Styx | Artpark, Buffalo

Guest review by Autumn of WRUR:


I need to begin by saying that this is very difficult to write objectively, because Styx has been my favorite band for the longest time. Their August 8th show at Artpark was my sixth time seeing them in four years, and I would place Styx very close to the top of my list of musical obsessions.

The crowd was out of control, partly because people enjoy free things, but mostly because Western New York loves classic rock. They had to stop allowing people into the show because there was literally no more room in the venue, despite its size. We managed to shove our way toward the stage and ended up about ten rows back, with a great view.

The concert was amazing; and of course, completely identical to almost every single other show I’ve seen them perform. Styx are such rock-stars that they don’t even need to change their setlist, dance moves, or cheesy audience participation from year to year. And yes, there are dance moves. I’m sure that half of the audience was disappointed when “Mr. Roboto” was not played, but that is a Dennis DeYong song, and he is no longer in the band. However, they made sure to cover all the other hits - “Blue Collar Man,” “Come Sail Away,” and, in the encore, “Renegade.” I’m sure they knew that this is all the audience wanted, but Styx is for some reason still making music, and they felt it necessary to validate themselves as a band by performing a song off of their latest album, Big Bang Theory. The song is called “I Don’t Need No Doctor,” and aside from failing grammatically, it failed to elicit anything but blank stares from the audience. To the contrary, the band may in fact require the aid of a physician; especially Lawrence Gowan, who looked as though he was going to die of exhaustion by the end of the song.

Overall, the show was entertaining, loud, and sweaty, which is everything a rock concert should be. I was even more thrilled by the fact that it was free, because I had paid more than fifty dollars to see them play at Darien Lake just months earlier. I am not recommending that you pay to see this band unless you are looking for an opportunity to laugh at yourself. But honestly, you can’t go wrong with free.