Styx with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and special guest band TESLA rocked
Northerly Island, Chicago, IL, July 7, 2018
Photos and Review by Anita Maree
The Windy City reached gust levels when Styx with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts and special guest band TESLA rocked the night!
Seeing a rock-n-roll show in Chicago is always special. You get to view the beautiful buildings in the city and you can look out and see the sparkling waters of Lake Michigan on a picture-perfect summer night. Hundreds of fans for three iconic rock bands entered the outdoor venue of Northerly Island to rock the night away.
First off was the Sacramento hard rocking band TESLA. Lead singer Jeff Keith was on fire. His raspy but powerful vocals had the fans on their feet and pumping
Tesla (credit: Anita Maree)
their fist in the air. Jeff roamed the stage from left to right and was having a fun time as he got the audience fired up. TESLA band members also include Co-Founder & Bass Guitarist – Brian Wheat, Co-Founder & Guitarist – Frank Hannon, Drums -Troy Luccketta, and Guitarist – Dave Rude. They performed heavy hitters including “I Wanna Live”, “Hang Tough”, “Signs”, and “Love Song”. For over 30 years Tesla has been tearing it up and they proved to be a perfect guest band and opener on this tour.
After 15 minutes the stage was set up for Rock & Roll Hall of Famers – Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. As soon as the song “Bad Reputation” started the crowd was on their feet for the bands entire set. You can’t blow the roof off an outdoor venue – but they definitively tried! Just an explosive set. The Blackhearts are Drummer – Michael McDermott, Bass Guitar – Hal B. Selzer, Guitar – Dougie Needles, and Songwriter, Manager, Keyboards, and more – Kenny Laguna. Joan ignited showcasing a powerhouse performance. The energy of the New York City punk rockers was in the warm Chicago air as they performed for hundreds of their diehard fans. The band did a great job of mixing the set list up with Joan’s early hits with her former band The Runaways including “You Drive Me Wild” and “ Cherry Bomb”, then diving into “Fake Friends”, “Love is Pain”, “Victim of Circumstance” and “Light of Day”. Newer songs performed included “TMI” and “Soulmates to Strangers”. The band also performed a brand new song which was catchily called “Fresh Start” written by Joan and Dougie which will be in the upcoming movie about Joan called Bad Reputation
Joan Jett (credit: Anita Maree)
coming to theatres this fall. Joan and the band also performed her classics including “I Love Rock and Roll”, “Crimson and Clover”, “Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)”, and “I Hate Myself For Loving You”. The summer sky was dark by the time The Blackhearts left the stage but they rocked every note. Laguna mentioned during the set how no one (back in the day) would sign the band so they decided to form their own label ‘Blackheart Records’. Groundbreaking back then for sure..and…it all circles around as now Joan is a groundbreaker and visionary for generations of girls with guitars who want to play rock-n-roll. The band ended the night performing Sly and the Family Stones, “Everyday People” and they drove it home with the slamming “Real Wild Child”. The perfect song to end their set with.
After a 30 minute break the rock band Styx was ready to perform. A proud feeling came knowing that this rock band was formed in Chicago years back. While a few members have come and gone this band’s line-up is a strong one. Last year the band released their first studio album in nearly 14 years called The Mission. It is a
Styx (credit: Anita Maree)
unique concept album and the band made each track part of a story about a mission to Mars in the year 2033. The songs on the CD are in order of the story so if you want to hear the entire story make sure you download in sequence. (Unrated Magazine did a review on this album). The band took the stage – James Young (vocals/guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals/guitars), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals/keyboards), and Ricky Phillips (guitar/vocals). Styx led off with their new song “Gone Gone Gone” then went right into “Blue Collar Man”. Give credit to Gowan- an amazing performer – taking lead vocals on many songs then playing his keyboard with his back to it and his hands playing every note perfectly and might I add his keyboard is on a rotating stand? Still shaking my head on the talent of this guy. He handles songs like “Grand Illusion” and “Lady” with true perfection. Original member and crowd favorite Tommy Shaw rocked the crowd with “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” and the popular “Too Much Time on My Hands”. The band kept their fans on their toes when they performed Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”. They also gave the fans what they have wanted for years – adding in the set “Mr. Roboto” and closing out the set with their classic hits “Come Sail Away”, and “Renegade”. Styx kicked it up a notch and kept the crowd pumped till the last note.
Boom! Rock – n – Roll lives on!
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