Styx Brings ’80s Nostalgia to Pompano Beach Amphitheater
On Sunday, February 22, Pompano Beach Amphitheater featured the return of classic rock band Styx. On a chilly Sunday night, the Baby Boomers showed up, bundled up and packed the small house of 3,000 concertgoers, proving that no cold snap was going to keep this generation away from their music. The Pompano Beach Amphitheater is familiar territory for Styx; they have played the place several times over the past few years, and that comfort was palpable from the first note. There’s a certain ease that comes when a legendary band returns to a stage they know by heart, turning a standard tour stop into a collective homecoming.
Opening for the iconic rockers was Jay Psaros, whom I was not familiar with; he was an interesting choice for the opener. His more intimate, singer-songwriter style provided a mellow prelude to the high-octane rock that was to follow, setting a thoughtful tone before the wall of sound took over.
Sitting in the audience, I tried to remember how many times I had seen Styx both as a fan and a journalist, I came to the conclusion that it has been well over 20 times; while this may seen like a lot, it really isn’t considering that they have been performing for over the 50 years. In that half-century, the band has transformed from Chicago’s progressive rock darlings into a global touring institution, and witnessing that evolution is part of the magic. There is a rare perspective that comes with that history—watching a band evolve from the radio giants of the ’70s to the meticulously polished, ageless high-energy rock machine they are today.
Over those years, the band has had several lineup iterations. Styx reached their greatest success as radio rockers and were at their peak in the early to mid-’80s with then-lead vocalist Dennis DeYoung, who is certainly missed, but by no means is the band any less accomplished without him. Seeing them now is a testament to the band’s endurance and their ability to keep that massive arena-rock sound alive in a more intimate setting like The Amp. The current lineup is solid, and the addition of Will Evankovich and newest member Terry Gowan together kicks up the live performance energy, creating a fresh appeal to new audiences.
One has to wonder how Styx continues to pack venues while similar bands of the same era struggle to fill the same spots. The answer is simple: the one constant about Styx is that they deliver a rocking good show every single time. From the progressive soaring of “Come Sail Away” to the gritty drive of “Blue Collar Man,” the music served as a sonic roadmap of where we’ve been and how far we’ve come. Clearly, they make a sincere effort to produce an exceptional live performance every show,  even in venues with poor acoustics. After all, they play the same songs every few nights, week after week for so many years. The band was all smiles and engaged the audience. The connection between the band is unremarkable.
Pompano Beach was fortunate that Styx still has a few originals such as James Young and Chuck Panozzo, who despite some health challenges continue to tour. From the way it looks, they both appear to still enjoy time performing. The “ageless” Tommy Shaw is perhaps one of the more underrated guitarists of the modern rock era. His time with Styx, Damn Yankees, and Shaw Blades proves he’s a seasoned axeman. His vocals on “Renegade” and “Blue Collar Man” were as crisp and powerful as they were in the late ’70s. He delivered a solid show on Sunday, matching the energy of his younger comrades.
Bassist Terry Gowan and drummer Todd Sucherman provided a thunderous, precise rhythm section that gave the progressive-rock the unshakeable core. Showman Lawrence Gowan, the charismatic man behind the spinning keyboard, is a whirlwind of energy. His showmanship keeps the performance from ever feeling static. There is a distinct feeling of relief and awe that comes from seeing musicians in their 70s perform with more precision and “fire in the belly” than bands half their age. It leaves you feeling energized about the idea that you don’t have to “slow down” just because the calendar says so.
There is a rare kind of magic in seeing a band like Styx after forty or fifty years. The 90-minute journey at the amphitheater was a bridge, and the thousands who were there were taken back to when these songs were there for the graduations, the heartbreaks, the summer road trips. This is the final piece of the puzzle. When you combine those quiet moments of reflection with the fun moments of one’s own life, you get the full picture of why a Styx concert feels so restorative.
Setlist:
Build and Destroy
Too Much Time on my Hands
The Grand Illusion
Lady
Great White Hope
Light up
Lorelei
Rockin’ the Paradise
Blue Collar Man
The Best of Times
Fooling Yourself
Piano Solo
Come Sail Away
Encore
Mr. Roboto
Renegade
hello world
hello world
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