Foreigner bids adieu with big boost from Styx for super-charged Grand Rapids rock show

The kickoff to the ‘Renegades and Juke Box Heroes’ tour at Van Andel Arena featured classic rock icons who didn’t hold back in unleashing their biggest hits. The Local Spins review, photos.

 

SCROLL DOWN FOR PHOTO GALLERY, SET LISTS

This is what arenas are built for (this, and hockey): to play host to soaring anthems, sizzling guitar solos, and electric strobe lights with cellphone flashlights sparking in the darkness like stars.

On Tuesday night, a jam-packed crowd showed wild enthusiasm as classic rock behemoths Styx and Foreigner (with opening act John Waite) rocked Van Andel Arena for more than four hours of super-charged rock ‘n’ roll.

The Renegades and Juke Box Heroes Tour kicked off in Grand Rapids, and if opening night was any indication, this will be a tour to remember. (The bands also play Pine Knob Music Theatre in Clarkston on Saturday.)

For Styx, this was not only a new tour, but a chance to debut their new bass player, the jovial Terry Gowan, who happens to be the brother of lead singer Lawrence Gowan. Terry did not stop smiling once as iridescent beams illuminated the arena to the dreamy tones of “Grand Illusion” and the zappy opening bars of “Too Much Time On My Hands.” The Gowan brothers’ blood harmonies added a rich layer to the band’s vocals on “Lady” and “Lorelei.”

Styx has made records since 1972, and lead guitarist James “JY” Young has been there since the beginning. Young turned in several eloquent guitar solos, also adding his deep, growly baritone to lead vocals on “Miss America.”

From 1977 to the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, Styx has continued to record new music. Their chart-topping newest song, “Crash of the Crowns,” is imaginative, and captures the listeners’ interest from its silvery piano beginning to its anthem that takes flight at the end.

Produced by newer band member Will Evankovich, who plays electric guitar along with Young and Tommy Shaw, it shows the band’s continuing creative process. They have never been content just to play the hits, but to keep growing artistically, and this adds a rich layer of craftsmanship to their stage show.

Of course, their tight set focused mostly on older hits, including the ballad “The Best of Times” which Styx fans know they rarely play.

“Fooling Yourself” — which inspires and uplifts with its challenge to “Get up! Get back on your feet!” — sounded especially vigorous as Young, Evankovich, and original member Chuck Panozzo played electric guitar blended with Shaw’s jangly acoustic, Terry Gowan’s bass and Todd Sucherman’s pounding drums.

“I think I’ve learned what love is,” said the always-effervescent lead singer Gowan, who prances and skips and twirls around the stage like a guy half his age. “It’s starting a tour in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with all you beautiful people.”

For fans, the feeling clearly was mutual.

FEELS LIKE THE LAST TIME? A FOREIGNER WITHOUT ORIGINAL MEMBERS STILL POTENT

On the other hand, Foreigner in this iteration had no original members — longtime leader Mick Jones was not performing on Tuesday — and they played no new music.

However, the band, led by Kelly Hansen on lead vocals, injected high-octane energy into the hits that earned them legions of fans, out in full force at the show. Launching into “Double Vision” and “Head Games,” Foreigner had the crowd on its feet, belting out the chorus with relish.

“Cold as Ice,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” and “Feels Like the First Time” highlighted Hansen’s energetic vocals. He’s a dynamic, commanding singer, but the songs all sound a bit different as the keys have been adjusted to accommodate his voice being slightly lower than the iconic Lou Gramm’s.

“Urgent” was as punchy, funky, and potent as ever — the perfect ’80s cocktail for those in the house who wanted to feel young again and unencumbered with grown-up cares.

Of course, many fans were waiting for “Juke Box Hero,” and Hansen rose to the occasion, rising like a phoenix on a small platform that ascended from the back of the floor, and began what ended up being an eleven-minute version of the monster hit.

A particularly potent highlight: The Hudsonville High School choir joined their gorgeous young voices to the swelling chorus of “I Want to Know What Love Is,” a touching moment they will never forget.

For Foreigner, this is a farewell tour, as they will stop touring for nine months out of the year and spend time with their families, according to Hansen, who has been lending lead vocals for 20 years. The band gave it all for this possible last stint in the city. Their energy and passion made for a powerful goodbye.

Opening act and British rocker John Waite charmed the crowd with his 45-minute set of hits from his solo career as well as his tenures with bands such as The Babys and Bad English. He was the perfect warm-up for the two headliners, as his music shared the airwaves with them back in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Highlights included “Back on My Feet Again,” “When I See You Smile,” and Waite’s irresistible solo hit, “Missing You.”

PHOTO GALLERY: Foreigner, Styx, John Waite at Van Andel Arena
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker

SET LIST: Styx at Van Andel Arena
Setlist.fm

SET LIST: Foreigner at Van Andel Arena
Setlist.fm

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