Photo Gallery: Styx at the Genesee Theatre

After making a stop in Waukegan a handful of times over the past few years, it’s almost become a tradition for Styx and their fans to pack the Genesee Theatre for an end-of-year Chicago “Styx Fyx”.

Prior to the doors even opening, guests eagerly posed for pictures in front of the Genesee’s bright marquee on Thursday night in anticipation of the show that was originally announced in March.

Stretching over two hours, Styx delivered a two-part, high-energy show for an equally energetic crowd, sailing away through their discography while also covering a number of songs with their own unique approach.

Longtime followers got the opportunity to soak in the deep cuts that aren’t often performed live by the current lineup, with others being able to experience the band’s more familiar radio hits in an intimate fashion at the theatre.

Proving to be a versatile piece to the Styx puzzle, keyboardist and vocalist Lawrence Gowan, who joined the band in 1999, brought a different twist to almost every song, whether those songs originated from within the group or not. Specifically, Gowan took lead vocals to cover The Beatles’ ‘I Am the Walrus’ before joining frontman Tommy Shaw for a tribute to David Bowie with ‘Space Oddity’.

To show off his classical side across his spinning keyboard, Gowan incorporated a solo piece to precede ‘Pieces of Eight’, another track that doesn’t make the setlist at every show but was included for Thursday’s performance.

Additionally, original band member and Chicago native James “JY” Young also worked the microphone for a few songs with his theatrical personality, while another original member and Chicago native, Chuck Panozzo, made an occasional appearance on the bass guitar.

Between the six members that make up the current Styx lineup, each of them successfully did their part on Thursday night to provide the Waukegan crowd with another exciting, personal show over the course of 20 songs.

For a list of upcoming tour dates, visit the Styx website.

More pictures from the evening are available here.

Photos by AJ Roccaforte.