LIVE REVIEW: Styx at Vibrant Arena in Moline, IL on September 6, 2022

Styx came to the Vibrant Arena in Moline, IL as part of the “Live & Unzoomed Tour”, where they teamed up with REO Speedwagon and Loverboy. Loverboy opens all the shows, with Styx and REO Speedwagon alternating nights with who goes on last each night.

First up tonight was Styx! In past shows they lean pretty heavily on the hits. While the set this night included a lot of the hits as usual, but the band mixed in a pretty healthy helping of new music as well. Some of those newer songs included, “The Fight of Our LIves”, “Crash of the Crown”, and “Sound the Alarm”.

Styx may be getting up there in years, but the energy and precision they deliver in their performance has not wavered! Original member James “JY” Young and long time vocalist and guitarist Tommy Shaw were joined on stage by Todd Sucherman on drums, Ricky Phillips on Bass, Lawrence Gowan on Keyboards, and Will Evankovich on Guitar.

Shaw seems to be frozen in time as his looks and voice have remained unchanged with perfect performances of songs like, “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)”, “Too Much Time on My Hands”, and “Renegade”.

Lawrence Gowan was a madman on stage! The crowd’s energy rising with him constantly spinning his keyboards, dancing, running around the stage, and even performing some theatrics on stage. All of this while belting out some amazing vocals on songs like “The Grand Illusion”, “Come Sail Away”, and “Mr. Roboto”!

The surprise of the night came about mid-show, when Shaw was speaking to audience to introduce “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)”. Joining them on stage was founding member Chuck Ponozzo on bass guitar. Due to health reasons, Ponozzo is unable to keep up with a rigorous tour schedule but will occasionally make appearances when he can. This surprise brought the crowd to their feet for a standing ovation to the bands founding member.

Styx’s 15 song set was a strong reminder of just how much they have stood the test of time. An amazing show by on of rock-n-roll’s greatest!

SETLIST: The Fight of Our Lives – Blue Collar Man (Long Nights) – The Grand Illusion – Lady – Crash of the Crown – Light Up – Sound the Alarm – Rockin’ the Paradise – Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) – Too Much Time on My Hands – Khedive – Lost At Sea – Come Saile Away – Mr. Roboto – Renegade