Review & Photos by Joe Schaeffer
The Live and Unzoomed tour worked its way to Irvine on a toasty July night. It’s been four years since REO Speedwagon and Styx last partnered up. Arguably they are the best of the bands to ever come out of Illinois. The two rockers have been jamming together and sharing the spotlight since 2000. Canadian rockers Loverboy complete the trio of bands on the 2022 Summer U.S. tour.
Loverboy were first up on the night’s triple bill, slamming out a rigid 40-minute set of faithful renditions of their driving classic-rock faves. They flew through their set playing crowd favorites like “Loving Every Minute of It” and “Turn Me Loose.” The highlight for the still arriving crowd was the classic hit, “Everybody’s Working for The Weekend.”
Along with singer Mike Reno and guitarist Paul Dean, Loverboy still includes original members Doug Johnson on keyboards and Matt Frenette on drums, with Ken Sinnaeve replacing the late Scott Smith on bass.
After a short break Styx emerged for their long-awaited return. The band currently consists of guitarist and vocalist Tommy Shaw, guitarist and vocalist James Young, keyboardist and vocalist Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman and bassist Ricky Phillips.
Original bassist Chuck Panozzo also joins the band on a couple of selected songs. In 2021, they added Will Evankovich, their producer and co-writer on 2017’s The Mission and 2021’s Crash Of The Crown, as a seventh touring member to provide vocal harmonies and depth, plus more intensity with another guitar.
The concert began with “The Fight Of Our Lives,” from Crash Of The Crown. The evening continued with many beloved classic rock hits like “Lady,” “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” and “Rockin’ the Paradise,” which had the crowd on its feet dancing. Original bassist and founding member Chuck Panozzo made a guest appearance on the compelling “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” as well as the encore of “Renegade.”
It’s been 50 years since their first album was released and their musicianship is still incredible. The lead vocals from the duo of Shaw and Gowan were amazing, and the harmonies by the whole band were near perfect. The powerhouse rhythm section of Phillips and Sucherman played flawlessly the entire set.
Alternating back and forth headlining with Styx, REO Speedwagon were last up this evening. Kevin Cronin, Neal Doughty and Bruce Hall lead the way as REO still rocks the house like they’ve been doing since the 1970s. They just come out and hit it hard, laying down classic tracks and sounding true-to-form. Along with guitarist Dave Amato and drummer Bryan Hitt, the current lineup has been performing together since 1989.
The crowd sang along the most with REO Speedwagon’s signature power ballads like “Keep on Lovin’ You,” “Take It on The Run,” “Can’t Fight This Feelin’,” and “Time For Me To Fly.” Although REO Speedwagon’s set may have been dominated by many slower tracks, there was no shortage of energy from both the band and the crowd. Personal highlights included the classic 70s hits “Back On the Road Again’ and “Ridin’ The Storm Out.”
The Live and Unzoomed tour continues through to the end of August.
Loverboy Photo Gallery
Styx Photo Gallery
REO Speedwagon Photo Gallery
