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The show has been over for hours and the adrenalin is still running through your body. Your ear to ear grin was proof that you had a great time. Styx played The Venue at Hammond, Indiana’s Horseshoe Casino and the show was just incredible. They brought along a baker’s dozen of ditties and they hit you right between the eyes with every single one.

They opened up with the title track from the album that bought them their first airplane, “The Grand Illusion.” It was the first offerings and it was a perfect way to kick it all off. They took the song and performed it very close to the original recording. Lawrence Gowen nailed the difficult vocal line with ease as he is just a natural performer.

“Too Much Time on My Hands” was second up in line and Tommy Shaw decided to keep the bar raised high. The man can sing, he can play, and at any point during your ninety minutes together you think he is not pulling his weight, you better guess again. Tommy just keeps ripening as a musician as time goes by. His guitar work is such a sweet contrast within the hard rock guitar riffs of his counterpart.

Out comes the acoustic for the next one, “Fooling Yourself.” Tommy takes a minute to announce their original bass player, Chuck Panozzo. One of the only three surviving original members of the band was there with a shiny red P-Bass in hand to help bring you back to the classic Seventies hit. For so many, it was like being in fourth grade again.

A Styx show would not be complete without hearing songs like “Lady,” “Light Up,” and “Crystal Ball.” The godfather of Styx, James (J.Y.) Young, always provides heavy guitar riffs at any possible chance and the song “Miss America” is no exception. The monster six string guitar-slinger has licks that will rival so many of the greatest players in rock music. His vocal harmonies are heard within each song and he is just a huge part of the Styx sound. He has just been a consistent player ever since he first came along for Styx and took the reins in the early days.

The highlight of the concert for so many was, “Lights.” This great pop song was a surprise when they graced the concert-goers’ ears with the superb melody line. The deep track just made the day of the fans who bought more than just a few of their albums. The piece off of Cornerstone was awesome to offer up to the long time fans. They were very appreciative.

Ricky Phillips performed his musical duties providing the bottom end on bass needed for this mid-western band. Ricky is a very diverse musician and he will switch over to guitar when Chuck Panozzo comes out to play bass.  The previous bands Phillips was in made a mighty fine decision when selecting this guy to be a part of them. He is a top notch player and is always a pleasure to watch him perform.

The rumblings throughout the concert hall were coming from a double bass drum kit and the master percussionist, Todd Sucherman. Since the Return to Paradise tour, this guy has been there for Styx hitting the mark on every song. He gives the band a heavier feeling at times than what they were in the heyday. This guy is just a fantastic rock drummer.

“I am the Walrus” was covered by Gowen from behind his spinning keyboard. It’s always a bold move covering bands like The Beatles, but Gowen and the rest of Styx provided a version that some of the biggest fans of the fab-four would be happy about. As the song came to an end, right away the keyboards again chimed in as they just tore into “Blue Collar Man.”   

Lawrence took everyone for a stroll down classic rock’s memory lane with a medley of songs. He sang parts of songs by Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and Queen. He got everyone’s attention when he did parts to “Piano Man” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.” His fingers went into quick arpeggios and gracefully rolled the digits into another classic rock hit, “Come Sail Away.”

The band quickly leaves the stage to make the audience go through the ritual of screaming for them to bring them back out. The encore was just what was needed to bring the show to a close. “Rocking the Paradise” was first up as the confetti cannons went off showering the front rows in red, white, and blue. Everyone knew the last one in line had to be that great vocal song “Renegade.”

The show was complete, the songs were done, and we were now at the end of the show.  Guitar picks were flung out toward fans and drums sticks lobbed out almost with precision. One thing is for sure this band knows how to put on a high energy rock show. The band left the stage leaving most fans wanting more, as we always do. Their choice of songs was perfect for the crowd, but a baker’s dozen of hits was not enough for so many. We must always remember; they are only human.

As the adrenalin finally starts to completely leave your body after a great concert and you slip back into sleep thinking of the show you had just seen. It was just an amazing time seeing Styx at The Venue at Hammond, Indiana’s Horseshoe Casino. The ear to ear grin is proof you had a great time. 

*Photo by Roger Reis