The two Chicago-bred bands made history on Thursday in Grand Rapids, sharing the stage on their co-headlining ‘Windy Cities Tour.’ The review and photo gallery at Local Spins.
Classic Night: Styx and Chicago delivered the hits on Thursday. (Photos/Chelsea Whitaker)
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“Look at these sun-kissed faces out there in Grand Rapids.”
With that exclamation, Styx started the night off on Thursday at Grand Rapids’ Acrisure Amphitheater in strong fashion with “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” then jammed through “Too Much Time On My Hands,” and led the crowd through an excited sing-along to “Light Up.”
Guitarist Tommy Shaw reflected on his early path into music, crediting good fortune and timing before landing on one simple takeaway: “Sometimes you just fake it till you make it, and I think that worked for me.”
Styx has faced its own lineup changes in recent years. Terry Gowan (bass) joined in 2024 to play alongside his older brother Lawrence Gowan, who plays keys and does vocals for the band. They played tracks off their 2025 album, “Circling From Above,” a “third consecutive masterpiece” as claimed by critics.
Making It Big-Time: Tommy Shaw of Styx. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
For the first time in performance history, Shaw pulled out a banjo to play a rendition of 2021 song, “Our Wonderful Lives.”
The band playfully dedicated their next song to Lake Michigan and its boaters, meeting audience cheers with the 1977 hit “Come Sail Away.”
Styx faked an exit before returning for an encore of “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade,” much to the audience’s delight, leaving them energized before Chicago’s set began as the sun set.
CHICAGO’S JAM-PACKED CATALOG OF HITS
Phone flashlights lit up the night as a gentle piano introduction led the crowds into Chicago classic, “Hard to Say I’m Sorry,” with audience members settling into the crooning melody. Sung by newest band member and lead vocalist Rudy Cardenas, the vocals soared through the venue before the drums crashed into “Get Away.”
2026 marks Chicago’s 59th consecutive year touring, with The Windy Cities Tour coming after a venue-record-setting residency at The Venetian in Las Vegas, ending in February after nine years and over 60 shows.
The band kicked off the night with “Introduction,” giving a lively welcome call of “Hello Grand Rapids, welcome to Chicago,” before jumping into “Dialogue Part 1 & 2” and “Alive Again,” the latter led by Traverse City-born Justin Avery, a new addition to the band as of February.
Thursday in the Amphitheater: With ‘Saturday in the Park.’ (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Avery, who grew up in northern Michigan, son of the owner of once live-music staple Dill’s Old Towne Saloon, spent his adolescence singing “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” on the streets of Traverse City at Friday Night Live, as well as the recently RIAA Double Platinum certified “Saturday in the Park.”
Trumpet player Lee Loughnane, the last original member to remain touring with the band, was the first to address the audience repeatedly, emphasizing his excitement to still be doing what he loves.
“We’ve been playing that song for so long, you’d think how could it be fun anymore. It is! We love to play these every night, and we love that you guys love it! When we started, we started like everybody else: We played top 40 music in the clubs.”
The band jumped in with lively covers of Jackie Wilson’s “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher” into “I’m A Man” by the Spencer Davis Group, which included a few-minute-long drum breakdown between drummer Walfredo Reyes Jr. and percussionist Ramon “Ray” Yslas.
Even after losing Walter Parazaider, founding saxophonist last June, the same energy remains evident in the current lineup, which continues to honor the reputation and legacy built by the jazz-rock fusion band. The band closed out the main set before returning for an encore of “Free” and beloved hit “25 or 6 to 4” to finish out the night — an evening that commemorated decades of rock ‘n’ roll history.
PHOTO GALLERY: Styx, Chicago at Acrisure Amphitheater
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
