REO Speedwagon & Styx – Live and Unzoomed at White River

Two of the biggest bands from the eighties, as well as from the Land of Lincoln, REO Speedwagon and Styx have teamed up for a tour across North America. Billed as the “Live and Unzoomed Tour”, the classic rock lineup made a stop at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, WA and thankfully it was a gorgeous evening within the Pacific Northwest and the fans that made their way out to the show on a week night were excited and looking forward to seeing the two iconic bands who have been churning out classic timeless tracks and packing venues for over fifty years…yes each band has been rocking for over fifty years and they are as good as ever.

Getting the evening started were Canadian rockers Loverboy – Mike Reno (vocals), Paul Dean (guitar), Matt Frenette (drums), Doug Johnson (keyboards) and Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve (bass) – who played a quick set chock full of their 80’s radio rock hits such as “The Kid is Hot Tonight”, “Lovin’ Every Minute of It”, “Turn Me Loose” and the ever popular “Working for the Weekend”.

There was a very quick break. Styx – James “JY” Young (guitar / vocals), Tommy Shaw (guitar / vocals), Tood Sucherman (drums), Lawrence Gowan (keyboards / vocals), Ricky Phillips (bass), Will Evankovich (guitar) – are touring in support of their latest album Crash of the Crown. The band came out to much fanfare and kicked it into high gear.

Opening with “The Fight of Our Lives” then rolling right into “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)” and then “Grand Illusion”.  The band’s set was also filled with many of their hit singles such as “Lady”, “Rockin’ the Paradise”, and “Too Much Time on My Hands”.

Shaw spoke of the two Panozzo brothers who founded Styx. Drummer John Panozzo passed away in 1996, while bassist Chuck Panozzo still performs with the group from time to time – including this evening. He emerged to a flurry of cheers, joining in on the Styx classic “Fooling Yourself (Angry Young Man).” Panozzo also performed on other songs later in the set such as “Lost at Sea”, “Come Sail Away” and “Renegade”.

REO Speedwagon – Kevin Cronin (lead vocals / guitar), Bruce Hall (bass), Dave Amato (lead guitar), Neal Doughty (keyboards), Bryan Hitt (drums) – has 16 studio albums in their catalog, so the band had plenty of music and classic hits to keep the packed amphitheater entertained throughout the evening.

Without an introduction, the band came out to thunderous applause and got their set started with “Music Man”, “Take it on the Run”, and “Keep Pushing”. Cronin, who is 70, sounded incredible and still is full of energy, running from one side of the stage to other while not missing a beat.

The band played a solid set of music throughout their storied career, tracks such as “Like You Do”, “Live Every Moment”, “Roll with the Changes”, but the songs that received the most sing alongs and fanfare were the band’s bigger hits such as “Can’t Fight This Feeling”, “Keep on Loving You”, and “Don’t Let Him Go”.

REO Speedwagon Setlist

Music Man
Take It On The Run
Keep Pushin’
Live Every Moment
Tough Guys
Can’t Fight This Feeling
Like You Do
Don’t Let Him Go
Time For Me To Fly
Back on the Road Again
Ridin’ the Storm Out
Keep on Loving You
Roll with the Changes

Styx Setlist
The Fight of Our Lives
Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
The Grand Illusion
Lady
Crash the Crown
Light Up
Sound the Alarm
Rockin’ the Paradise
Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man) – with Chuck Panozzo
Too Much Time on My Hands
Khedive
Lost at Sea – with Chuck Panozzo
Come Sail Away – with Chuck Panozzo
Mr. Roboto
Renegade – with Chuck Panozzo