Styx overwhelms Pala

There were a few empty seats when Styx performed at Pala Casino's Events Center venue Feb. 24, as some patrons were unable to find a space in the casino's lone remaining parking garage while the parking structure by the hotel is being upgraded. The show started 10 minutes after the scheduled time because fans were still in line. Styx overwhelmed Pala even before the show, and the band would also overwhelm the audience during the performance.

Styx performed 15 songs, not including snippets of two non-Styx songs keyboardist Lawrence Gowan played following the keyboard solo "Key Guy," which appears on Styx's most recent album, The Mission. The band opened with "Gone, Gone, Gone" from The Mission before providing the audience with the classics "Blue Collar Man," "The Grand Illusion" and "Lady."

"There's no warming you guys up – you're there," said guitarist Tommy Shaw of playing some of the band's classic songs early.

Because the performance only lasted 95 minutes some Styx classics, including "Babe," "The Best of Times," "Lorelei," and "Mr. Roboto," didn't make the set list. Gowan noted that the concert took place two days after the 46th anniversary of Styx signing a recording contract. (The self-titled album Styx was released in 1972.) This year is also the 40th anniversary of the band's Pieces of Eight album, and last year was the 40th anniversary of the Grand Illusion album, which sold six million copies, including one million on eight-track tapes.

"We're all here to celebrate," Gowan said.

Bassist Chuck Panozzo co-founded Styx with his now-deceased twin brother, John, and Dennis DeYoung. Guitarist James "J.Y." Young joined the band in 1970 and was on Styx's first album. Shaw joined the band in 1975 and made his recording debut with the Crystal Ball album. Todd Sucherman replaced John Panozzo on the drums in 1995, Gowan replaced DeYoung in May 1999, and bassist Ricky Phillips has been a member since 2003. During the Feb. 24 concert Chuck Panozzo joined the band for "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)," "Come Sail Away," and "Renegade".

The Mission was Styx's first new album since 2005. "Radio Silence" joined "Key Guy" and "Gone, Gone, Gone" as songs from The Mission performed during the Pala concert.

Gowan followed "Key Guy" with snippets from the non-Styx songs "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Golden Slumbers" while also singing the lyrics to those Queen and Beatles melodies.

The audience endured the parking and line issues and responded well both to the Styx songs of the 1970s and early 1980s and to the tracks on The Mission. The concert itself and not just the journey to get there was overwhelming.