REO Speedwagon and Styx Sail Into Virginia Beach for Live and UnZoomed Tour

2022-08-10

Virginia Beach, Virginia – REO Speedwagon and Styx, two of the most iconic rock bands from the seventies and eighties, are back on the road again co-headlining the Live and UnZoomed Tour along with Canadian rockers, Loverboy. Thousands of fans packed into Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater (aka Virginia Beach Amphitheater) in Virginia Beach, Virginia on a hot, sultry evening with a threat of thunderstorms looming.

REO SPEEDWAGON

Rock veterans REO Speedwagon brought the 70’s and 80’s back in an instant with a modern flair. Their timeless sound and versatility were showcased on the Live and UnZoomed Tour in Virginia Beach, Virginia supporting their 16^th studio album Building the Bridge, which was just released May 27, 2022. This band of incredible musicians is comprised of Kevin Cronin (lead vocals, guitar), Bruce Hall (bass), Dave Amato (lead guitar), founding member Neal Doughty (keyboards), and Bryan Hitt (drums).

With 55 years in the business and decades of success, the hits kept coming. Taking the stage to defeaning applause, the band began with “Don’t Let Him Go” and “Take It on the Run.” The energy kept coming with “Keep Pushin’ written and sung by Kevin Cronin who is now 70 years old and sounding fantastic. Two fan favorites on the setlist were “Can’t Fight This Feeling” and “Keep On Loving You,” which both reached number one on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart, and became two of the most popular rock ballads of the 1980s. (See the complete setlist below.) After tossing probably 50 guitar picks into the crowd that evening, the band closed out the night with “Roll With the Changes” complete with sizzling guitar and keyboard solos.

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STYX

Co-headliner Styx sailed in with a with 14-song set in support of their newest (17^th) studio album, Crash of the Crown, released June 18^th, 2021. The current band members are James “J.Y.” Young (lead vocals, guitar), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitar), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards), Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals), Will Evankovich (guitar). The “Godfather of Styx,” JY Young, and Tommy Shaw have been in the band since its inception in 1972. Also, founding band member, the beloved Chuck Panozzo, performed with the group for several songs on bass guitar.

Styx opened with “Fight of Our Lives,” “Blue Collar Man,” and “The Grand Illusion.” (See the full setlist below.) When the first few notes were played on keys of my personal favorite, “Come Sail Away,” fans immediately applauded and belted out the lyrics while cryo filled the stage. Lawrence Gowan, who replaced Dennis DeYoung, did a masterful job for this classic Styx song on both keys and vocals. He also floated across the stage when he wasn’t dancing at the keyboard. For the finale the band started “Renegade” with that a capella harmony that sends chills every time. Tommy Shaw sounded incredible on vocals and James “JY” Young delivered a killer guitar solo. The final beat ended with a synchronous jump by four band members – a perfect way to end their set before REO Speedwagon took the stage.

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LOVERBOY

Opening for the night was Loverboy who has been rockin the stage since 1978. They performed an eight-song set with fan favorites such as “Working for the Weekend” and “Turn Me Loose.” One of the most played bands on MTV in the early 1980’s Loverboy has released four multi-platinum albums and has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Band members are Mike Reno (vocals), Paul Dean (guitar), Matt Frenette (drums), Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve (bass) and Doug Johnson (keyboards).