Styx and Boston

Got to catch Styx and Boston at the Gibson Amphitheater (formerly Universal). I went in as a good Boston fan and mediocre Styx fan -- but Styx won me over. Fun, not all the hits (what? No "Lady"?) but a great selection in about 90 minutes. I think there were only two Dennis DeYoung songs included ("Grand Illusion" and "Come Sail Away") but that meant it was more rock n roll instead of a Broadway show.

Hard to believe Tommy Shaw is 54. He still looks 25. Maybe it's the long hair, that he's still called "Tommy" and his four feet tall. But a terrific guitarist -- and his songs rocked.



Boston was fun too, though I have to say some things didn't quite work. Some of the guitar solos using harmonics sounded out of whack to me. But the band was tight, the playing top-notch and they rocked. There was one song (which I hadn't heard before) that was quite long that bordered on heavy metal. I half-expected Black Sabbath to walk out and join in -- but it was good.

Tom Scholtz is a great guitarist, but also apparently a huge geek. Not in a bad way because I think it made the show. Guitar geek -- is that a new category?