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Review: Styx tops a night of Classic Rock perfection at DTE
from: themorningsun.com
By Stacey Sherman, Special to Digital First Media | Photo by Ken Settle
INDEPENDENCE TOWNSHIP -- Sweet, sweet sounds filled the air as a crowd of nearly 12,000 celebrated a perfect night for Classic Rock on Friday, July 6, at the DTE Energy Music Theatre on Friday, July 6.
Styx, JOAN JETT and Tesla played plenty of fan favorites and the seasoned tour veterans lit up the night for fans enjoying a break from the recent oppressive heat wave to play their best air guitar and sing along with the grand illusion in their own minds.
A hard rocking eight-song set by Tesla set the tone for the night and wannabe rockers began to populate the lawn with beers clutched in one hand while smoking and fist-pumping along to "Love Song," "Signs" and "Modern Day Cowboy." The crowd was fired up and ready when JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS hit the stage and the familiar notes of "Bad Reputation" rang through the air.
Jett and her black-clad four-member band delivered a rocking 16-song, hour-long retrospective of hits -- including "Cherry Bomb" and "You Drive Me Wild" from her days with the RUNAWAYS and the Bruce Springsteen-penned "Light Of Day," during which clips of the 1987 film, which starred Jett and Michael J. Fox, played on the video screen behind the stage. It was a guitar-saturated clinic and testimony to women who rock as Jett closed things out with "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Crimson & Clover," "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and Sly & the Family Stone's "Everyday People," which had the crowd swaying and singing along.
Jett's stripped-down style was a dramatic contrast to Styx's stage production. The quintet is almost constantly touring, made obvious by the precision with which the members moved around the dual staircases flanking the stage and riser above drummer Todd Sucherman. Album cover art projected onto the video screen coincided with each song as Tommy Shaw and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan traded lead vocal duties on classics such as "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)," "Lady" and "The Grand Illusion." James "J.Y." Young took his lead vocal turn on "Miss America" and introduced "Light Up" by encouraging the crowd to "find a less damaging way" to celebrate the night than the 70s heyday of "damaging my organs."
Shaw and Gowan both referred to DTE Energy Music Theatre as Pine Knob numerous times and gave special mentions to the fans on the lawn. Gowan charged them with "carrying this song for the whole crowd. You've put your asses on the line for them all night" as he led a sing-along of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" which showcased his piano skill and jaw-dropping vocal range.
Gowan may have been the ringmaster, but Shaw clearly led the band. His mane of blonde hair flying and still in surprisingly strong voice, Shaw worked the stage and the crowd with ease and impressive energy. He and bassist Ricky Phillips ran up and down the staircases like they were filming a new Jane Fonda workout video. The pair, along with Young, often formed a guitar army wall of sorts across the front of the stage. It was obvious that this was a group of guys who were having a blast playing in a rock band and wanted everyone to share in the fun.
Styx blended the old and the new with only a few stumbles. Four songs from 2017's "The Mission" received a lukewarm reception, with fans sitting down during "Radio Silence," while an overly loud mix marred the vocals during "The Outpost." Shaw brought out founding Styx member Chuck Panozzo for "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)," but it wasn't until "Too Much Time On My Hands" that the audio balance was finally dialed back in.
The main set ended with "Come Sail Away," with Gowan standing on his spinning keyboard and bouncing from one side of the stage to the other and the entire crowd raising its arms in tribute when he pointed to it. But it was the opening synthesizer notes of "Mr. Roboto" during the encore that created a real frenzy, since even some of the oldest Styx fans at DTE hadn't heard the song, maybe ever, but at least not for 35 years since the group last played it in concert. And no Styx show would be complete without Shaw's beautiful a capella launch for "Renegade," which morphed into an epic rock spectacle with lots of confetti cannon blasts to close out the night.
After both the guitar-slinging rock of JOAN JETT and the tightly choreographed stage show of Styx fans, were saying a heartfelt "domo arigato" by the end of the night, and were more than ready to put another dime in the jukebox so the music would keep playing. |
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