LIVE: STYX – August 2, 2018

Venue: Centennial Terrace

City: Sylvania, OH

Date: August 2, 2018

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

Once Styx’s tour with Joan Jett and Tesla ended, I was disappointed I wouldn’t get to see the band this year (I was out of town when they landed at a local venue), but was elated to learn of another date for the band at Centennial Terrace in Syvania, OH just outside of Toledo.  I made my way to teh venue in anticipation of a great show.  From the moment the lights went down to the moment they came back up after 17 killer Styx classics new and old, I had a song on my lips and a smile on my face.  As the band ripped into the opener “Gone Gone Gone” from their last release and current re-release The Misson, I could hardly keep my camera still as I found myself rocking along as they worked through the track.  Next up was the massive one-two punch of “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)” and “The Grand Illusion.”  Both songs were delivered with precision and were sonically stronger than they have been in recent years.  The band slowed a bit with “Lady” before launching into another modern track with the single “Radio Silence.”  The banter from Lawrence Gowan (keyboards / vocals), James Young (guitars / vocals) and Tommy Shaw (guitars / vocals) kept the crowd engaged and demonstrated just how well they band is getting along these days.  Some of that banter lead into both “Light Up” which was introduced my Young and “Crystal Ball” which was given a storyteller effect from Shaw.  Other classics such as “Miss America” and “Rockin’ the Paradise” dotted the musical landscape and set the stage for another new track, “The Greater Good.”  With the trio leading the songs musically, you cannot deny the strength of Ricky Phillips and Todd Sucherman on bass and drums respectively anchoring the show from track to track.  While the band took us on a journey through their catalog, including arguably two of the biggest tracks in the set – “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” and “Too Much Time on My Hands” – the band slowly whittled the time away toward the encore… which most fans were aware of and couldn’t wait to wrap their heads and hearts around… the addition of long archived track “Mr. Roboto” which got the crowd on their feet and set the stage for set closer “Renegade.”  This song was as strong as the first and the band demonstrated to one and all why they are able to tour year in and year out – they are getting better with each album ,show, and tour… I cannot wait to see what they do next, especially live.

Setlist: Gone Gone Gone – Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) – The Grand Illusion – Lady – Radio Silence – Light Up – Crystal Ball – Miss America – Man in the Wilderness – Rockin’ the Paradise – The Greater Good – Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) – Too Much Time on My Hands – Khedive – Come Sail Away – Mr. Roboto – Renegade

Complete set of STYX show photos HERE

STYX LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FAC

EBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries