Styx, Foreigner Show Classic Rock Icons At 'Best Of Times:' Review

CAMDEN, N.J. —They've performed together on bills for years, thrilling audiences with classic rock songs from the 1970s that still generate as much fervor 50 years later.

Any fan knows the groups and knows the songs from listening to the radio, whether they are rockers like "Hot Blooded" and "Miss America" or ballads like "The Best of Times" or "Waiting For a Girl Live You."

Styx and Foreigner rolled into the Freedom Mortgage Center on Sunday night with former Babys vocalist John Waite for a show that stirred memories yet still made magic.

Waite worked the crowd up for the two main acts with a healthy dose of Babys' classics and solo hits, showing that the 72-year-old British rock singer still had the chops to showcase his huge MTV video hit "Missing You" and the Bad English ballad "When I See You Smile."

Styx followed Waite and whipped the crowd into a frenzy with "The Grand Illusion" as guitarists Tommy Shaw and James "J.Y." Young continued "Rockin' the Paradise" as they've had for decades since the departure of original vocalist Dennis DeYoung.

Shaw performs like it's the late 1970s even though the singer/songwriter has reached the age of 70.

The crowd loves his energy and Shaw can still hit all the high notes that provide these prog rockers with the ribbon on its package. He got the crowd pumped up right off the bat with the sing-along "Too Much Time on My Hands," and followed throughout the performance with the rocker "Blue Collar Man," "Fooling Yourself," and the set closer "Renegade."

Young was strong in dusting off 1977's classic "Miss America" with a vocal force and lead guitar muster and even led the group for "Crash of the Crown," a new song from a few years ago that found the band in fine form.

But Styx has always been known for DeYoung's themes and theatrics and his now longtime replacement Lawrence Gowan never disappoints, whether putting on a top hat and doing some leg jigs from a keyboard that spins around whenever he moves.

All Gowan, though, has to do is hit the piano and the crowd comes to life for "Lady," the futuristic "Mr. Robato," the crowdpleaser "The Best of Times," and, of course, the showstopper "Come Sail Away."

While Styx showcased its catalog, Foreigner took a final bow after announcing that this would be its farewell tour for a group that started in 1977.

There are actually no original members in the band.

Guitarist and founder Mick Jones was the last holdout but had to retire from performing due to health reasons.

But the band carries on with lead singer Kelly Hanson picking up the microphone from Lou Gramm and Jeff Pilson showing he's still a force on bass as he was in the heavy metal band Dokken back in the late 1980s.

Both have been in Foreigner for 20 and 18 years, respectively.

Hanson just belts out the hits with the show starting with guitar blasts of "Double Vision" and "Head Games."

Guitarist Bruce Watson has more than a decade under his belt and fires away full throttle on "Juke Box Hero," the last song in the set before the encores.

Of course, the band knows how to slow it down too.

"The dreamy "Waiting For A Girl Like You" took the audience back to the 1980s while encore, "I Want To Know What Love Is" features a choir on every show. (The Hatboro-Horsham High Treble Choir filled the bill for this performance.)

What was really cool was how the band captured the virtuoso sax solo in "Urgent" performed on record by Junior Walker. The band used to have a member who would perform the solo on the instrument.

Instead, keyboard wizard Michael Bluestein —who interviewed with Patch a week before the performance —came to the front of the stage and wailed on a keyboard that was shaped like a guitar. He blew the audience away.

And while the band may no longer perform on major live tours, Foreigner left the crowd with a fond farewell.

(Dino Ciliberti/Patch)