I wish I could tell you what was their opening number, but so many people came to the show that we couldn't find a parking place. As we were walking toward the casino, we heard them playing "Blue Collar Man." There was standing room only in the packed theater. Shortly after we entered the auditorium, the lead guitarist and key boardist, Lawrence Gowan, announced, "Looks like we're ready for a rock concert!"
Back in 1979, I lived in Long Beach, California. My friend, Julie, heard that a radio station called KEZY was giving away free tickets to the Styx concert in Anaheim. We didn't win tickets to the concert. But Julie called the radio station so much that a disc jockey invited us to a backstage party for Styx. The party was held at a hotel near Disneyland. I met lead guitarist Tommy Shaw at the party. He gave his autograph to me. I was thrilled.
In 2012, Tommy Shaw looks remarkably like he did in 1979. He told the audience that "Crystal Ball" was the first song he wrote for Styx. When the band to play it, a man in the crowd shouted, "I love this song!"
The band proudly announced that their drummer, Todd Sucherman, was selected to perform on the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary album.
Having grown up in the 70's, I thoroughly enjoyed their performance of "Lady," which brought back memories of being young and beautiful to my mind. It was wonderful to feel like a teenage girl again.
Styx played "I'm OK," "Too Much Time on My Hands," "Miss America," "Come Sail Away," and "Renegade." Lawrence Gowan did perform on his famous rotating stand. We noticed that the band did not play "Babe" or "Mr. Roboto." "Babe" was Dennis DeYoung's, and he left Styx in 1999.
Of all the concerts I've been to at the Emerald Queen, I enjoyed the Styx concert the most. They put on a great show. I'm looking forward to attending the Styx concert next year.
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