Sun Chronicle
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:56 pmhttp://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles ... 486242.txt
Styx, Boston can't get past nostalgia at Comcast Center
BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Monday, August 4, 2008 2:40 AM EDT
MANSFIELD - While they may fight against the "classic rock" moniker, Boston and Styx did their best to take their audience back to that classic era of 1970s rock Sunday at the Comcast Center.
Hitting the stage right at 7 p.m., long before many fans made their way inside to the show, Styx ripped through an eardrum-pounding run of their classic songs.
"That was our first hit in the Boston metropolitan area," said guitarist James Young after the band wrapped up the hit "Lady," off of the 1975 album Styx II.
"Shall we play our second?" he asked the crowd before the band went into "Suite Madame Blue," off the album "Equinox."
Throughout the set, the rockers tried to prove they still had it, running and jumping around the stage. Singer Lawrence Gowan, who replaced founding member Dennis DeYoung in 1999, spun around throughout the set on a revolving keyboard, trying to pump up the crowd.
While they still had their musical chops, it seemed as if they just tried too hard to show the audience they were still hip. Selling T-shirts that read "Classic Rock My A#$," the group seemed desperate to hang on to their glory of the past.
But the post-baby boomer crowd relished the nostalgia of the set. They rocked out to Styx classics, such as "Come Sail Away" and "Renegade." Noticeably missing, however, were top-five hits "Babe" and "Mr. Roboto."
Most in attendance, however, were there to see Boston make its homecoming stop on its first tour without lead singer and guitarist Brad Delp, who committed suicide in March 2007.
Taking over Delp's vocal and keyboard duties are Michael Sweet, of the Christian metal band Stryper, and long-time fan Tommy DeCarlo. After the band heard a tribute song DeCarlo wrote following Delp's death, they asked him to join the group for the tour in a story reminiscent of that of Mark Wahlberg in the film "Rock Star."
While Sweet and DeCarlo performed admirably as the band gunned through a two-hour set featuring "Rock and Roll Band," "Peace of Mind," and "More than a Feeling," it seemed as if a tribute band was playing the songs, rather than the real thing, as only guitarist Tom Scholz remains from the original line-up.
As the band played a special arrangement of "Amanda," fans raised lighters in the great concert tradition. Cell phones, however, were also being used in a sign that yet again, time had caught up to these rockers.
And so it was throughout the show. Both bands played their songs well and received a great reaction from the crowd, but it was obvious throughout the night that times had changed. No matter how hard the bands tried, it was clear that their 1970s rock had truly become classic.
Matt Kakley can be reached at mkakley@thesunchronicle.com or at 508-236-0333.
Styx, Boston can't get past nostalgia at Comcast Center
BY MATT KAKLEY SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Monday, August 4, 2008 2:40 AM EDT
MANSFIELD - While they may fight against the "classic rock" moniker, Boston and Styx did their best to take their audience back to that classic era of 1970s rock Sunday at the Comcast Center.
Hitting the stage right at 7 p.m., long before many fans made their way inside to the show, Styx ripped through an eardrum-pounding run of their classic songs.
"That was our first hit in the Boston metropolitan area," said guitarist James Young after the band wrapped up the hit "Lady," off of the 1975 album Styx II.
"Shall we play our second?" he asked the crowd before the band went into "Suite Madame Blue," off the album "Equinox."
Throughout the set, the rockers tried to prove they still had it, running and jumping around the stage. Singer Lawrence Gowan, who replaced founding member Dennis DeYoung in 1999, spun around throughout the set on a revolving keyboard, trying to pump up the crowd.
While they still had their musical chops, it seemed as if they just tried too hard to show the audience they were still hip. Selling T-shirts that read "Classic Rock My A#$," the group seemed desperate to hang on to their glory of the past.
But the post-baby boomer crowd relished the nostalgia of the set. They rocked out to Styx classics, such as "Come Sail Away" and "Renegade." Noticeably missing, however, were top-five hits "Babe" and "Mr. Roboto."
Most in attendance, however, were there to see Boston make its homecoming stop on its first tour without lead singer and guitarist Brad Delp, who committed suicide in March 2007.
Taking over Delp's vocal and keyboard duties are Michael Sweet, of the Christian metal band Stryper, and long-time fan Tommy DeCarlo. After the band heard a tribute song DeCarlo wrote following Delp's death, they asked him to join the group for the tour in a story reminiscent of that of Mark Wahlberg in the film "Rock Star."
While Sweet and DeCarlo performed admirably as the band gunned through a two-hour set featuring "Rock and Roll Band," "Peace of Mind," and "More than a Feeling," it seemed as if a tribute band was playing the songs, rather than the real thing, as only guitarist Tom Scholz remains from the original line-up.
As the band played a special arrangement of "Amanda," fans raised lighters in the great concert tradition. Cell phones, however, were also being used in a sign that yet again, time had caught up to these rockers.
And so it was throughout the show. Both bands played their songs well and received a great reaction from the crowd, but it was obvious throughout the night that times had changed. No matter how hard the bands tried, it was clear that their 1970s rock had truly become classic.
Matt Kakley can be reached at mkakley@thesunchronicle.com or at 508-236-0333.
.......I think. 
