The Midwest’s Favorite Sons Bring The Spirit of Illinois to South Florida on Opening Night of the “Windy Cities Tour” – Photos and Review of the Styx and Chicago Concert at the iThink Financial Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL

The iThink Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach became a sacred ground for classic rock on Tuesday night as Styx and Chicago launched the opening night of the aptly titled “Windy Cities” tour, a celebration of two bands whose roots are planted firmly in the city of Chicago yet whose branches extend across the entire landscape of American rock and roll. Packing the seats was a multi-generational crowd draped in vintage tour shirts and wielding the confidence that comes from knowing every word to songs written decades before most of the people they meet these days were born. From the first note to the final bow, the evening felt like a showcase of longevity, musicianship, and the enduring power of theatricality from two bands that wrote the book on the topic.

The duty of kicking off the festivities for the already simmering crowd fell to Styx, and launching with the electrifying synthesizer riff of “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” the band immediately showcased the twin engine that has driven their sound for decades: the soaring, crystalline tenor of Lawrence Gowan and the searing, soulful guitar work of Tommy Shaw. Gowan, a whirling dervish behind his rotating keyboard stand, has long since made the band’s catalog his own, and his theatricality transformed the amphitheater into a prog rock opera house. The set was a barrage of hits, hooks and harmonies, a reminder that Styx occupies a unique space between hard rock crunch and high-concept art. James “J.Y.” Young, the godfather of the Styx sound, delivered a blistering “Build and Destroy”, his guitar growling with a ferocity that belied the years of its beholder. The crowd, a sea of smiling faces mouthing every word, erupted for the one-two punch of “Too Much Time on My Hands” and the epic, sprawling suite “Come Sail Away“, during which Gowan’s vocals sailed over the lawn as thousands of phone lights transformed the venue into a terrestrial starlit sky. By the time the final, majestic chord of the band’s “Renegade” encore faded, Styx had laid down the gauntlet of pristine vocal harmonies and instrumental precision.

Chicago was up next, with the horn-heavy band taking the stage with a polished energy that defied their five decades-plus journey in the musical world. The band launched into “Introduction“, a fittingly titled track that immediately established the night’s truest luxury: the world-class brass section. The instantly recognizable, flawless three-part vocal harmonies were there, of course, but it was the blistering trumpet of Lee Loughnane, the soulful trombone of Nick Lane, and the nimble saxophone of Ray Herrmann that gave the music its gravitational pull. The sheer joy emanating from the stage was infectious, thanks in no small part to new vocalist Rudy Cardenas who performed the near-miraculous task of channeling the spirit of Peter Cetera on classics like “If You Leave Me Now“.  Unfortunately, about halfway through the set, Florida’s typical temperamental weather took a turn for the worst as a small cluster of thunder and rain necessitated a small rain delay, but after a short interruption everyone was able to gather out of the rain under the roof of the amphitheater and the show went on. 

After the band’s return onstage, the set morphed into a joyous showcase of the band’s greatest hits, featuring their most well known songs “You’re The Inspiration” and “Saturday in the Park“. They closed their main set with a euphoric rendition of “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day“, a sentiment that rang entirely true as the horn section punched through the wet air leaving the audience in a state of rhythmic bliss. As the night reached its crescendo, Chicago returned on stage for an encore with their veritable army of musicians generating a wall of sound, launching into “Free” and “25 or 6 to 4“. As the final, searing trumpet note rang out into the South Florida night, it was clear to the crowd funneling out that Styx & Chicago’s vibrant tour kickoff was a beautiful explosion of energy that promises to resonate through every amphitheater it visits this summer.