Styx

We experienced the guys in Murphys, California on a near full moon. This is the eleventh time for me in nearly forty years and the fifth time with this lineup. Though there are songs and moments we all expect in a Styx show, there were also some nice surprises and successful road-testing of their more recent material this evening.
As always, they put on a spirited, highly professional show. The sound mix was clear and plenty loud, though a little too muddy in the bottom end for me - this might have been an issue with the house sound.
Singer-keyboardist Lawrence Gowan has emerged as the showman of the group, with Tommy Shaw is a steady yet passionate frontman. Gowan spun his keyboard, pranced about when not providing keyboard support and stood on his stool with his other foot planted on the keyboard for "Come Sail Away". The rhythm section of Ricky Phillips on bass and Todd Sucherman on drums was steady and unassailably in the pocket with the rest of the band. Their vocal harmonies and arrangements were spot-on. Founding member Chuck Panozzo took the stage for a short duet with Gowan on the brand-new "Lost at Sea". Chuck remained on stage for the later classics, including Renegade and Mr. Roboto. Most of the songs we all know rocked: The Grand Illusion, Lady, Fooling Yourself and Blue Collar Man.
They opened with the first song on their new album, "The Fight of Our Lives" and soared later in the set with "Sound The Alarm". The uplift it provided was only boosted by the rest of the songs. Also onstage with an electric guitar was Will Evankovich, who co-wrote a lot of the material from 2017's The Mission and this year's Crash of the Crown. He was curiously underused here, as the group did not play any songs that would have benefited from another set of strings. "The Red Storm", "Our Wonderful Lives" or even "Boat on a River" come to mind.
Which leads to my only quibble: The set was way too short. REO Speedwagon, the opener, played for at least ninety minutes; Styx performed for a little over an hour. They have such a great body of work and energy to spare - why didn't they play a few more songs tonight?

Styx are not only know as legendary recording artists, but as legendary rock performers. With such a prolific career it would be easy to see how they could slip over the years. However, I was able to see them recently and I can assure you, they have lost nothing.

I went to the concert a bit skeptical. Could the Styx I love still bring the rock? As I stood waiting for the show to start I noticed the crowd was a lot of young kids and older adults. It’s impressive that a band like Styx can bring together multiple generations. Everybody seemed real fans of the band. No one just standing around with there arms crossed like you see at a lot of concerts.

The second the band took the stage everyone took to their feet. The band didn’t wait a moment to engage us. With a “Are you ready to rock?” they jumped right into “Blue Collar Man”, one of my favorites. From then on the show was an hour straight of all the songs you remembered and some you had even forgot you knew. There was really something for everyone. The concert ended with an energy-overloaded performance of “Come Sail Away” followed by the radio favorite “Mr. Roboto”. Even after the show stopped and the lights came up, everyone was still talking about the set list. While it may sound crazy, seeing Styx live should be something everyone does before they die.

What an amazing show! The opening act for United We Rock was Don Felder and wow! He sounded great and he played all of the Eagles massive hits.

Then Styx came out and the crowd went nuts! They started off with their new hit song "Gone, Gone, Gone" and their set just kept getting better as they went on! I've seen several Styx shows and each time I cant imagine they getting better, but they do! Tommy Shaw apologized that he had had a cold, but honestly, you couldn't prove it by me. His voice was just as strong and true as ever! The applause was thunderous when they ended and they came out for an encore of the best version I've ever heard of "Paradise Theater"and their signature end of show "Renegade".

The last was REO Speedwagon. They were wonderful as well. I am a massive Styx fan so I didn't know as many of REO's songs I did enjoy it very much.

The only thing I would have changed was that Styx would have been the headliner. People seemed to be leaving a third of the way through REO's set. Of course it could have been that the concert was on a Tuesday night and I'm sure not everyone was able to take the next day off and it did take almost 30 minutes to get out of the parking lot.

All in all this was an epic show and I will certainly attend more Styx shows!

Followed the boys for 3 shows. Catoosa, Enid, and Durant. Each show was better than the one before. Styx still rocks the house better than anyone. Tommy Shaw still has a awesome voice, JY makes the guitar sound better than ever, Lawrence Gowen is a awesome keyboardist, Ricky's bass playing kicks you in gear, Todd Sucherman is one of the most fantastic drummers I've ever had the pleasure to watch, and it was great to see Chuck still out there laying it down. I cannot express how awesome these guys are! It's also refreshing to them still having fun after all these years. Catch them if you get a chance, you will not be disappointed.
Paula B.

The concert was wonderful! They each still have the talent of their youth. The vocals and guitar were still very impressive. I became a fan later in their career, so they played a lot of music I didn't know, but I enjoyed it all. They have so much good music to pick from, they didn't play all of my favorites. I missed "Babe" and "Best of Times" in particular, but I would have also loved to hear "Don't Let It End" and "Mr. Roboto," which I didn't expect them to play anyway. They had some showmanship as well, so I can easily recommend seeing their show.

As always Styx was phenomenal. Celebrity theater doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. They haven’t lost a step. They still sound like they did in the seventies. Great stage show and fan friendly. They reach out to the crowd and fist bump high five. Each song takes you back when rock was rock. Phoenix loves Styx so much they sell out back to back shows every time. Going to the second show tonight. If you get a chance to see them don’t miss it. They are the best.

My husband, our friends and family, as well as myself, ALL LOVED Styx!! We just recently saw them last year on A Carnival Cruise, as well! They are great. My only complaint is that we were unable to see them due to the venue, Sleeptrain Ampitheater being a VERY Large Ampitheater and there was nothing of them put up on the Jumbotrons for the people out on the grass or in the top back seats. That was a bummer. Other than that, they sounded amazing!!

First time seeing the legendary Styx. I have always enjoyed their mysic in the past, but would not have considered myself a huge fan. The times, they have changed.

Musically, better than listening to anything that had been recorded. Showmanship was better than most young bands out now.

Styx has gained my greater appreciation of their music & their live show. I will definitely pay to see them everytime they come through the NW.

This was the second time that I have seen STYX, and it was great again!! They are incredible musicians and wonderful singers. However, if you are hoping to hear some of their pop hits (Babe and Mr. Roboto for example), you will not hear them. The older rock hits are showstoppers and they rocked them hard!! If you are a fan of the rock hits, you will love the concert. I did!!!

Styx was awesome! Like they always are. However, the sound was inconsistent as far as volume. I know it was windy but there was something else going on.
Again Styx was great. I last saw them about 16 years ago. The are so consistent, they play the songs from 40 years ago like they just wrote them! Highly recommend seeing Styx.