By John Johnson. photos by Chaz Dykes of Chaz D Photography
The bay area weather lately has been extremely pleasant, brisk and unseasonably cool. And although the whole state is in desperate need of rain, the crowd that filed into the Sound last Friday was praying that precipitation would bypass the evening. Alas, that wish went unanswered and we got soaked. The rain wasn’t cute. It wasn’t a light Florida mist. It was cold, steady, and relentless — the kind that soaks through your shirt even if it’s under a poncho. Regardless of the deluge, and the streams rushing down either side of the street in downtown Clearwater, the masses trudged on. After all, there was a rock show about to go down by two of the nations most beloved bands, Cheap Trick and Styx.
The stage was slick, the crew hustled with towels and blowers, and the start time of 7pm got pushed back just long enough for everyone to check their radar apps once or twice more. But when Cheap Trick finally walked out, the drizzle suddenly felt more like atmosphere than inconvenience. About twenty minutes into their set, almost on cue, the rain eased up and the crowd let out a cheer, mostly from the Lawn Folks. In his star emblazoned pants, the man of 1,000 voices took center stage, and as if to taunt the weather, he sang with might “Oh I can’t stop the music…” as they tore into “Stop This Game”. The 73 year old Zander sounded fantastic, strong, clear, and completely unfazed by the damp conditions. Having his son, Robin Taylor Zander, backing him up added a cool generational punch to the harmonies, and you could feel the Zander chemistry was locked in. In burgundy stripes, both horizontal and vertical, with a pimp fedora to match, the younger Zander, (I call him Z) is indeed “Cheap Trick’s secret weapon” as penned by Rolling Stone magazine. He backed his father up on vocal duties, and between rhythm guitar blends he even supported Rick Nielsen on lead parts. Albeit stealth and seamless, he’d even turn away from the audience so as not to detract from Neilsen’s stage presence, while filling in a lead here and there. The aforementioned Neilsen presence, you know, the guitar swinging, leg kicking and monitor jumping, are now a thing of the past. Don’t get me wrong, Nielsen still played the mad scientist, flashy guitar changes, pick slinging and hamming it up, but you could see the miles on him. The swagger’s intact, the stage sprinting maybe not so much. But 50 years on the road and at 77, we should all be so lucky to be in his custom bedazzled sneakers.
The rhythm section of Daxx Neislen on drums and original member Tom Petersson on 12 string bass, was tight and thumping. They had the ever-present checkered amps vibrating during the 14 song set, consisting mostly of fan favorites like the sing alongs “I want you to want me” and “Surrender”. The duel Zander vocal’s on “The Flame” were chill inducing and young Zander’s fronting of “I can’t take it” are proof that genetics were in full affect. Petersson’s obligatory bass solo, I find, is always interesting and intricate even if its impressive 12 string onslaught is lost on most of the attendees. The only song performed off of the latest release All Washed Up, was the hook laden “Twelve Gates” which was visually backed up by the new album cover on the screen behind the group. The recognizable stacked Cheap Trick logo on a dingy wall in a beat up laundry mat, four washing machines with characteristics of each band member, spilling the album title across the floor with suds. If you’ll allow me a moment of self-aggrandizing, actually it’s too late to allow me, I was lucky enough to be the creator of said album cover. So to see it up there backing my favorite band was fun and surreal. The band from Rockford Illinois once again proved why they made it in to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (class of 2016) as “Goodnight” echoed through the air.
When Styx took over, it was like watching a machine click into perfect calibration. Polished as ever, they delivered a set that felt massive, meticulously dialed in and theatrical, with soaring harmonies and pristine musicianship as always. They opened with a newer song “Build and Destroy” which I found odd, but immediately threw me off kilter by playing “Too much time on my hands”, which is typically held until later in their sets. The forever young, blond coiffed Tommy Shaw, who at 73, still holds the crowd’s attention. Some of that spotlight, however, is hard to keep off of keyboard commander and vocalist Lawrence Gowan, the Canadian showman that took Dennis DeYoung’s place in 1999. His flashy outfits and keyboard lift spinning is a sight to behold. He’s still the only keyboard player I’ve ever seen that will spin 360 while playing, often with his back and derrière facing the audience. His brother Terry, almost as flashy, has been playing bass in Styx since early 2024 and is backed on the low-end by Todd Sucherman on drums. Sucherman is, in my humble opinion, one of the most underrated and under-appreciated drummers in music. To us civilians anyway. He is what some would call, a drummer’s drummer. James “JY” Young, the only other original member left on stage, still has that edgy mystique about him, even at 76.
Their 14 song extravaganza was highlighted by “The Grand Illusion”, “Lady”, “Light Up” and “Rockin’ the Paradise”. A personal favorite “Blue Collar Man” once again proved why Shaw is so enthralling, as he covered the stage while playing lead and singing the anthemic chorus. “Fooling Yourself” brought original bassist, and Florida resident Chuck Panozzo on stage to perform and finish out the evening’s setlist. He aptly thumped through “Come Sail Away” and the quirky “Mr. Roboto”, which lead into show closer “Renegade”. The latter of course had the entire congregation on their feet and singing along, making most of them forget that just an hour earlier, we were all soaked.
But that’s what made it stick. Two legacy bands, no excuses, no dialing it in, just grinding it out under a wet, black Florida sky. Rain or not, it was one of those shows that reminds you why live rock still hits differently, unpredictable, loud, communal, and absolutely worth getting drenched for.
Now, Go Out and See, Hear and Feel Live Music
