Man I so wish this tour was coming to Northern California. The Grand Illusion is one of my all time favorite albums and to see it played from start to finish would be great.

STYX

“The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight” Tour

Star Plaza Theatre – Merrillville, Indiana

10/15/2010

Styx.

It means so many things to so many different people. If you ask a scholar, they might tell you about some lake or river or something, but I can tell you exactly what Styx is – Styx is a pure rock and roll band.

For me, just the sound of the name defines my life as a young boy. I spent so many of my early years with my ear stitched to the fabric of my speakers, with Styx music pouring into my head for hours on end. It was 1977 when the band went from local fave to international sensation with their breakthrough album, The Grand Illusion. And, after about a year with that album, the band gave me another gift in the form of the Pieces Of Eight record. This was another album I spent countless hours with; learning every lyric, singing every note, every vocal inflection. Styx was the soundtrack of my youthful existence. It’s now some 33 years after the release of The Grand Illusion and the band is on the road performing both The Grand Illusion and Pieces Of Eight, in their entirety. And let me tell you, once the band started to play, it felt so much like 1977 I almost checked to see if I had my Star Wars Underoos on.

The band has really outdone itself this time out. Aside from the historic set list, the band brings a state-of-the-art stage set to life. I was able to explore the inner workings of this Oz-like set with the Wizard himself, production manager Keith Marks. Every facet of this stage production is astounding. From the speakerless digital sound system, to the enormous high resolution LED screen, to the cool and comfortable crew that control everything including effects pedals for the band. And, with the magic of wireless audio technology, each member has a custom fit earpiece that serves as their return monitor. That’s right, no effects pedals, and no giant black boxes littering the stage. The band is free to canvas the entire stage without being hindered by wires, pedals, monitors or anything else.

All of this powerful equipment and technology has the potential of creating a mind-blowing concert experience, but only if the crew hits their cues and the band is capable of driving home a stellar musical performance. With the Styx crew, and six of the most talented musicians in the world, this audience was treated to a night of sheer perfection.

As the screen started its Star Wars-style scrolling, and gave the current state of affairs (for 1977, of course), we saw film of a young boy sifting through his record collection looking for something to put on. He moves past the first Boston record, then REO, Journey, and finally settles on The Grand Illusion record. As we watch the vinyl slab spinning at 33RPM, the needle is dropped, and off we go.

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