by Paul Wood

CHAMPAIGN — Two of Illinois' biggest bands are about to perform at Illinois' newest outdoor venue.

Cheap Trick and Styx perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Grange Grove, west of Memorial Stadium.

It's a bit of a homecoming.

Cheap Trick, which came out of Rockford, often played in Champaign-Urbana at Chances R and other bars before hitting it big.

Styx, from Chicago, had regular dates here throughout the band's career. They played at the Virginia Theatre a couple of years ago with another Illinois band, Head East.

You know their songs.

Cheap Trick's hits include "I Want You To Want Me," "Dream Police" and "Surrender" — perfect pop gems.

Styx plays on a grander, even grandiose scale, going for albums rather than singles.

The radio loved "The Grand Illusion," "Blue Collar Man," "Lady" and "Come Sail Away," among others.

Styx bassist Ricky Phillips wasn't there for the whole ride, but most reasonable people would consider him a veteran for putting in 14 years.

Read the interview at news-gazette.com!