Pic Playback: REO Speedwagon, Styx and Loverboy Live & UnZoomed at Jiffy Lube Live
It’s been four years since legendary rockers REO Speedwagon and Styx joined forces for a summer co-headlining tour, so you know that it was going to be a spectacle once they pulled up to Jiffy Lube Live in Virginia for the “Live & UnZoomed” Tour on August 12. The picture was set, and what more could you ask for…it was a perfect Friday evening, great weather at one of the area’s premier outdoor venues, with three bands who have been rocking out since classic rock music was even a thing.
Loverboy opened the show and played for about 45 minutes, with the very first song of the night being “Notorious” from their 1987 album, “Wildside.” As a product of the MTV age, their set consisted mainly of music from the 80’s that reigned supreme during that era, so we knew to expect nothing less than a party. The ladies in the crowd were dancing about and reminiscing of a time that was just great in life along to the songs “Lovin’ Every Minute of It” and “Hot Girls in Love“. Being that we were at the helm of the weekend, it was only proper that they finished up with one of their biggest hits to date, “Working For The Weekend” that sent everyone into a frenzy and set the tone for the other acts to follow.
With this trek being REO and Styx’s fifth joint venture, they have created such camaraderie whereas neither one has any ego issues, so they find balance with alternating set times. This particular night Styx would be going first, and knowing this, they knocked the ball out of the park right from the jump performing “The Fight of Our Lives,” which is lifted from their latest album “Crash of the Crown” released in 2021.
For many of the fans in attendance, they were there for the songs that became rock hits, and the gentlemen of Styx didn’t disappoint as they delivered a 1-2-3 punch in the order of “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” “The Grand Illusion,” and “Lady” as immediate follow ups. At times it was hard to fathom what I was witnessing, as some of these rockers are closing in on their 70’s, but were outperforming bands half their age. Lawrence Gowan, Tommy Shaw and James Young had this show wrapped tight, from vocal harmonies, to the energy, to the sheer power of the performances, proving that they could easily be the highlight of the night!
Since this was a tour to show that they have been “itching” to get off of Zoom and join us outside again, they would be remiss if they didn’t debut any of their newer material at this concert. “Crash of the Crown,” “Sound the Alarm,” and “Lost at Sea” were all received well. Although it was time for them to leave, they could not exit stage right without the fiery encore performance of “Renegade” that essentially left everyone wanting more.
Not to be outdone, show closers REO Speedwagon burst onto the scene taking a bit of a different turn by choosing a song from their earlier catalog “Music Man,” which had to be a treat for their diehard fans. The deep cuts didn’t stop there when they blew the dust off of “Riding The Storm Out” and “Back On The Road Again“.
The band was kicking, locked in and fully committed to the music as they devoted nearly a third of their setlist to songs from their multiplatinum album “Hi Infidelity.” Original keyboardist Neal Doughty played effortlessly, retaining the integrity of the songs “Tough Guys,” “Keep On Loving You,” and “Don’t Let Him Go“. Kevin Cronin had us all feeling like it was 1985 again when he pushed through their mega ballad “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” Quintessential rock song “Roll With the Changes” closed out the night, with everyone signing the chorus in unison.
Photo gallery courtesy of Mike Ware Photography.
