STYX & Reo Speedwagon 8-23-13 Come Sail Away in the Bay

I must preface this entry with the fact that it will be a bit biased. I've seen REO Speedwagon 8 times and I've seen Styx 21 times. It's very safe to say that Styx is my favorite band in the whole wide world. Also, in my opinion, they are the best band of all time. I will try to give you the facts but know this, I am a total Styx geek.

REO Speedwagon: They went first and opened for Styx, which is how it should be... lol They always sound great. I can't complain! They look like they're having a ton of fun and they are very high energy. That being said,7 out of the 8 times I've seen them is only because they were touring with Styx. They put on a great show but Kevin Cronin always feels the need to talk to the audience.... a lot.... too much! The crowd was getting really pumped and everyone was singing along which was really really cool! I love that vibe! Here's REO's set list:

1. Don't Let Him Go
2. Music Man
3. Take It on the Run
4. Keep Pushin'
5. Golden Country
6. Can't Fight This Feeling
7. That Ain't Love
8. Like You Do
9. Son of a Poor Man
10. Time for Me to Fly
11. Back on the Road Again
12. Roll With the Changes

Encore:

Keep on Loving You

Ridin' the Storm Out

 

 

 

 Styx... what can I say... I've seen them 21 times and they just keep getting better. They have so much fun and they are all dynamic musicians. Tommy and JY can shred like nobody's business. Lawrence is a master of the keyboard. Todd can play drums like nobody else and Ricky and Chuck slap the bass and keep the beats going. I have sat in the front row and the back rows but this time I was in the 4th row. The view was great and we were very close to the stage. I get so excited for Styx. Like jumping around, fist pumping, screaming excited. Their music reaches me on a level that no other band can. The crowd at the Pier 6 concert was better than any other crowd that I've ever seen. When they sang Come Sail Away, the place just echoed with people singing along. It was electric and I got goose bumps! Here's the set list:

 

1. Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
2. The Grand Illusion
3. Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)
4. Lady
5. Light Up
6. Man in the Wilderness
7. Miss America
8. I'm O.K.
9. Crystal Ball
10. Too Much Time on My Hands
11. Come Sail Away

Encore:

Rockin' the Paradise

Renegade

 

I have never seen them play Light Up or Rockin' The Paradise in concert so when they played those two songs, me and the guy beside me were totally fist bumping and yelling. He was a big Styx fan too and the coolest guy I've even randomly sat beside at a concert. He and I both were jumping up and down together and yelling like a bunch of nutballs but damn was it fun! Plus he gave me a Tommy guitar pick that he caught. He's alright in my book for sure! Styx really did put on a great show and if you haven't seen them in concert before, I highly recommend it. They are incredibly entertaining and they still sound amazing. My friend Jen, who joined me for this concert, will tell you that I was gushing like a little girl! All in all, it was an awesome night and I am still riding my Styx high!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago 8-19-13

Chicago! Finally!! One more on my wish list fulfilled. I was so excited to see them because they were one of my Mom's favorite bands when she was my age. I've been begging her to go with me to see them for years. It just goes to show that if you beg enough, eventually you will break the other person down enough to give in. ;o) I think she was nervous that hey wouldn't be as good as they were when she originally saw them.

They did 2 sets with a 20 minute intermission in between. I have nothing to compare them to since I had never seen them before. I really had a blast though. The vocals from the main singer left something to be desired though. He was really weak and didn't hit all of the notes like you were expecting. They did this really cool thing called "Sing With Chicago" where fans can bid on the experience to hang out back stage with the band and oh yeah.... Sing a song for them. The guy that sang was better than the lead singer. I'd be peeing my pants if I won! The best part is that all of the money from the bids goes directly to the American Cancer Society. They do it at every concert. That is pretty freaking awesome! Here's the set list:

1st Set

1. Introduction
2. Questions 67 & 68
3. Dialogue (Part I & II)
4. Alive Again
5. If You Leave Me Now
6. Call on Me
7. (I've Been) Searchin' So Long
8. Mongonucleosis
9. Will You Still Love Me?
10. Another Rainy Day in New York City
11. Look Away
12. Ballet for a Girl in Buchannon

2nd Set

13. Canon
14. Old Days
15. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
16. Hard Habit to Break
17. You're the Inspiration
18. Beginnings
19. I'm a Man
20. Street Player
21. Just You 'n' Me
22. Saturday in the Park
23. Hard to Say I'm Sorry / Get Away'
24. Feelin' Stronger Every Day

Encore:

      Free

      25 or 6 to 4

 

I liked how they did a spotlight on a few members of the band at a time. Those guys may not sound perfect but they did a great job and they had the audience up and dancing. I'm so happy that I finally got to see them! My wish list is really getting smaller after tis summer. I've been really lucky to see so many of the bands that I thought I'd never get a chance to see and it's not over yet!!

 

 

Under the Sun 8-6-13

The Under the Sun tour was a lot of fun. I was excited to see some bands I've never seen before and relive my awkward stage in life (wait... did I ever get out of that stage?) We originally bought lawn tickets so that we could take a big group of people and hang out. Nobody else bought tickets.... 2 people together on the lawn is kinda sad, plus it looked like it was going to rain.... so I asked at the ticket booth if we could upgrade. The lovely guy at the ticket booth informed me that it would be no problem to upgrade and would 2nd row be ok? Umm... duh! I was really happy that nobody else wanted to go! Screw you guys, we're sitting in the front.

First band to go on was Fastball. I'm thinking, "Ok... they will play their one song and on to the next band." They actually had a few songs that I knew and they rocked! That's what I get for writing them off ahead of time. Their set list was:

You're an Ocean
Love Comes in Waves
Fire Escape
Keep Your Wig On
Sooner or Later
Out of My Head
The Way

Short and sweet and rocking! Their new songs even sounded good. They were a great start to a cool night.

Next was Vertical Horizon. I was standing there during set change trying to remember what songs they even did. Thanks to the modern marvel of the smart phone, I was finally able to come up with a few. They were really good too! I however, didn't appreciate the kids behind me yelling "I wasn't even born yet" after ever band... Umm.. Thanks for the age check. Assholes. So, Vertical Horizon... another short and sweet and highly entertaining set!

You're A God
The Lucky One
The Best I Ever Had
Broken Over You
Everything You Want

 

Next up, the Gin Blossoms. I've actually seen them once before and I really enjoyed that concert. It's a cool vibe, the band is tight and they have a ton of audience involvement. The lead singer hands out tambourines to audience members, which sounds hokey at first but trust me... you'll be wishing for a tambourine of your own by the end of the set! The singer even came out into the audience. I think that's so cool! They have a ton of hits! Here's their set list:

 

Lost Horizons

Don't Change For Me

Found Out About You

Until I Fall Away

Allison Road

I Want You Bad  (NRBQ cover)

Hey Jealousy

Til I Hear It From You

Follow You Down

 

I would definitely go see them again. They are a fan's band and I can totally appreciate that!

 

 

Sugar Ray was next and out walked Mark McGrath... straight out of my boy band magazine pin ups and onto the stage.... most of my pictures were just close ups of his face... sigh. I didn't have any idea what to expect from them but Sugar Ray was SO. MUCH. FUN!!!! My inner teenager was screaming like a total geek! They were considered to be one of the headliners. I'd go back next year just to see them again. Mark was running around on stage acting like a 15 year old boy and it was so fun to watch. He even kept going over to the sign language interpreter and hugging her. Lucky lady!! Their songs sounded fresh and relevant eve after almost 15 years. (Has it really been that long??) Their set list was packed full of fun songs and the whole audience was pumped!

 

 

Summertime's Coming

Someday/Groovin' (Young Rascal's cover)

Every Morning

Under the Sun

When It's Over

Blister in the Sun (Violent Femme's cover)

Fly

 

My only complaint was that their set wasn't nearly long enough!!! (and that Mark didn't ask me out... )

 

 

Smash Mouth.... I was the most excited to see them. Sugar Ray left the audience feeling like all that in a bag of chips and everyone was totally down for the next band. Like, whatever! I listened to the first 2 Smash Mouth cds to excess when they came out. I totally had my Discman and my headphones rocking out on family vacays. I listened to Walking on the Sun until I had all of the words memorized (and it turns out that I still do!)

 

 I was so excited for them to come on and from the first few minutes,  realized that something was off....  It was Smashed Lead Singer instead of Smash Mouth. The band sounded great! Great!!! but the singer must've spent all day hitting up bar and he sounded like complete and utter shit. I have never seen a singer or any other performer so visibly and audible trashed... ever!! I go to a ton of concerts but this was a first for me. I was so disappointed. They even had the lead singer from the Gin Blossoms come out and sing for him. Lame! During All Star, he held the mic out to the audience and maybe sang 10 words out of the whole song. I don't think I would ever go see them again... unless it was a free ticket and they were playing in my back yard. I still love their music but I was embarrassed for them. Here's their liquor soaked set list:

 

Can't Get Enough of You Baby  

When the Morning Comes          

Come On Come On                     

Diggin' Your Scene                     

Walking on Sun

You Really Got Me (Kinks cover)

I'm A Believer

All Star

                                      

 

 



So, recap: All 4 bands the were before Smash Mouth= awesome! Smash Mouth = singer needs to drink after the show (or not at all) because it was all very awkward at the end of the show. It just ended... no bows just... BOOM it's over. The crew did an amazing job of setting up and tearing down gear in a vey short amount of time. I definitely need to give them props for that! Shame on you Smash Mouth for leaving the fans with a bad impression after all of the other bands did such a great job.