Band takes crowd back in time with '70s, '80s tunes
The audience at the Pepsi Grandstand was treated to a "Grand Illusion" Saturday night when Styx took the stage at the South Carolina State Fair.
Styx, best known for hits like "Come Sail Away," "Lady," "Renegade" and "Mr. Roboto," had its heyday in the 1970s and '80s. Only two of the band's original members still tour with the band, but the current lineup rocked its way through a 14-song set list and proved that Styx was still worthy of a standing ovation.
The long, winding lines to get into the Pepsi Grandstand delayed concert start time by about 10 minutes. Fans weren't annoyed by the delay; many anxiously sat on the edge of their seats, excited to see the band take the stage. Styx drew a large crowd; the majority of seats were filled and only a few empty rows remained in the west stands.
The band's set started with a high energy version of "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)." Keyboardist Lawrence Gowan danced around his piano, which was placed on a platform that rotated 360 degrees. Guitarist and vocalist Tommy Shaw urged audience members to clap along, which they did happily. The stage was illuminated with pink, yellow, purple and blue flashing lights, which blended in nicely with the glow of the Ferris wheel outside the Grandstand.
All band members still sport long, flowing locks reminiscent of popular '80s hairstyles. Styx dressed like rock stars, too. Gowan looked spiffy in a black leather jacket. Shaw wore what can only be described as shiny black leggings and a slightly opened button-down white shirt. Bassist Ricky Phillips looked a bit like present-day Billy Ray Cyrus in a white shirt, black vest and shiny boots.
After "Blue Collar Man," Styx launched into "Grand Illusion," complete with spot-on vocal harmonies and well-played piano and guitar solos. All band members, except drummer Todd Sucherman, shared mic time either on lead vocals or backup.
"Are you warmed up, South Carolina? Welcome to the grand illusion," Shaw said.
The band followed with "Too Much Time on My Hands," engaging the audience with a call-and-response during the song's chorus.
Styx took it slow for a while with a stunning rendition of "Lady."
"Let me take it in for a moment – all the pretty lights and all the pretty people," Gowan said.
Guitarist James "J.Y." Young addressed the audience, saying "Lady" was the band's first single "back in the Jurassic ages." The band then played "Lorelei," the single released after "Lady" in 1974, and an acoustic performance of "Man in the Wilderness," a song the band rarely performs these days that showed of Shaw's powerful range on the final note.
Following "Man in the Wilderness," Gowan took a moment to quiz the audience.
"This is the philosophical part of the show. It's not all cotton candy at the fair," Gowan said.
Gowan delivered quotes by Muhammad Ali and Confucius along with Styx lyrics, asking the audience who said each quote. The band rejoined Gowan and played "I'm OK," followed by three tracks off "Crystal Ball" (1976), Shaw's first album with Styx.
At one point during the show, Shaw asked the crowd who had seen Styx before, and the majority of the audience whooped and hollered. There were a few audience members who were seeing Styx for the first time Saturday, though.
During the end of the show, Shaw brought original Styx bassist Chuck Panozzo on stage to play "Fooling Yourself" with the band.
After playing "Miss America," Gowan gave the audience another test, asking them to finish lyric of classic songs like The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and Queen's "Fat Bottomed Girls." Gowan then began playing the Styx classic "Come Sail Away," jumping on the keyboard once the band rejoined him and the fast-paced bridge kicked in. A fog machine and streamer cannon were utilized during the final song, too. It was obvious a number of older fans were in the crowd, as lighters were held in the air in addition to cellphones.
Concertgoers banged their feet on the bleachers until Styx returned for an encore. Band members threw T-shirts and larger items that looked like Snuggies into the crowd. Panozzo returned to the stage to play "Paradise" and "Renegade."
The band displayed a friendly dynamic throughout the set. Band members praised each other between songs, and it was clear that these guys truly enjoy making music together. Like true stars, all five band members joined hands with Panozzo and took a bow, taking in a well-deserved round of applause and thanking the audience for rocking with them.