Jul 17

Jul 17 Show Review: Styx and REO Speedwagon Thrill Audience in Mountain View

Styx
REO Speedwagon
w/ Loverboy
Shoreline Amphitheatre
Mountain View, CA
July 15th, 2022

Photos and Review by Jared Stossel

The three bands that filled out the lineup on this tour (Styx, REO Speedwagon, and Loverboy) all made the same statement in one form or another during Friday night’s performance at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA: rock and roll shows are finally back. From what I could gather, this was the first show back for many people since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. After watching these bands take the stage, all I could think about was what a fantastic show we had just witnessed. All three bands at Friday night’s show played with an indescribable energy, coming together to provide one of the best rock tours in the country to everyone in the Bay Area.

Canada’s own Loverboy took the stage to kick things off. With the sun still beating down on the crowd, they ripped their way through a selection of their biggest hits like “Working for the Weekend”, “Lovin’ Every Minute of It”, and “Turn Me Loose”. Their eight-song performance set the tone for the entire evening. From there, the atmosphere of the show grew larger in scale. With a stage design plucked right out of the 80s arena rock circuit, REO Speedwagon brought forth an electrifying performance, the first of the evening’s co-headliners. Lead vocalist and guitarist Kevin Cronin is so thoroughly entertaining to watch as he runs across the stage with such exuberance. You can tell by the looks on their faces that there is nowhere else in the world that they would rather be.

The five-piece rock act’s thirteen-song set was indelibly entertaining, kicking off with tracks like “Music Man”, “Take It On The Run”, and “Keep Pushin’”. There really wasn’t a moment where it felt like the band was losing momentum; for an hour and fifteen minutes, REO Speedwagon delivered hit after hit, and the crowd ate up every moment, every note, and every speech that vocalist Cronin shared with the audience. The most reactionary moment came during “Keep on Loving You”, undoubtedly one of the band’s biggest hits, as the crowd cheered and sang along to every last word, prompting one of the largest sing-alongs of the evening.

Around 9:35 PM, the stage began to darken as the drone of a synthesizer echoed through Shoreline Amphitheatre. In a bright flash of light, Styx appeared and launched into “The Fight of Our Lives”. Incorporating elements of pop rock with arena-ready guitar solos, the seven-piece act from Chicago tore through a sixteen-song performance that shepherded career-spanning hits and new favorites to a thrilled audience. The standout member of Styx’s live show is easily keyboardist and co-vocalist Lawrence Gowan; the man radiates showmanship as he plays song after song, spinning around on a rotating keyboard decked out with the band’s iconic logo, trading off anecdotes with guitarist and co-vocalist Tommy Shaw.

After the piano instrumental “Khedive”, Gowan recounted the last show he saw pre-pandemic (Genesis) and the first show he saw post-pandemic (Elton John) before leading the audience into a cover of the iconic performer’s “Rocket Man”. Of course, they saved the best for last, as they concluded the evening with a succession of their grandest songs: “Come Sail Away”, “Mr. Roboto”, and “Renegade”.

Both of these bands are at the top of their game, and they’ve only gotten better with age. There’s no other way to put it; this is truly one of rock’s most entertaining shows of the year.

Styx Set List
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) (with bassist Chuck Panozzo)
Too Much Time On My Hands
Khedive
Rocket Man (Elton John cover)
Lost At Sea (with bassist Chuck Panozzo)
Come Sail Away (with bassist Chuck Panozzo)
Mr. Roboto
Renegade (with bassist Chuck Panozzo)

REO Speedwagon Set List
Music Man
Take It On The Run
Keep Pushin’
Live Every Moment
Tough Guys
Can’t Fight This Feeling
Like You Do
Don’t Let Him Go
Time For Me To Fly
Back On The Road Again
Ridin’ The Storm Out
Keep On Loving You
Roll With The Changes