EQC I-5 SHOWROOM
8:30 PM
JULY 31
In the past 10 years, long-time arena rockers Styx have performed more live shows than all of their previous years combined.
The band, which currently includes Tommy Shaw, James Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips, will be returning to the Emerald Queen Casino – a favorite performance spot – July 31.
Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early ‘70s, Styx would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads.
Styx’s early albums and non-stop touring helped the group build a substantial following locally, but the band failed to break through to the mainstream, until a track originally from their second album, “Lady,” started to get substantial airplay in 1974. The song was soon issued as a single nationwide, and quickly shot to number six on the singles chart, as “Styx II” was certified gold.
On the eve of the tour in support of the 1975 album “Equinox” original guitarist John Curulewski abruptly left the band, and was replaced by Tommy Shaw. Tommy Shaw proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle for Styx, as most of their subsequent releases throughout the late ‘70s earned at least platinum certification (1976’s “Crystal Ball,” 1977’s “The Grand Illusion,” 1978’s “Pieces of Eight,” and 1979’s “Cornerstone”), and spawned such hit singles and classic rock radio standards as “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself.”
In 1981, Styx released concept album “Paradise Theater,” which was loosely based on the rise and fall of a once-beautiful theater – as a metaphor for the state of the United States at the time. “Paradise Theater” became Styx’s biggest hit of their career and sold more than three million copies in a three-year period. They became one of the top rock acts in the United States due to such big hit singles as “Too Much Time on My Hands.” It also marked the first time in history that a band released four consecutive triple-platinum albums.
A career-encompassing live album, “Caught in the Act,” was issued in 1984, before Styx went on hiatus, and the majority of its members pursued solo projects throughout the remainder of the decade. A re-recording of their early hit, “Lady” for a greatest hits compilation, re-united Tommy Shaw with his former Styx bandmates, which led to a full-on reunion tour in 1996. Original drummer John Panozzo struggled with an illness that eventually took his life that same year. Styx persevered with new drummer Todd Sucherman and the Styx reunion tour became a surprise sold-out success, resulting in the release of a live album/video, 1997’s “Return to Paradise,” while a whole new generation of rock fans were introduced to the grandiose sounds of Styx.
Styx performs live at 8:30 p.m. July 31. Tickets range from $40-$70 and can be purchased online at http://www.ticketmaster.com or by calling the Emerald Queen Casino Box office at (888) 831-7655.
