over the band.) Did they do the "Yes!/No!" part of Borrowed Time?
Just made a CD of the setlist to get into the flow of the songs. Btw, Chuck has HIV but is still a very important member of Styx.

 

[VenomGA]

pretty sweet setlist for the most part!!

 

[Guardian of the Blind]

I seen Styx last summer with REO and they were fantastic. I went because my father in law wanted to see REO and I’ve never seen Styx so I went. I have always enjoyed Styx but I wouldn’t call myself a fan. But their show made me a fan. I was surprised on how many ‘hits’ they had. They just went through them and I was like, ‘hey, this is a good one…and another…and another…’ I really like the cover of I am the Walruses. That was the coolest version I have heard of that song. I’m still on the fence about going this summer but these old(er) guys can still rock

That's cool they played High Enough. That song is really good. I was hoping for that last summer.

 

[Bryant]

I saw them in Augusta, GA last night and see they are in south GA tomorrow (Valdosta) and have a few more shows before the summer tour with Kansas and Foreigner. Honestly, this was probably in my top 15 live performances.

I was born, raised, reside and probably will die in Alabama, so Tommy Shaw was/is a long-time favorite of mine, but all bias aside, the guy is 56 going on 29. He is one bundle of energy and one hell of a guitarist/singer/performer.


Bryant

 

[Dolamite S. Biffle]

My dad and I are seeing this them this summer with Foreigner, but oddly enough the Kansas date for the tour lacks the band of said state

 

[AMBR]

Damn, no place near me 'cept Mohigan Sun, ugh.

 

[LarryD]

I'm old school Styx here -- meaning that Styx isn't Styx without Dennis DeYoung.....

Saw Dennis here in Rhode Island a few weeks ago, and he pretty much mirrored that setlist, with some of his solo stuff injected as well and you'd swear it was the original Styx playing .....

His 2 guitar players not only sounded like JY and Tommy, they actually looked like them as well ......

I saw the Styx concert special on HD Net with the children's choir, and I agree that they did sound great -- and the Lawrence Gowan does indeed sound like Dennis, but to me -- Styx is not Styx without Dennis ........

I asked the wife if she wanted to go see this show, especially with Kansas playing, and she asked if Dennis would be there, and I said no .... she said, well then I guess we are not going ......

Wish they would patch things up and get back to being Styx one more time .....

 

[Met-Al]

I think I'll be checking out this tour when it comes to Chicago, but I'm more interested in seeing Foreigner and Kansas. Foreigner's new album sounds just like what I want to hear from them: solid, catchy, radio-friendly rock tunes that will most likely never make it to radio. Kelly Hansen is the perfect replacement for Lou Gramm, and the addition of Jeff Pilson just seals the deal for me. Kansas is always a good time live, though I do wish they would make another album. Their last one was incredible, but it's been ten years since its release. What gives?


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

 

[the rhythm]

I was going to see this, but I was out of town on business. It's very rare that a show I want to see comes to Augusta. I'd love to drive 15 minutes to one. Does anyone know who is headlining the Styx/Foreigner/Kansas tour?

 

[drmetal8]

Well, it looks like you got the better show in Augusta than we got here in Orlando tonight. (Our show was to benefit the 'Coalition for the Homeless' here in Central Florida.) Not sure why, but I think that played a part in the abbreviated set list.

We got almost the same set list, but minus several songs. They didn't do Snowblind, High Enough, Crystal Ball or Suite Madame Blue.
They played everything else you listed in order. On the opening medley, they inserted part of Pieces of Eight and there was no Superstars or Half-Penny, Two-Penny.
Only about an hour and 10 minute performance, but it was top-notch as usual. Just felt like we got screwed out of a whole show.

 

[Yippee38]

I might go see them with Kansas and Foreigner. That would be a cool tour.

 

[Andy Laudano]

And yes, that guy can drum. Their main bass player (not Panozzo) is pretty solid, too.

That was Ricky Phillips from The Babys/Bad English

 

[Andy Laudano]

I think I'll be checking out this tour when it comes to Chicago, but I'm more interested in seeing Foreigner and Kansas. Foreigner's new album sounds just like what I want to hear from them: solid, catchy, radio-friendly rock tunes that will most likely never make it to radio. Kelly Hansen is the perfect replacement for Lou Gramm, and the addition of Jeff Pilson just seals the deal for me. Kansas is always a good time live, though I do wish they would make another album. Their last one was incredible, but it's been ten years since its release. What gives?


Stay metal. Never rust.
Albert

I've seen this version of Foreigner a few times already and they are amazing! The new album is awesome, Kelly Hansen is a fantastic frontman who really does justice to the classic material and Mick Jones seems to be having the time of his life playing with Jeff Pilson. The first couple of times I saw them they also had Jason Bonham in the lineup, but Brian Titchy sounds great as well. I've loved Foreigner since high school and was very skeptical when I heard Mick was planning to tour without Lou Gramm who I think is one of the best singers ever. I only went that first time to get my Dokken CDs autographed (I only needed Jeff to complete) and they completely blew me away. Do not skip seeing this band because Lou isn't with them. This band kicks ass!

 

[Andy Laudano]

Kansas is always a good time live, though I do wish they would make another album. Their last one was incredible, but it's been ten years since its release. What gives?

From what I've heard, Steve Walsh just doesn't want to record any new music. The rest of the band made a new album together called Native Window and it's really good - check it out. Bassist Billy Greer does the vocals and he has a great voice (also check out a killer project he did called Seventh Key).

 

[kvona1]

I caught the show in Orlando as well last night....band sounded fantastic as stated above, but I was really disappointed on the shortened set list. Especially, after seeing some set lists from earlier in the month. I figured An Evening with Styx was going to be a 2 hour performance with some deeper cuts....not the case. Set length aside, the band still sounds great!!