Foreigner and Styx Rock the Queen City

Renegades & Juke Box Heroes Tour Lights Up Charlotte

Classic rock fans packed the house at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte for an evening of rock and roll as the Renegades and Juke Box Heroes Tour came to town. The tour features two of my all-time favorite bands Styx and Foreigner co-headlining and alternating spots each evening along with the legendary John Waite opening up the show.

The summer evening was hot, but the music would prove to be even hotter as fans snaked their way into the venue in anticipation of a hell of a show. Needless to say, they would not be disappointed. Every single artist on this bill is iconic, to say the least, and put on a set nobody would soon forget.

Kicking things off was British rocker John Waite. John first put his stamp on the music world back in the late 70s as the lead singer and bassist for The Babys whose songs “Isn’t It Time” and “Everytime I Think of You” gave the band and John teen idol status here in the US. My seven-year-old heart still skips a beat thinking of playing the singles on my tiny Ladybug record player and adorning my walls with their posters courtesy of Tiger Beat and Teen Beat magazine. Waite would become a successful solo artist in the 80s with the hit single “Missing You” and then in the 90s with supergroup Bad English and their popular ballad “When I See You Smile.” 

I’m a huge Waite fan and I was stoked when he and his band hit the stage at PNC. First things first, John looks amazing at age 72 and strolled out in a dark suit complete with a scarf. The temperatures were soaring in Charlotte and the thought of performing in that outfit gave me a little bit of heat stroke, but Waite was as cool as a cucumber even as the tiny droplets of sweat beaded up on his face. 

Okay, so he looks fantastic, but how does he sound? The answer to that question is simply phenomenal. Waite’s vocals were on-point despite the heat and humidity making it difficult to even take a breath and his band was on fire. He took us through a short set but touching all the bases from The Babys to Bad English before bringing us home with “Missing You” as I flashbacked to my first “serious” breakup at the age of 14 and sighed a little to myself. After all these years, I’m not missing that boyfriend of all, but I’m definitely missing hearing John sing our breakup song. If you’re headed out to see the tour, get there early because you won’t want to miss the opportunity to see him live. 

After a short break, it was time to rock with the one and only Styx who was up next. Styx is on my shortlist of bands I will always go and see live. Their songs are a part of my history and their performance is top-notch every single time. In fact, I have heard from more than one person that they weren’t really fans of the band until they saw them in concert and after seeing them countless times, I promise you Styx is the real deal. 

Although the lineup has changed a bit over the years, Styx has been rocking the world since 1972 with original members James Young and Chuck Panozzo still in the mix and going strong. This is another band that I hold near and dear to my heart. As a child in the 70s, Styx songs were all over the radio and I have fond memories of tuning into the local AM (yes AM, I am that old) rock station on my tiny yellow transistor radio waiting for the DJ to play one of my favorites. Styx is also special to me because I used to play their songs on the piano as a young teen, right along with Beethoven and Mozart was “The Grand Illusion” and “Come Sail Away.” 

“Welcome to the Grand illusion
Come on in and see what’s happening
Pay the price, get your tickets for the show…”

The band opened with “The Grand Illusion” and it was on! Guitarists Tommy Shaw and James “JY’ Young were on fire, trading licks and pointing at each other as vocalist and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan spun around his piano kicking and pointing at the audience. The audience was on their feet and having a great time and this was only the first song. 

The band sounded great as they ran through a set of Styx classics and here is my only complaint ever about a Styx concert. The band has so many songs there is just never enough time to hear all your favorites, but they do a great job on the setlist so we get a little something from each and every era of Styx going back to 70s hits “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)” to 80s pop classics “The Best of Times” and “Mr. Roboto” to the title track from their newest album “Crash of the Crown.” I swear every song is amazing and a classic and I just never tire of hearing them especially live and in person. 

Gowan was his usual self, hamming it up with the audience and giving J.Y. a big old pinch on the cheek. A nice surprise was original bassist Chuck Panozzo making not one but several appearances throughout the set. It was amazing seeing him perform and I’m so happy that he is well enough to be able to do it. Tommy Shaw was outstanding and still, one of my favorite musicians live. He is a joy to hear and see and pours every ounce of his heart and soul into the show. Meanwhile, J.Y. looking slick in his suit jacket and hat, showed once again why he is one of the best guitarists around. 

The production was great as always as the band was highlighted by an array of lights, changing in color throughout the set and making for gorgeous visuals from near and afar. Of course, this wouldn’t be a Styx show without an audience sing-along to one of their biggest hits “Come Sail Away” which is breathtaking and goosebump-inducing. The set closed rocking us to the core with “Renegade” as a spotlight shines on Shaw whose acapella vocals begin the song before the band joins in and then boom, the jig is up! What a show! And we still had one more band to go. 

Standing in the rain, with his head hung low

Couldn’t get a ticket, it was a sold out show

Heard the roar of the crowd, he could picture the scene…

After such an amazing set from Styx, it would be hard for any band to get up on that stage, but Foreigner was definitely up for the challenge. Now, I know what you may be thinking. Foreigner? Are there any original members left? Or maybe hey, they’re just an overpriced cover band. But, the truth of the matter is, yes there are no longer any original members touring with the band. That much is true, but I vehemently disagree with the naysayers who like to diss the band. Because, at the end of the day, Foreigner sounded A-maz-ing and they put on a spectacular show. Which in my mind, is what it really boils down to. Fans want to come out and hear all their favorite songs performed well and that is exactly what Foreigner delivers. Now, I’ll quickly step off my soapbox and get on to the show.

Foreigner is definitely another band that really was the soundtrack to much of my youth. The AM radio days once again brought me all the hard rocking tunes I grew to know and love even more over the years  and junior high school dances would not have been the same without “Waiting for a Girl Like You.”  

The band came out hard opening with “Double Vision” as lead vocalist Kelly Hansen made his way from the upper tier of the stage, down the stairs to the front. I will say that Hansen not only sounds great but is also one hell of a frontman.  It’s like watching a one-man show as he interacts with the fans, joking, laughing, pointing his microphone at you, kicking his foot up, and performing enough on-stage acrobatics and splits to make Simone Biles jealous. 

The rest of the band is equally amazing and all world-class musicians in their own right. Guitarists Bruce Watson and Luis Maldonado were on fire, jamming together and trading licks all night long. Bassist Jeff Pilson kept things grooving posing in what seemed like a million different ways for the audience and kept things cool on the keyboards for tracks like “Cold as Ice.” 

Foreigner is another band that has so many hit songs that it becomes a logistical nightmare to include them all into one set, but they gave us a great selection and of course, played all the must-do songs. I’m pleased to report that my all-time favorite Foreigner song “Dirty White Boy” still made the cut as hearing that iconic riff never fails to put a smile on my face as I scream along “Diiiiiiiiirty White Boy.” 

I wanted to give a huge shout-out to the lighting designer for the band because Foreigner’s lights are always spectacular to photograph and beautiful to see. The production had amazing colors and highlights that lit up the band members at just the right moments. There were also a few “wow” moments of the production as Kelly Hansen made his way to a second stage set up near the soundboard as he rose high into the air for “Juke Box Hero” giving the fans on the lawn and at the rear of the venue a special bird’s eye view. Another came during the two-song encore when the Jesse C. Carson High School Choir from China Grove, NC joined the band onstage for an outstanding performance of “I Want To Know What Love Is” before Foreigner drove it home getting us all a little “Hot Blooded” before we headed home. 

There’s still about a month left on the Renegades & Juke Box Heroes Tour so be sure to catch these classic rock bands when they hit up a city near you.

See the Full Gallery of the Night Here!

If you captured any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see. 

Tour Dates:

July 28th: Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion

July 30th: Saratoga Springs, NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC

July 31st: Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake

August 2nd: Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center

August 3rd: Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater

August 4th: Gilford, NH – BankHNH Pavilion

August 16th: Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater

August 17th: Huntsville, AL – Orion Amphitheater

August 20th: Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at VB

August 21st: Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park

August 23rd: Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center

August 24th: Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre

August 26th: Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center Omaha

August 28th: Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center

https://www.foreigneronline.com

https://styxworld.com

http://www.johnwaiteworldwide.com/