Styx Delivers Timeless Classics During Rescheduled Camden Concert
As the saying goes, “better late than never,” and that most definitely applied to the Styx concert’s delay due to bad weather at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, NJ, originally scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, but held one day later. We were just about to leave (on a VERY good day) when our friends at Live Nation – Philadelphia made the call about the postponement. The delay had little to no effect on attendance on Wednesday, however, as Styx opened the show at 7:20 pm to a packed house ready for a night of hits dating back over fifty years!
Let’s ponder the enormity of that statement for a moment. Formed in 1972, the band has been active over three periods…1972 through 1984 when they went their separate ways, 1990-1992 when a split with their record company forced a halt, and then 1995 to the present. A few personnel changes along the way and we have today’s current lineup: founding guitarist James “JY” Young, guitarist Tommy Shaw, original bassist Chuck Panozzo for a few songs on some tour dates, keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman, guitarist Will Evankovich, and bassist Terry Gowan. There are few bands today with the staying power and draw of this group.
The evening kicked off with “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” written and sung by guitarist Tommy Shaw, and not to be confused with Billy Joel’s “Angry Young Man.” The song came about by Shaw’s impression of former bandmate Dennis DeYoung, who seemed to enjoy the successes of the band but waited for the inevitable other shoe to drop. “Lorelei” followed, an upbeat love song written by James Young. A song from the 2025 album, their 18th studio recording, titled “Circling from Above”, “Build and Destroy” completed the opening trilogy. This tune encapsulates many aspects of Styx’s past dalliance with the impact of technology and humanity.
The next four songs were a hit parade any band would be proud to claim as their own. “Lady” starts off as a sweet ballad and of course turns into a banging rocker. “Too Much Time On My Hands” tells the tale of an unemployed guy who, no surprise, has too much time on his hands and goes to the local bar, pontificating a lot about a lot of nothing. “The Grand Illusion” off the 1977 album of the same name warns about the dichotomy between fame and riches and the reality of what living those lives can really mean. “Light Up” is a happy tune, no surprise there, with its double meaning, but we all know what they were talking about way back in 1975 when there were no dispensaries in half of the States and you had to have a “guy.”
And speaking of “Light Up,” I’d be remiss if I did not offer kudos to Styx’s video origination team. Overall, the videos matched to certain songs are some of the best I’ve seen in terms of originality, graphics, colour…you name it. Some of the songs that really stood out in terms of accompanying graphics were “Rocking the Paradise,” “Our Wonderful Lives,” “Come Sail Away,” with its intergalactic tour, and “Mr. Roboto.”
Original member Chuck Panozzo came out to join in for “Come Sail Away” and the two encore songs, “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade.” “Mr. Roboto” had been left off the band’s set list for 35 years due to tensions within the group over the direction many perceived it was taking the band with its synth-pop sound, but it was reintroduced a few years ago.
All told, the 24-hour weather delay did not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm and enjoyment for this outstanding show. They’re still doing something right 54 years later.
Photo’s (c) David Fang
