Styx: The Brotherhood of Rock Tour

Phantom Light Media
Jun 19
3 min read

Updated: Jun 21

Ridgefield, Washington took a lengthy step back in time all the way to the early 80s as the Brotherhood of Rock rolled into town on June 15th to deliver a hefty dose of rock-fuelled nostalgia. With a pair of full album performances by both Styx and Kevin Cronin (formerly of REO Speedwagon) on the horizon, a sizable crowd packed the Cascades Amphitheater early to kick off the night in style with an opening set courtesy of the legendary Don Felder. The former Eagles guitarist, having just released a new album himself celebrating 50 years of performances, delivered a short but blistering set packed with fan favorites such as “One of These Nights,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” and the ever-iconic “Hotel California” to get fans warmed up and ready to sing.

Slowly but surely, the amphitheater began to fill as the sun sank lower and Kevin Cronin’s solo band soon took the stage to the raucous opening drum-driven intro of “Don’t Let Him Go,” the first track on the landmark REO Speedwagon album Hi Infidelity. This album dominated Kevin’s setlist for the night as it prepares to celebrate 45 years this fall, but fans were also treated to classic REO staples like the rollicking “Ridin’ the Storm Out” and the iconic ballad “Can’t Fight This Feeling,” which saw the amphitheater bathed in the light of several thousand phones and portable lighters. As the band blasted through the lengthy finale of “Roll With The Changes,” the excitement in the air grew palpable and the seats filled even further in preparation for the night’s main event.

Soon, the stage darkened, the video wall blazed to life with colorful patterns, and there they were. Styx wasted no time running an immaculate playthrough of The Grand Illusion, the album that launched them into the stratosphere with its bombastic instrumental passages and stirring quasi-medieval lyricism. The album’s opening salvo of the title track, “Fooling Yourself,” “Superstars,” and the colossal power ballad “Lady” set feet tapping and heads bobbing across nearly 8,000 spectators who were then treated to a rare set of deep cuts from the album’s B-side. Of particular note was “Castle Walls,” a lengthy and intricate instrumental passage laden with stirring lyrical imagery depicting a wandering soul lost among the fog of time, while torch-lit walls and gushing fog billowed about frontman Lawrence Gowan’s keyboard stand to really sell the illusion. Upon the album’s conclusion, the band switched gears and delivered a barrage of Styx’s biggest hits, flowing easily from dance numbers (“Too Much Time on My Hands”) to ballads (“Come Sail Away”) and even some more progressive material from their latest album, Circling From Above (“Build and Destroy”). But the real finale came once the band made their exit, then dramatic re-entry to the unmistakable droning synth intro of “Mr. Roboto,” one of the most divisive yet beloved songs in Styx’s storied history. Nevertheless, it was a true privilege seeing such an iconic song being brought to stage with the band’s modern lineup, breathing new life into it for a crowd of fans old and new. They then closed out the night with “Renegade” to raucous applause, making it very clear that Styx is here to stay as long as they possibly can - and they plan to be around for quite a while.