By Spotlight Central, Photos by Love Imagery
originally published: 10/03/2025
Music fans entering Englewood, NJ’s bergenPAC auditorium this Thursday, September 25, 2025 evening prepare themselves to come sail away with a live performance by the legendary art rock band, Styx.
Lights dim, lasers flash, and theatergoers stand and cheer as keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman, bassist Terry Gowan, and guitarists Will Evankovich, James “J.Y.” Young, and Tommy Shaw take the stage. Launching into “Build and Destroy,” they sing, “I once had this dream to build a machine/So fast it breaks through the sky,” on this fast-shuffling rocker.
With the crowd still on its feet, the group segues into its 1981 Top Ten hit, “Too Much Time On My Hands,” where audience members double clap on the break after happily singing with Lawrence Gowan on the rhythmic rocker’s well-known, “Is it any wonder/I’ve got too much time on my hands?” lyric.
Tommy Shaw renders a swirling guitar solo as Gowan’s keyboard rotates in place before the arrangement concludes to audience whistles and screams.
Todd Sucherman’s pounding drums introduce “The Grand Illusion” where Gowan sings, “Pay the price, get your tickets for the show,” on this number which features Shaw on guitar and Gowan playing keyboard with his back to the audience.
Guitarist “J.Y.” Young plays a solo before Shaw and Gowan sing in two-part harmony, and bass and electric guitars play together on the majestic coda to avid cheers and applause.
Gowan welcomes the crowd, announcing, “I love this theater!” prior to introducing “one of the founding fathers of Styx,” bassist Chuck Panozzo, who takes the stage as the band performs the group’s 1975 Top Ten power ballad, “Lady.” After Gowan sings, “Lady, when you’re with me I’m smiling,” the song shifts to a march feel and the group struts its way through the “You’re my lady of the morning” refrain where music lovers enthusiastically sing along.
Panozzo leaves the stage as Gowan’s voice rings high and true crooning, “Lorelei, let’s live together/Brighter than the stars, forever,” on “Lorelei,” a hard-driving number which also features “J.Y.” Young’s impressive guitar skills.
Gowan’s mystical keyboard initiates “Miss America” where Young sings lead while Shaw plays double-neck guitar. Will Evankovich performs upside down on his guitar’s neck before Young wails out a solo and Gowan spins his keyboard around to play it from behind.
Shaw takes a moment to talk about how he was originally asked to join Styx in 1975. Then, announcing, “Here’s a song I brought with me to the band,” he strums a 12-string guitar as he sings “Crystal Ball” in his high tenor voice before switching over to electric guitar on this rhythmic folk-rock tune.
The crowd cheers and Gowan exclaims, “That piece of classic rock has been in our lives now for no less than 49 years!” before introducing his bandmates, notably his younger brother, bassist Terry Gowan.
The elder Gowan puts on a hat and sings downstage on a theatrical rendition of “Rockin’ the Paradise,” a hard-driving tune which features guitar solos from Shaw and Young.
Concertgoers cheer as Sucherman’s drumsticks click off “Michigan,” a rumbling minor-key rocker from Styx’s latest recording, Circling from Above.
The group segues into its 1981 Top 5 hit, “The Best of Times,” where Gowan cries, “Tonight’s the night we’ll make history,” before the arrangement builds and the crowd sings along on the power ballad’s epic “These are the best of times” refrain.
Shaw declares, “You are good singers!” as he invites concertgoers to sing along with him on “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man).” Terry Gowan and Chuck Palozzo both play bass on this theatrical number which features a cornucopia of sound and lights that generate the feel of a kaleidoscopic merry-go-round of rock.
After Shaw sings, “Get up, get back on your feet/You’re the one they can’t beat,” Gowan plays a swirling modal synthesizer solo with his hands behind his back as multiple guitarists play in a line downstage.
Lights swirl and band members engage in robotic moves as they perform Styx’s 1981 Top Ten hit, “Mr. Roboto.”
On this classic ’80s pop tune, the music swells while the crowd joins Gowan in singing the song’s “Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto/Domo domo” lyric.
Fans cheer and Shaw announces, “This is a song for everybody who likes to go to work and get paid.” Here, he sings lead on “Blue Collar Man,” a driving rocker which has fans clapping along under flashing lights before leaping to their feet for an extended standing ovation.
The musicians exit the stage, but return to perform an encore of Styx’s 1978 Top Ten hit, “Come Sail Away,” where Gowan croons, “I’m sailing away/Set an open course for the virgin sea,” before standing up on top of his keyboard to sing.
Taking the audience on a magical ride, laser lights shine as the arrangement morphs, builds, and sails away in a frenzy while the crowd stands, cheers, and joins in singing the song’s famous “Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me” refrain.
As music lovers whistle and cheer, Shaw powers into the a cappella intro to “Renegade” singing, “Oh Mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law,” before fans join in vocalizing, “The jig is up, the news is out/They finally found me.”
Young’s guitar screams while the band jams on this upbeat rocker which elicits whistles, cheers, hoots, and hollers from the standing crowd and the members of Styx bow, wave, and flash peace signs prior to exiting the stage.
As concertgoers make their way out of the BergenPAC auditorium, several comment on tonight’s performance. Exclaims Bradley from Upper Saddle River, “Styx put on an excellent show tonight! The music sounded exactly like it did when I was a kid and it brought back a lot of memories. It was beautiful.” David from Englewood Cliffs agrees, declaring, “I thought Styx was awesome tonight! I saw them about a month ago in New York State and came back to see them again closer to home, and you can’t beat that!”
Rick from Palisades, NY, insists, “I enjoyed Styx tonight. There are guys in the band that go back half a century. They were spot-on and their energy was amazing!”
Mae from Ramsey concurs, explaining, “Styx was absolutely outstanding tonight — they sounded exactly like they did when I first saw them back in the 1980s.”
Audrey from Tomkins Cove, NY, asserts, “Styx was really good tonight. The guitar solos were great and I was impressed when the keyboard player stood up on the keyboard to sing and played his spinning keyboard backwards and upside down. I had a great time!”
Lastly, Joe from Middletown, NY, acknowledges, “I come to see Styx every year — I’ve seen them probably 100 times — and I will definitely be back to see them again next year,” prior to concluding, “They’re always awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome!”
To learn more about Styx, please go to styxworld.com. For info on upcoming concerts at BergenPAC — including Bachman Turner Overdrive: Down the Highway 2025 Tour on October 29, Kansas with the New Jersey Symphony on November 2, and Colin Hay on November 9 — please go to bergenpac.org
Photos by Love ImagerySpotlight Central. Your source for Jersey entertainment news and reviews
Love Imagery Fine Art Photography. all you need. peace/love/flower/power
COLUMNS
Makin Waves Song of the Week: "When It Rains" by James Deely
The Makin Waves Song of the Week is "When It Rains," the latest single from Jersey Shore-raised singer-songwriter James Deely.
MORE NEWS
