Posted by AMDRUMPARTS on 8/20/2006, 5:38 am Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show for the most part but was expecting there to be a bigger plate of basic nutrition. STYX really put their hearts and souls into it last night but didn't reach the elevated theatre of a real Rock and Roll show like Chuck Berry, The Beatles, Queen, or Yes. They are charming little guys and their brilliant four part harmony and stunningly conceptual stage maneuvers keep your eyes pinned to the stage waiting for those golden moments they actually do offer up. They certainly had the goods covered in the vocal department with three seriously capable singers/writers who easily hit the upper registers and are quite capable of knocking down the celestial rafters. Respendently staged up with Six Triple Marshall Stacks on the one side and Four Triple Stacked Ampeg Bass set-ups on the other it looked like Jesse James was gonna blow The James Gang out of the Horse arena next door. Lawrence Gowan, one of their fabulous singers and the keyboardist Wiz, had a wonderful turntable keyboard mini stage that actually freely rotated 360 degrees and he gyrated pevic thrusts in every direction. He sang his tunes wonderfully, played his keyboards sometimes from the rear leaning over backwards, and also made use of the staircase and platform neatly tucked above the elevated drum riser when he left the boards to dance and run around wildly all over the place. It was their drummer, Todd Sucherman, who should get ink here and really stole the show as far as I was concerned. His playing was exactly what a band like STYX needs. He made use of his Pearl Master Series Double Kick Gold Plated Showkit and had the power,endurance, and tasty big Rock chops necessary to lay down the goods for the abounding extended Marshallized guitar hero posturing and the Chopinistic classical keyboard ostentation. There wasn't much he could do about the songwriting or the theatrical displays for these things were predestined last night; but he was completely present and vitally charged to be able to champion all motif oportunities last night and Todd rocked like a banshee for no good reason whenever possible. There were moments. You can't deny the power and charm of Lawrence's 1974 radio chart topper "Lady" and immediate thrill of the beautiful piano introduction, I nearly had a tear in my eye for that one last night. Then there is that other tune "Come Sail Away", that worked well also and actually has some poetic imagery and melody you want to slurp up like a fudgecicle on a hot summer afternoon. Curiously missing was their big hit "Babe". Had they ommitted this item from the show because it is too wimpy for their new toughened image, or was it left out of the obligatory encore finale cause the kids adualtion did not merit a third number? We'll never know. Well Next week is that Gun Totin' Rock Slinger Ted Nugent and then onto the Pomitous of Love Himself, Steve Miller.... Stay Tuned Kidz !!!
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A pompous wind of unachieved glory blew in STYX last night leaving the folks at the Lane County Fair somewhat dazzeled but yearing for something they could dance to and thirsting for more memorable lyrical themes and story content. 
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