Styx and REO Speedwagon Bring All The Hits To Charlotte
The Live & Unzoomed Tour 2022 Rocks PNC Music Pavilion
If you tuned your radio to any rock station in the 70s or 80s, it wouldn’t be long before you heard a song from Styx or REO Speedwagon. Back then, you may have been treated to an entire album. It was a different time and an era where album-oriented rock stations were the way we discovered new bands and new music as well as all the latest from the biggest bands of the day. Both were bands that I fell in love with as a young child and that love continues through the present day. The memories and the songs are part of the soundtrack of my life. I remember getting a copy of Styx’s 1979 album Cornerstone as a gift on my 10th birthday and pretty much wearing out the needle on my mom’s stereo. And REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity would forever change the course of junior high dances and set the stage for my first pre-pubescent romance. So what could be better than both bands combining forces for a rock tour that would shake the summer? Add in the hit machine of Loverboy as the opening act and The Live & Unzoomed Tour was ready for take-off.
PNC Music Pavilion was packed with fans of all ages eager to rock their hearts out and sing along to all their favorite songs. By the end of the night, they would be sweaty but satisfied but first things first.
Turn Me Loose
Kicking off the evening’s festivities were the Canadian rockers of Loverboy. Known for their classic, arena rock hits, Loverboy rose to early success with their double-platinum self-titled debut album in 1980. Spawning hits “Turn Me Loose” and “The Kid Is Hot Tonite,” the band quickly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and no female that grew up in the 80s will ever forget their 1981 Get Lucky album, especially the album cover art. The band opened with “Notorious” to get the crowd warmed up. Lead vocalist Mike Reno sounded better than ever as he led the band through hit after hit.
Loverboy is lucky to have almost all the original band members currently still touring including Mike, Paul Dean on guitar, Matt Frenette on drums, and Doug Johnson on keyboards. Rounding out the lineup is bass guitarist Ken Sinnaeve who has been with the band since 2001. Doug jammed out on the harmonica while Paul and Ken played to the crowd and the party was on. Everything was in full swing and then you heard the “dun, dun, dun, duh,” and the venue erupted as we all knew “Turn Me Loose” was about to happen. Loverboy still sounds fantastic and it was a great way to open the show as they closed their set with the anthemic song that has gotten many of us through the work week, “Working for the Weekend.” Their set was a perfect start to a perfect night of rock and roll.
Roll With The Changes
After a short break, it was time for REO Speedwagon to take us on a rock and roll ride. The stage set was a huge riser in the back for drummer Bryan Hitt’s kit and a glistening, black grand piano to the one side. Lead vocalist Kevin Cronin was front and center for the opening song “Don’t Let Him Go” flanked by guitarist Dave Amato and bass guitarist Bruce Hall. Founding member and keyboardist Neal Doughty was situated quietly in the back to the left side of the stage behind his rack of keyboards.
The lighting for the set was beautiful as the sun was just going down and you could fully appreciate the colored lights and beams that shone down upon the band. But it was the music, of course, that we were there for and boy did REO Speedwagon deliver. Kevin Cronin’s vocals soared over the venue whether he was situated behind the piano for the ballad “Keep On Loving You” or rocking us through “Ridin’ the Storm Out.”
Amato and Hall gelled perfectly together, jamming and posing for the cameras and the crowd while Hitt helped drive the pace. Kevin took a moment to acknowledge the history of the band as a quick look back at the founding of the band as Doughty took a seat behind that beautiful piano for “Can’t Fight This Feeling” which had the crowd swaying back and forth and couples dancing. The band sounded amazing and flawless, giving it 100 percent as they got the crowd jumping and shouting to the closing song “Roll With The Changes,” ending their set on a high note for sure.
Come Sail Away
The next set would prove to be the most interesting of the night as Styx took us on a journey going all the way back to their 1973 album Styx II through their most recent release 2021’s Crash of the Crown. One thing I have always loved about Styx is the band’s versatility. Their sound runs the gamut from their progressive rock roots to arena rock anthems and exquisite ballads with a bit of everything thrown into the mix. They blend hard rocking guitars with poignant keyboards and full-on synthesizers to create memorable songs that stand the test of time.
Starting things off with “The Fight of Our Lives” off their newest album Crash of the Crown, Styx came out poised and ready for action. The stage setup was similar to the last time out with an elevated riser at the rear of the stage with a ramp on each side to access it, the drum kit in the middle, and Lawrence Gowan’s keyboard platform off to the left side of the stage. Although the band lineup has changed a bit over the years, their sound and performance remain impeccable.
Current members include original guitarist James “JY” Young and guitarist and vocalist (since 1975) Tommy Shaw along with long-time members Lawrence Gowan on vocals and keyboards, Todd Sucherman on drums, Ricky Phillips on bass, and newest member Will Evankovich on guitar. Let’s not forget the original founding member, bassist Chuck Panozzo who along with his late brother John started the band that would become known as Styx, who is now playing part-time with the band. I’ll talk more about Chuck later.
The music and hits drive the set accompanied by an amazing display of lights and pen-ultimate showmanship from the entire band. At any time, Tommy and JY can be seen jamming together and hamming it up, each taking a turn in the spotlight, with Tommy running up and down the ramps and holding his guitar up high in the air in an offering to the rock and roll gods. Lawrence was not to be outdone either as he rotated his piano platform so the crowd got to view different angles throughout the evening, kicking his leg in the air and climbing atop the piano at one point.
This summer also marked the 45th anniversary of The Grand Illusion album and there was no better way to celebrate than to watch Styx perform several songs from the album live and in person. The title track alone was worth the price of admission in my opinion. What a show! But it was only beginning. The hits kept coming as the crowd cheered as the band sang “Light Up” and before long we were “Rockin’ the Paradise.” Tommy came out at this point of the show and gave a little history of the band before introducing the one and only Chuck Panozzo who joined the band onstage for “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” with much fanfare and applause. It’s great to see him still out there playing and I hope he can do so for a long, long time.
Another highlight of the evening was when the focus shifted to Gowan and his piano. I think we all knew what was coming but it took a few minutes to get there. He played an absolutely brilliant solo “Khedive,” which he told us was the name of the ship that his father (I think) served on in World War II. Afterward, he led the crowd on a sing-along of Elton John’s “Rocket Man” and then it was time for one of the most well-known songs in rock history. A gathering of angels may have really appeared above the venue because for at least a few moments in time, we were all as one as the band joined Gowan on stage as he led us through chorus after chorus of “Come Sail Away.” It was epic in every way, a chance to forget about everything else and just absorb being in the moment which is what live music is really all about. It was electric and the crowd and the band didn’t want it to end. You could see the joy on the faces of the band members and the faces of the fans around you, a shared experience that no one will soon forget.
Once the stage went dark, it wasn’t but a second before the chants of “Styx! Styx!” filled the air as people pounded the seats and screamed at the top of their lungs. A few minutes later, the band returned to the electronic sounds of Kilroy and we were all shouting “Domo! Domo!” as “Mr. Roboto” began the encore. Now, there is nothing quite like the sound of some acapella and that’s just what was coming up next as Tommy Shaw took the stage singing the opening lines of “Renegade” before the rest of the band joined in as well as the crowd. It was powerful, with no music except the thumping of the bass drum and everyone singing in unison before another magical moment occurs when “the jig is up” and Styx rocked it home. Usually, people have already left by this point at a show, but as the band took a final bow, I looked around and the venue was still packed with screaming fans, applauding a band that has provided us with a lifetime of memories.
This was the rock and roll show of the summer that had us lovin’ every minute of it with Loverboy, rolling with the changes with REO Speedwagon, and rockin’ the paradise with Styx. Do not miss The Live & Unzoomed Tour 2022!
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