STYX Ends 2015 On A High Note
December 9, 2015 -- In 2015, STYX--Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitar), James “JY” Young (guitar, vocals), Chuck Panozzo (bass), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Ricky Phillips (bass) and Todd Sucherman (drums)--celebrated a milestone anniversary, a national TV broadcast and another hugely successful summer tour. Time never stops for this legendary band.
They started the year with headlining tour dates of their own, as well as their first national TV broadcast in over two years, “Live At The Orleans Arena Las Vegas,” which aired on AXS TV on Sunday, March 15. STYX’s show was filmed at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV in front of a sold-out audience during last year’s “The Soundtrack of Summer” tour, which also featured Foreigner and former Eagles guitarist Don Felder. STYX performed many of their greatest hits, including “Come Sail Away,” “Renegade,” and “The Grand Illusion.” They even dug deep into their catalog for such fan favorites as “Light Up” and were joined on stage by Don Felder for “Blue Collar Man.” Fans who were unable to watch the concert can finally catch a glimpse of “Blue Collar Man” on STYX’s newly revamped official YouTube page.
Earlier this summer, STYX joined Def Leppard and Tesla on a massive tour that spanned late June through early October in front of one critically acclaimed sold-out audience after another. Now due to overwhelming demand, Def Leppard, STYX and Tesla will commence on a three-week jaunt starting January 27 in Greensboro, NC.
More recently, in response to the horrific attacks in Paris on November 13, STYX and REO Speedwagon’s Rock To The Rescue organization donated $25,000 to The Sweet Stuff Foundation to help families affected by the tragedy.
“We feel terribly saddened and outraged by these attacks,” said Styx guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw. “We hope that our contribution will help ease some of the pain and some of the expenses of what this means to the families as they go through the process of grieving and bringing their loved ones home. Josh (Homme) and (Eagles of Death Metal) lost a crew member and employees of their record label, Universal, during the terrorist attacks. This hits home for us because we’re also on the same label, and we deeply love our employees and our crew. Our hearts, minds, and prayers are with all the victims, and we urge all fans of Styx, Eagles of Death Metal, and classic rock who feel touched by this to join us in contributing. Thank you from everyone in the Styx family for your compassion.”
In addition to a last round of headlining tour dates that will conclude December 12 in Windsor, Ontario, STYX is ending the year on a high note. They recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of their fifth EQUINOX album, which was released on December 1, 1975. It was the band's first album on A&M Records, after releasing their first four albums on Wooden Nickel/RCA. Right out of the gate, EQUINOX's lead track, “Light Up,” fused the band’s best instincts for how to blend harmonies, keyboard hooks, and power chords together to memorable effect, resulting in a song that continues to grace many of Styx's live set lists today. Two other hard-driving singalong EQUINOX songs, “Lorelei” and “Suite Madame Blue,” are also in regular live rotation.
