by Deb Rao
– Senior Columnist —
January 18th, 2015 at the Palms Theater in Las Vegas, NV. —
One of the greatest rock bands of all time, Styx returned to the Palms Theater on Jan. 18. It has been a year since I had seen the band perform and tonight all bets were on the show was going to be amazing. What better way to celebrate my Patriots win to perform at the Super bowl on Feb. 1?
First off all, the Palms Theater is one of the nicest venues in Las Vegas. The show was sold out and anticipation filled the air. Styx continues to gain momentum and new fans well into their illustrious career span of since the early ‘70s. Styx hit the stage a little after 8 p.m. The band performed a very long extended set with no opening act. That was fine with me. The set kicked off with “The Grand Illusion.” Wasting no time they launched into “Too Much Time On My Hands.”
Tommy Shaw’s voice was flawless. His range was spot on. You could tell the band was excited to be performing in Vegas. The dynamics and stage setting consisted of very pretty bright nights. On the drum rise there was a stage rise in which bassist Ricky Phillips took full advantage of.
Singer and keyboard player Lawrence Gowan also sounded amazing. The precision of the signature Styx guitar riffs were well executed by James Young on “Miss America.” James also commented how technology has changed, as he asked everyone to “Light Up” with the cell phones.
The band orchestrated the set list very carefully. Keeping the ballads in a timely manner along with the harder rock hits. Highlight of the set was the poignant “Man In The Wilderness.” The beauty of this song stood strong. Styx also added “Lights” and “Queen Of Spades” to their set.
The band saved the hard rocking hits for the end. Styx performed in full majestic glory all of the classic rock hits. Lawrence Gowan also performed snippets of his favorite piano songs including a song by Elton John. This was very Vegas and cool. Lawrence also broke free from the keyboards during the set dancing on “Miss America.” Chuck Panozzo also performed on two songs. Styx ended their very energetic set and flawless set with “Renegade.” It was great to see this timeless band perform again. The hits never get old, as the band just keeps on getting better and better. Styx never missing a beat, as confetti filled the air! The only thing I missed from the set was “Crystal Ball.” This song should always be in the set list!
Special thanks to Amanda from ABC PR for making this review possible.
Visit the band online: www.facebook.com/styxtheband
