It may be easy to be tempted to brush them off as just another novelty classic rock act, but the current incarnation of Styx has a substantial amount of credibility behind them. Most members of the band – aside from the founders and members of the classic lineup – have been in the group for the better part of three decades, they’re still recording and releasing new albums, and they are continuing to deliver live shows that help cement their legacy, including a recent stop at the Bloomsburg Fair in Bloomsburg, Pa. on September 26.
At this point in their career, it seems like Styx is always on tour and coming to a city near you. While that may be true, there will undoubtedly be new material in their set as the band has a penchant for cracking out new albums at an almost alarming pace. Such is the case with the recently-released “Circling from Above,” the band’s 18 th studio offering and an album that was featured with the opening number of the spacey keyboard driven “Build and Destroy.” The song featured some incredibly tight harmonies throughout, a testament to the way Styx has perfected their sound throughout the last 50 plus years.
Knowing it can be easy to lose a crowd with too much new material early on in the set, the opening number was followed up by a one-two shot of crowd favorites, a sing-along to “Too Much Time on My Hands,” and the elaborate orchestration of the power hit, “The Grand Illusion.” Along with their Top 40 rockers, Styx has earned numerous fans through their power ballads, perhaps none more than “Lady.” As he has for more than 20 years, keyboardist Lawrence Gowan – someone who sounds like former keyboardist Dennis DeYoung but still adds his own touch to the music – guided both the band and crowd flawlessly through the song.
Another cut from “The Grand Illusion” album, the guitar-heavy “Miss America” showcased founding guitarist and singer James “JY” Young who sounded in fine form on the number. As is the case with most Styx shows, their back catalogue of hits consumed most of the end of the set starting with “The Best of Times,” before launching into “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man).” The almost prog-rock opening of the song makes for a highlight during any show, but the real treat comes from guitarist and singer Tommy Shaw. At age 72, Shaw’s voice is nearly identical to the way it has been since he joined the band in the early 1970’s. While others at his age have slowed down and undoubtedly lost a step when it comes to their singing, Shaw remains as vibrant and energetic as ever.
If there is a novelty part of a Styx show, it occurred next with a run through the song that was meant to be sung by a robot named Kilroy from the Styx rock opera “Kilroy Was Here,” the zany and off-the-wall “Mr. Roboto.” While Styx may have been known for experimenting with arrangements and different themes, the whole “Kilroy Was Here” phase is probably something the band could omit from its sets with little to no negative feedback. One of Styx’s signature sounds is using a keyboard or organ to be a lead instrument, and in true form the pump organ intro to “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” elicited one of the biggest cheers of the evening.
Quite a few of their songs have stood the test of time, but Styx will understandably always owe a debt of gratitude to cartoon character Eric Cartman and the rest of the “South Park” cast for solidifying “Come Sail Away” as a song that will carry on even after the members of Styx are no longer around. It’s impossible to hear Gowan deliver the song and not hear Cartman’s whiney voice somewhere in the background. The world never asked for a Styx/South Park collaboration, but now we’ll try, the best that we can, to carry on.
With Shaw guiding the crowd in clapping along to the famous bass drum intro, the night ended with a spirited take on their classic rock staple, “Renegade.” It was a solid end to a solid night of classic rock from one of the hardest working live bands out there. Are Styx shows “dialed in” as some might say? Sure. They’re dialed in because the band has been honing its craft since 1972 and at this point in its career, a Styx show comes off as well-rehearsed non-stop night of giving the crowd everything from power ballads to driving rockers that make you lose your voice. That alone is why Styx will continue to perform and sell out venues for the foreseeable future.
SETLIST:
Build and Destroy
Too Much Time on My Hands
The Grand Illusion
Lady
Lorelei
Miss America
I’m O.K.
Crystal Ball
Rockin’ the Paradise
Michigan
The Best of Times
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
Mr. Roboto
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
Come Sail Away
Renegade
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