Boston/Styx Concert Review (June 13 08) - PICTURES!!
Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 6:58 amOn June 13, we arrived at the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN at 2:00 PM to get our ticket situation sorted out. The show didn't start until 8:30, and right when we pulled into the parking lot we were greeted by the sounds of Boston rehearsing. At first we thought it was a tape playing, but as we walked closer we saw the whole band out on stage getting ready for the night's show. They played for over an hour and a half, and it was a real treat getting to see them rehearse. I shot video of "Don't Be Afraid", and you can see it below. The original quality was much better with all the videos you see below, but YouTube sizes them down.
After all that excitement, we were ready for the show. Unexpectedly, Styx came out right on time at 8:30. The band walked out from the right side, and I rushed up to the front row gates and snapped pictures. The staff wanted to keep people in their seats, however, so we returned to where we sat in the center of the 8th row. The band was incredibly tight and they sounded phenomenal. They are a slick, well-oiled touring machine, having performed thousands of shows in less than the past 15 years. James "JY" Young, Tommy Shaw, and Lawrence Gowan all look fantastic and were extremely energetic on stage. They started out with "Blue Collar Man", then played "Grand Illusion" and "Lorelei". Gowan knows how to work the keys; he was constantly swinging the keyboard and jumping around. The highlight of the show was when JY, Tommy Shaw, and Ricky Phillips would all jam guitar together right in the middle of the stage. The band really enjoyed themselves throughout the performance.
The rest of the set was as follows: "I Am the Walrus", "Man In The Wilderness", "Crystal Ball", "Fooling Yourself", "Miss America", "Come Sail Away", "Renegade". The band truly owned the stage during the show and they had a blast doing it. JY was all smiles and the whole band just sounded like a CD. They tossed out over 30 guitar picks, drum sticks, STYX branded beach balls, mesh bags, and even frisbees. I was unable to make a catch but a drum stick landed right in front of me to some other fans. We were able to storm the stage during the last part of the set and I was front and center when they ripped through "Renegade". I took a great video of this song that I will post shortly. In my opinion, Styx owned the night even though I am a bigger Boston fan.
Here is a link to my full picture gallery from the night: http://flickr.com/photos/melodicrockconcerts/tags/lastfm%3Aevent%3D574839/
Here are some samples!
Videos:
http://youtube.com/user/melodicrockconcerts
After all that excitement, we were ready for the show. Unexpectedly, Styx came out right on time at 8:30. The band walked out from the right side, and I rushed up to the front row gates and snapped pictures. The staff wanted to keep people in their seats, however, so we returned to where we sat in the center of the 8th row. The band was incredibly tight and they sounded phenomenal. They are a slick, well-oiled touring machine, having performed thousands of shows in less than the past 15 years. James "JY" Young, Tommy Shaw, and Lawrence Gowan all look fantastic and were extremely energetic on stage. They started out with "Blue Collar Man", then played "Grand Illusion" and "Lorelei". Gowan knows how to work the keys; he was constantly swinging the keyboard and jumping around. The highlight of the show was when JY, Tommy Shaw, and Ricky Phillips would all jam guitar together right in the middle of the stage. The band really enjoyed themselves throughout the performance.
The rest of the set was as follows: "I Am the Walrus", "Man In The Wilderness", "Crystal Ball", "Fooling Yourself", "Miss America", "Come Sail Away", "Renegade". The band truly owned the stage during the show and they had a blast doing it. JY was all smiles and the whole band just sounded like a CD. They tossed out over 30 guitar picks, drum sticks, STYX branded beach balls, mesh bags, and even frisbees. I was unable to make a catch but a drum stick landed right in front of me to some other fans. We were able to storm the stage during the last part of the set and I was front and center when they ripped through "Renegade". I took a great video of this song that I will post shortly. In my opinion, Styx owned the night even though I am a bigger Boston fan.
Here is a link to my full picture gallery from the night: http://flickr.com/photos/melodicrockconcerts/tags/lastfm%3Aevent%3D574839/
Here are some samples!
Videos:
http://youtube.com/user/melodicrockconcerts
(i did that in 97, and 2nd row in 2001)
Weather, thanks for sharing your pictures and videos.