Whether you’re new to vintage arena rock or were a dyed-in-the-wool fan when it was still on the charts, it’s hard not to be at least passingly familiar with Styx.
Beginning with the inclusion of guitarist Tommy Shaw to the lineup in the mid-’70s, the Chicago-based band enjoyed almost a decade of superstar status, releasing eight albums, five of which were certified at least platinum (selling in excess of a million copies).
A pair of these landmark releases, Styx’s 1976 breakthrough, “The Grand Illusion,” and its 1978 follow-up, “Pieces of Eight,” will be played in their entirety when the band takes the stage at the Tivoli Theatre on Tuesday.
The Chattanooga show will be one of just 22 dates during which the band will perform this special set list, according to its website.
Because of those albums’ lasting place in fans’ memories, Tuesday should be a night to remember, said Scott Chase, operations manager at classic rock station KZ-106.
“We play … ‘Grand Illusion’ and ‘Pieces of Eight’ all the time,” he said. “There are a ton of hits off those albums. They’re heavy rotators on KZ.”
Collectively, the two albums yielded five singles: “Come Sail Away,” “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” “Sing for the Day” and “Renegade.”
According to Styx’s website, this is the band’s first time revisiting a classic album live.
Allowing fans to experience a live version of songs they might only have heard broadcast or on recordings can give them new perspective on the bands they love, Chase said.
“You’re talking about some of the bands that have a huge catalog of music and albums that have true meaning and touch a lot of memories with a lot of years from when they came out to today,” he said.
“I think people can relive where they were in time when the album came out and relate to each cut in a different way.”
IF YOU GO
* What: An Evening with Styx: The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Tour.
* When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
* Where: Tivoli Theatre, 709 Broad St.
* Admission: $49.50, plus promoter and convenience fees.
* Phone: 757-5050.
* Venue website: www.chattanoogaonstage.com.
* Related links at fyi.timesfreepress.com.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
1970s “Crystal Ball,” “The Grand Illusion,” “Pieces of Eight”
1980s “Paradise Theater”
1990s “Edge of the Century,” “Return to Paradise (live)”
2000s “Cyclorama”
FIVE THINGS YOU (PROBABLY) DON’T KNOW ABOUT STYX
1. Before they changed the name, the members of Styx performed as TW4.
2. Styx’s 1981 concept album, “Paradise Theater,” about a fictional theater’s rise and fall was supposedly a metaphor for the political state of the United States at the time.
3. While on a hiatus from Styx in 1989, guitarist Tommy Shaw formed the rock supergroup Damn Yankees with Ted Nugent.
4. In 2003, Styx released the album “Cyclorama,” which featured several guests, including actor Billy Bob Thornton.
5. In 1994, Styx’s original lead vocalist, Dennis DeYoung, released an album of Broadway show tunes, “10 on Broadway.”
Source: Allmusic.com
RELATED LINKS FOR WEB:
http://www.styxworld.com