When you go to see a triple bill such as this one, all three bands are going to have shorter sets, and in this case, the headliner has only time to play their bigger hits. All in all, it was a good show, and four hours of excellent classic rock made for a good night. It was performed in front of a very large energetic crowd, and even though beer has become too expensive to drink at the venue, that didn’t stop anyone from partying very hard! I like all three acts that performed tonight, so this was not a show I was going to miss. It won’t be the best show I saw this year, but it definitely was fun!
The John Waite Band was beginning their set as I found a place on the already crowded lawn. He was singing “When I See You Smile” from his Bad English days which took me back to my middle school years. I also like his first band, The Baby’s, and the rest of his set included four tracks from those days, with “Head First” being a highlight. He attempted “Whole Lotta Love” and he knocked out the verses, but he did very little justice to the refrain. Still, it was a very strong set, and Waite did an excellent job opening up for the night.
Foreigner is a band who has so many hits that even a peripheral fan knows every song they play!
There were no deep cuts across the dozen songs they played, but nobody seemed to mind! There was lots of energy in the crowd as they sang along to hits like “Cold As Ice,” and “Double Vision!” Singer Kelly Hansen is not Lou Gramm, but he brought a lot of energy to the set and definitely played to the crowd who ate up his antics on “Dirty White Boy!” It seemed the set was building up to a strong finish, and the drum solo led into an awesome rendition of “Juke Box Hero” with Hansen singing from a raised podium!
The crowd loved it, and it felt like their set ended on a very high note. And then they came back for an encore! Hanson announced this was their farewell. “I Want To Know What Love Is” was performed by the band who brought up backup singers from a nearby high school. This led into a conversation about the funding of music programs in schools. And just when I didn’t think anything more could impress me, they played “Hot Blooded” and this seminal classic rock band finished strong as always!
I had just seen Styx last summer at the Indiana State Fair. Tonight’s set was definitely a little shorter, but they still found time to roll across their bigger hits. With only one original member, (Tommy Shaw joined them for their sixth album, Crystal Ball), Styx almost feels like a tribute band, and this writer feels lucky enough to have seen them in the early 90s with their original lineup. Still, they have it in them, and they played a very strong set for this large crowd.
“The Grand Illusion” was one of four songs they would play from the album of the same name. This led into “Too Much Time On My Hands” followed by “Lady” and many other songs from their late 70s catalog. I personally enjoyed original member James Young doing the lead vocals for “Miss America.” It’s a different energy in these songs, but they are still enjoyable!
“Blue Collar Man” has always been a favorite song of mine by the band, and I was happy they played it. It was nestled in with many strong songs to finish the set proper with “Come Sail Away” as their closer. “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade” were the encores, and this is special, because I never thought I would hear “Mr. Roboto” again after Dennis DeYoung left the band.
So while I didn’t hear some of the songs I was hoping to, at least two of the bands will be back on the road in the future. As these bands rehash classic rock from a timeless era, I know some things get lost in the translation, but it’s still wonderful to hear some of these songs again one more time. If this is the last time I hear Foreigner, then I’m glad they played a great set! It was a good night of music, and I look forward to many awesome shows to come!
Way too long.
What is?