LIVE PERFORMANCE REVIEWS
STYX is More Than Mr. Roboto
Matt Jameson
Styx? Who are they? This was my response when my wife first expressed her interest in seeing this show. It sounded to me like yet another 80’s hair-metal band in spandex tights, but she quickly re-assured me that is wasn’t. “You don’t know them by name but you’ll recognize a lot of their songs from the radio when we were pretty young”, she responded hoping to sell me on the idea of going. We had been able to score free tickets to a few shows and out of the list we could choose from I had already made my picks.
I agreed to go along, not knowing exactly what to expect but still remaining skeptical. After all I’ve always prided myself on knowing a vast library of useless knowledge such as album / band names. This meant that if I didn’t even remember a single song these guys had written, it must not be worth remembering. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised.
Styx is not a hair band, not a metal band; hell I’m not sure how to even categorize them. Some of their radio hits include “Come sail away”, “Babe”, “Renegade” and of course the oft recognized and karaoke prone “Mr. Roboto”. Sometimes they remind me of Rush, sometimes they remind me of Foreigner, and even a smidgen of Kansas every now and then. But regardless of their genre defying sound, these guys actually rocked. And hard!
The thing I love about seeing 70’s bands play live, is that back then musicians needed to be more than just players. They had to perform. Styx actually turned out to be one of the most entertaining shows I’ve ever seen. I was laughing my ass off through most of the show. These guys realize the absurdity of 70’s rock and chose to embrace it with open arms.
There were many elements of the 70’s present in their performance. From the two-tiered stage allowing for strategically placed guitar solos, to the rotating keyboard stand allowing the man on the boards to literally spin as he performed Styx reminded us of what rock used to be. Theater in musical format.
Another thing I really enjoyed about their show is that they weren’t out there trying to do a reunion tour to spark their previous careers. They were just playing music that they loved, and doing it the way it should be done. Basically I went in not really knowing who they were, and left a fan. I can’t really recommend that you go out and see them live, because they don’t typically tour. The show I saw was one of five planned for the year. So if you get the chance take it, just don’t expect them to come to a venue near you anytime soon. It’s obvious to me that these guys are all in it for the fun of it, and there’s just something wonderfully contagious about that. Long live the rock and roll nostalgia that is Styx, and here’s hoping that someday they come to a town near you.
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