by VanJay011379 » Wed Sep 20, 2006 6:19 am
Foreigner & Styx @ Chevrolet Amphitheatre, Pittsburgh, PA, Sun, 09/17/2006
Category: Music
Last year I saw Foreigner at the Three Rivers Regatta. I was skeptical about going at first bt I decided it was only $1.00 to enter. Why not!? I walked out a huge fan and judging from the reactions of others' we talked with on the way out, so did they.
Apparently, even though Foreigner only has the founding member Mick Jones with a lineup of replacements, they he can still run the show perfectly. The lineup is rounded out by singer Kelly Hansen (former Hurricane vocalist), drummer Jason Bohnam (of the Jason Bohnam band), bassist Jeff Pilson (formerly of Dokken) and keyboardist Thom Gimbel and all around instrumentalist (saxaphone, guitars, flute) Jeff Jacobs.
The stage had a huge backdrop with silver letters of the band's name and had a great light setup. It looked like the 80s all over again. The sound at the Chevy Amplitheatre is not the best for sound but this didn't seem to stall either band tonight. Also, while many bands with rhythm guitarists and keyboards may sound muddy or unclear on stage, these guys came through very well articulated. They played all the hits as would be expected. In particular, the song "Say You Will" was done acoustically with piano and the three rhythm section players singing up front. It was incredible sounding. The crowd really ate up the ballad "I Want To Know What Love Is" and was really into the rest of the songs. Songs included but are not limited to the following.
Cold As Ice
Double Vision
Feels Like The First Time
Hot Blooded
I've Been Waiting For A Girl Like You
Starrider
One thing that really makes me envious is when you see everyone holding hands during these songs. The last ex hated going to this stuff and couldn't wait to leave. I'd love to have a girlfriend that appreciates the fact that I paid $25 just to get her in.
Styx! I've missed these guys for the last three years and I've been wanting to see them forever. It was well worth the wait. I was very surprised how great these guys were.
First and foremost. Anyone that misses Dennis DeYoung is living in the past. Lawrence Gowan is the perfect person to repace him. He sings almost like DeYoung, but not quite as deep in his voice. He is incredibly charismatic on stage. The keyboard stand he plays actually gets spun around by him when he is playing and he actually plays the keyboards while turned backwards. He was all over the place.
Tommy Shaw looked like he was still 25 and sang like it too. Most singers in their early 50s loose a lot vocally, but neither him nor James Young (JY) have. I actually never knew JY was such a good singer. Chuck Panozzo, original founding member of the band along with JY, made an appearance for a few songs. The songs included
Blue Collar Man
Lady
Too Much Time On My Hands
Miss America
I Am The Walrus
Angry Young Man (Fooling Yourself)
Come Sail Away
All in all an amazing show and well worth the $25 ticket. I'd go see them again on the same tour if they were coming close enough again. These guys also know how to play a crowd. Many Terrible Towels and other Steelers materials were tossed around and each band was proud to wave it around!