With a couple slight mess-ups, Styx pushed through a one hour and 10 minute set-list in front of Eastern’s family-filled crowd at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The lights dimmed and intro music began to build as Styx jogged onto the stage at exactly 6 p.m.

With no delay or words, each member picked up or sat at their instrument and started to strum and play mounting chords before eventually breaking into the song “Too Much Time on My Hands.”

I watched the opening songs, and it finally got settled that Styx was performing here in Lantz Arena.

Of course, the pace was set as a slow stagger with half-hearted smiles and expressions, but that could be expected. They are Styx, where haven’t they played and what haven’t they seen.

With this being said, Styx is superb at showing you a classic rock performance and making it sound exactly how you remembered it from the album. The band blasted through hits such as “Grand Illusion,” “Lady,” “Lorelei” and “Blue Collar Man” adding solos from each member at planned available times.

Guitarist Tommy Shaw has an amazing gift of ripping the guitar while having a stage presence that makes middle-aged moms blush and dream of a life once lived.

The same can’t be said about keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, who stood with his back to the keyboard awkwardly pelvic thrusting toward the crowd as he played and spun for the entire arena to witness.

Guitarist James Young walked all over the stage carefree as he intertwined solos and class to each song. Often people assume that Shaw is the best guitarist in the group, but this is simply because he is a better showman. Young’s style is much different. He prowls the stage with ease and with no hurry as his fingers play the sound that is ringing in his brain as though he has done this a billion times, which he probably has.

Perhaps the best part of the show was watching drummer Todd Sucherman hone his craft for the thousands in attendance. Believe it or not, this was no more showcased as it was during the band’s encore performance of “Renegade.” Sucherman showed the crowd exactly what it takes to back a legendary rock band such as Styx.

All was not good in Lantz Arena though. In one portion of the show Gowan stood alone on the stage and began singing lyrics to classic rock tunes such as “War Pigs” by Black Sabbath and “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin.

It was then that Gowan made the unforgivable mistake of the night when he informed the audience that he loved playing and being here in Indiana. The boos came, instantly followed by an embarrassed and stranded look on Gowan’s face. Putting showman ship first and pride second, Gowan quickly asked the crowd if they knew this next one as he began singing the chorus to “Come Sail Away.”

The crowd reacted in thunderous applause as the rest of the band joined Gowan on stage to pay the smash rock hit.

All in all, Styx is a good performance to see. They allow you to teleport to a time when you were younger or show you that old people knew how to rock.

The only drawback is themselves. The performance contains minimal spontaneity and leaves you telling yourself, “The performance wasn’t good or bad. It was simply Styx.”

Brad York can be reached at 581-7942 or bayork@eiu.edu

Lawrence Gowan, the current keyboardist for “Styx,” performs during the song “Lady” at Saturday evening’s Family Weekend concert in Lantz Arena. (Eric Hiltner/The Daily Eastern News)

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