Back in December 2021 when I turned 50 my son asked me, “What’s it like to be 50 years old?” At first, I thought he was poking fun of my age, but I realized it was a serious question. He was curious about all the changes I’ve seen during my lifetime. And it made me introspective around the things I have seen change. In my lifetime I’ve seen 10 men become President of the United States. I watched the launching of every Space Shuttle and the tragedies of shuttles Columbia and Challenger. I watched on the news the Gulf War and the attack on 9/11. And musically, I watched portable music players (Walkman!) get replaced by streaming services. I watched cassettes get replaced with CDs. And, even crazier, the disappearance of vinyl records only to see them return!
When it comes to artists, it’s not as common to see many of them stay active for 20 years let alone 50! Metallica right now is only at 41! But, one of my favorite all-time rock bands, Styx celebrated their 50th anniversary on February 22, 2022. And two days before their anniversary, they performed at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL as part of the Mardi Gras Concert lineup.
Universal Studios had a huge crowd that day and everyone around was in a very jovial mood enjoying the rides, the food, and the parades and shows. As night fell onto Universal Studios, the crowd filled quickly in front of the Universal Studios music stage to see Styx and it was a crowd of all ages. Over 50 years of time, generations of fans who’ve been with Styx from the start passed down their love of the band to their children and even to their grandchildren. And when the lights dimmed and Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitar), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), James “JY” Young (vocals, guitar), Ricky Phillips (bass), Todd Sucherman (drums), and Will Evankovich (guitar) stepped out on stage the crowd went absolutely wild. And with good reason, the fans were in for the show of their life.
The band introed into the show with “The Fight of Our Lives” from their 17th studio album Crash of the Crown. Though the song is short, it has a beautiful lead-in by Lawrence on the keyboards and a fantastic harmony between Tommy, JY, Ricky, and Lawrence. But for just under two minutes, it is so uplifting and absolutely was a great way to open the show. From there they moved to “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)” from the 1978 album Pieces of Eight. This is one of the songs you’ll always hear the crowd sing along to because it’s so catchy, and just so so good. Tommy’s vocals are pitch perfect during the song, Lawrence is a master at the keyboard, and JY’s guitar playing is truly amazing. “The Grand Illusion” the title track from their 7th studio album from 1977 was next in the set. A beautiful song in their catalog reminding people not to be fooled by the illusions of television and radio and that your life is just as good as everyone else. A powerful message for a wonderful song.
One of the things I love about Styx is how their music is really for everyone. They have wonderful rock ballads like “Lady” and my personal favorite “Crystal Ball” to fun rocking songs like “Rocking The Paradise” and “Too Much Time on My Hands”. Overall, it’s their personalities and musical talent of Styx that win the hearts of fans. Tommy has always been a heartthrob to fans since he joined the band and with his slick guitar playing and amazing vocals, you can’t help but be a fan. And when you see Tommy rock the guitar and let loose it’s phenomenal. Lawrence is a classically trained pianist who takes his grandmaster skill to rock and transforms the keyboards into a whole new level of playing. Plus, he’s a wonderful vocalist. But, it’s his energy on-stage that wins over his fans with his dancing and showmanship, especially when he threw on the technicolor jacket for “Rockin’ the Paradise” from their 1981 album Paradise Theatre. JY is the cornerstone of Styx and his years behind the microphone and the mic have always been striking. When the spotlight is on him during guitar solos all eyes are on him and his playing is smooth as silk and the notes are beautiful coming out of that guitar. Yet when you put him behind the mic, he shines even brighter with that deep voice full of passion. While Ricky may be quiet except during backing vocals with a solid voice, his bass playing is supreme. Those deep vibes, that thrumming ripples through the speakers with such great sounds. And his smile is infectious. And Todd, a 10 time Modern Drummer Magazine Reader’s Poll winner 10 times, what more can you say?! He’s an amazing man behind the drums, animated, focused, and a master at his craft. There’s a good reason why he’s won that award so many times. And newly added Will, who produced Styx’s last two albums The Mission and Crash of the Crown is an excellent guitarist and plays up to the crowd.
But, we could never forget another cornerstone of Styx, Chuck Panozzo. One of the original founding members plays the bass like no other and has such a beautiful groove in his music and style as well. And while Chuck doesn’t usually tour with the band, you can bet he will always be on stage with them when they come to Florida. The moment he stepped out on stage, the crowd went wild, and stayed to perform a few songs with the band including “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” from The Grand Illusion. Even better, when Lawrence played his piano solo titled “Khedive”, Chuck and Lawrence performed their own small solo song titled “Lost at Sea” and it was great! It was awesome to see him back grace the stage again.
Styx wrapped up their set with one of their most famous songs, “Come Sail Away” also from The Grand Illusion. And it’s that song that has everyone in the crowd singing along because it’s just that type of song. I absolutely love hearing it live. The energy from the band, from the crowd, the lights, it all blends so perfectly together. After they finished the band walked off stage, but it didn’t take long before they came back to wrap up the evening. First, they performed “Mr. Roboto” from the 1983 album Killroy Was Here. It always surprises me to hear them play it since they didn’t have it in their setlist for a while. It’s a great song and a lot of fun to see the crowd sing along to it. They finished the evening with possibly my all-time favorite Styx song, “Renegade” from Pieces of Eight. It’s a hard rock song with a phenomenal cadence.
You can find info on their music, merch, and tour plans HERE. The setlist from that night was:
- The Fight of Our Lives
- Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
- The Grand Illusion
- Lady
- Reveries
- Crystal Ball
- Rockin’ the Paradise
- Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
- Crash of the Crown
- Too Much Time on My Hands
- Khedive/Lost at Sea
- Come Sail Away
Encore
- Mr. Roboto
- Renegade
Overall, it was an excellent performance from Styx and a really fun show to watch. I would never miss a live Styx show and I highly recommend seeing their performances. I look forward to the next time Styx comes to town and you should too.
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