The question you must ask yourself when you are buying tickets to a concert like last night's United We Rock Tour stop at Starlight with Foreigner, Styx and special guest Kansas: Am I actually getting tickets to a glorified tribute band show?
And then: Do I even care?
An alarming amount of legacy acts from the vinyl era possess only one or two founding members, one of whom, presumably, holds legal rights to the band's name. The other members are a blend of younger journeymen and older rockers from bands that never quite made it. In an increasingly common case (see: Yes), the replacement singer was a vocal mimic from a tribute band discovered on YouTube.
Earlier this morning, as I was writing this, a host on KCFX 101.1 the Fox, addressed this very issue. He openly complained about how, for him, last night "wasn't Foreigner." Direct quote: "You take away the lead singer, you take away the heart of the band."
Then again, is it less painful to see an unfamiliar stand-in than to watch a once-beloved rock idol, his body ravaged by too many years of lickin' it up, his face a waxen approximation of itself, his voice not what it once was?
Notice how many tours of late have been canceled due to frontman injury? Who will the Edge get to replace Bono when U2 is eventually on the state fair circuit? If you're an obsessive, controlling parent, forget American Idol. Begin grooming your kids now for spots in dying legacy acts!
In any case, the absence of original frontmen Lou Gramm (Foreigner) and Dennis DeYoung (Styx) didn't deter fans from buying out nearly all the tickets to last night's KCFX-sponsored show. (A few middle-tier, $61-level seats remained when I arrived.)
The crowd at Starlight was mostly white, skewing old but with quite a few members of Generations Y and "i," all united in an affection for classic rock radio, self included.
And it's kind of heartbreaking that I missed all but the last song of Kansas' early 7 p.m. set. The crowd went crazy for "Carry On Wayward Son," though, and promoter Jeff Fortier said the band (which contains original singer Steve Walsh but not original guitarist and hit-writer Kerry Livgren) "killed it." If you caught Kansas, by all means, riff on it in the comments.
The remaining two acts painted contrasting portraits of aging rockers. One was graceful and even admirable, the other was hokesville.
With caramel tans, blazing-white teeth, feathered Farah-Fawcett hair and a collective wardrobe that landed somewhere between Wall Street (the 1987 movie) and Rivendell (the elven stronghold in Middle Earth), the men of Styx carried a visual form of anti-tribute-band insurance: No impostors would ever out-snazz these cats.
Styx's hourlong set seemed crippled by its opener status. Going in, I thought Styx and Foreigner were pretty much co-headlining. Not the case. Both had the same dot-matrix video screen showing disturbingly cheap stock animations to illustrate their respective hits, but Styx played during daylight and on a smaller stage setup -- whereas Foreigner had giant ramps to nowhere, Styx's set was endowed merely with a couple of tiny staircases.
Though given Styx's strange lack of charisma, the order in which it played may not have mattered. (Kansas, after all, totally rocked it.) Without DeYoung, Styx looks like an unmoored backup band. Sonically, the band was accurate. The voices of sole original member James "JY" Young, longtime member Tommy Shaw and relative newcomer Lawrence Gowan all sounded as BeeGeelike as ever.
Taking a prancing leave from his revolving keyboard stand, the pointy-booted Gowan nailed the lead on "Lady." Yet despite the song's classic status -- not to mention the fact that it was only the fourth song of the set -- the crowd decided to sit down, setting a precedent that would carry throughout the show, signaling, sadly, collective boredom.
But except for a godawful "Miss America" (in which Young morphed into a perverse approximation of James Hetfield) and a cover of the one hit by Shaw's other well-known band, Damn Yankees, Styx's greatest hits set was solid, though Mr. Roboto was conspicuously absent.
Foreigner saved the evening -- and proved the Fox morning show jock wrong. First of all, here's Lou Gramm, OK? You're welcome.
Replacement wailer Kelly Hansen has ripped out Gramm's voice and put it in Steven Tyler's gourd-sized jaws and willowy frame. (By the way, one thing just about everyone did remarkably well on stage last night: squeezed into tight pants like champs. To hell with being able to remember my children's names. If I can look that good in stretchpants when I'm those guys' age, I'll consider my senior citizenhood a success.) Despite cutting his sizable chompers in a band nobody has heard of, Hansen worked the crowd like a pro, more than making up for sole foreigner and only remaining original member Mick Jones' low mobility.
But most of all, Foreigner's music kicks ass. Styx is for drinking chablis and reorganizing the coat closet. Foreigner is for fucking. Ignore the fancy keyboards and occasional sax -- Foreigner's riffs are big and dumb and the lyrics are desperate and horny.
That's the hits, anyway. A couple of songs off the new, Walmart-exclusive album, Can't Slow Down, went over like instant tranquilizer on the crowd. But from opener "Double Vision" to epic closer "Juke Box Hero," Foreigner shot from the groin.
The sextet also brought just enough regular-guy appeal (most apparent in bassist Jeff Pilson's sweaty flannel shirt) to demonstrate to those of us still blinded by Styx's artificially shining teeth what aging gracefully really means.
Styx set list
Borrowed Time
Grand Illusion
Too Much Time on My Hands
Lady
Lorelei
Can You Take Me Higher
Suite Madame Blue
Fooling Yourself
Miss America
Come Sail Away
encore
Blue Collar Man
Renegade
Foreigner set list
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold As Ice
Can't Slow Down (new)
Dirty White Boy
Pieces (new)
Starrider
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent
I Want to Know What Love Is
Hot Blooded
encore
Jukebox Hero
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Jason: You are clearly delusional by your derogatory remarks about STYX! And clearly, NO ONE AGREES! They've been rocking steady for over thirty years, despite losing De Young. I've been to at least 6 of their shows and they never disappoint! They truly put on an energetic show and hold a captive audience. Their performance is the best of all three bands in my opinion. Sounds like you're just jealous with jabs about their thick hair, white teeth, cool clothes, etc. THEY'RE HOT!!! I can only imagine you in tight leather pants!(BTW, What is your claim to fame?)
I HAVE SEEN STYX FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS AND THEY KICK ASS. LOUD RIGHT ON TIME DOUBLE 4 TIME. JACKSONVILLE FL. THERE IS A REASON THEY KEEP ON COMING BACK TO JACKSONVILLE AND I WILL ALWAYS BR THERE. STYX IS CLEARLY THE BETTER BAND BEFORE NOW AND TOM. ROCK ON PEOPLE. JOE
We thought the concert in Omaha on July 2nd for 20,000 at the park (and free) was AWESOME!!!!!! foreigner ROCKED! Fabulous night, even though so many originals were missing.
I was thrilled with the concert at Pine Knob last night! Kansas was authentic, Styx was great and Foreigner had me rockin' in my seat! This is a brilliant ticket and I LOVED each of the bands for their respective shows and the energy that they brought to the stage.
I can tell you I have seen the both of them on their best days. I don't know if it is the acustics or what. Styx blew Foreigner away when I saw them in Chicago at the First Midwest Amp. It was quite clearly a much better performance. When I saw the two together a couple of years later, at Northerly Island, in Chicago, Foreigner blew Styx away. Styx was the headliner in both acts. I think they both put on a great show, but I am not sure why sometimes each seems much better than the other. I think it has to do with acustics and loudness. When either plays loud, they sound very clear, precise, and loud. These have been my obsevations. I believe it centers on the loudness; because they both play precisely and the precision can only be realized when the volume is pumped up.
I heavily disagree with your review of the concert. I thought Styx played better than Kansas or Foreigner. Not to say that the others were bad, they did a great job. Maybe this is just me, but I focus more on the musical quality than the "show" I am given. In that respect I think Styx took the cake. From a performance perspective, Foreigner got it hands down. It's a great concert, highly recommend it.
Just got back from seeing this concert in Cary, NC. Foreigner took the show! They had the energy, the voices, the sound, and the stage presence. They should have been the headliner. Styx was OK but they seem to have lost their pizzaz. Kansas needs to retire or hire new people.
The Damn Yankees song is called "High Enough" not "Can You Take me Higher"
nice review though.
I saw the Chicago show on Sat, Styx closed. Kansas was fantastic on Icarus and Carry On, It takes a womens love... Foreigner did rock respectably, and Styx surprised me with their ability to carry the crowd through the windy rain and storm. I could've done without "can you take me higher" but that's just me. Completely agree with the Chablis comment...
We obviously were not at the same concert. I have seen Styx four times before this concert and had seen Foreigner when they were the headliner and AC/DC was their opening act. I can tell you Styx gave a much more energized performance, not unlike the ones I saw previously. After they performed, those around me discussed how Foreigner was in a tough position following up,and although we were pleasantly surprised, the Foreigner performace was nowhere near the level of Styx. Of course, you're the "reviewer".
Thank you for the write up, I could not attend this show, but really wanted to see these guys. I was sad that the the KC star did not send anyone, or actually it is more like ......"it is a shame the KC Star music reviewers pick and choose the shows they attend with the snobbish attitude of a high school cheerleader".
Kansas absolutely killed it. From beginning to end, the band was tight and Walsh sounded great. Icarus, Born On Wings of Steel was certainly a high point as Walsh whaled the bridge to that song while playing the B3 sound underneath. Goose bumps baby!
I disagree completely about Styx. The setlist was great, and the songs were done accurately. It would have been nice if Dennis Deyoung was there, but it was still a solid performance. The thing that struck me most, though, was how many incredible guitar solos those old radio-friendly songs had. No matter what you think of classic rock, as compared to modern music, there are almost no bands today whose songs have lead guitar as inspired as what I heard last night during the Styx set.
I always thought Foreigner was a waste of King Crimson's Ian McDonald, from prog rock to corporate rock.
Not a huge Styx fan but without Dennis DeYoung is kind of like peanut butter without the jelly (or bananas if you're Elvis).
I did enjoy the article and I'm glad you're not stuck having to go to Old Shawnee Days and seeing Starship with Mickey Thomas and tribute bandpalooza.
@Bewlay: No no, Gary Dean is right. I deserve to be questioned repeatedly as to why I nearly missed Kansas' entire set. I suck.
@Matt: Thanks!
He saw their last song, Gary Dean. Please don't make me post this two more times.
"Foreigner is for fucking." WOW. Awesome.
Nice to read this writeup of the show, and your perspective on the retooled version of Foreigner. I agree, and since Lou Gramm is a shadow of his former self vocally these days (after brain surgery in the late '90s), I'm more than happy to have Hansen at the helm. If you saw Gramm in the later days, it was sadly, not pretty. Hansen and Jones present a version of Foreigner for 2010 that is completely authentic.
If I'm at home, I'm listening to the original albums (no need for live DVDs from the current lineup), but in the live setting, these guys bring it.
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