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Styx & Foreigner
Live at Honda Center
RENEGADES & JUKE BOX HEROES TOUR
July 5, 2024 Review by Jimmy Alvarez
“Hype,” is a word that has a few meanings depending on the intended purpose. For those in the entertainment industry, it’s what you do to promote an event. For concertgoers, it’s the litmus test to see if a show lived up to the promotion. For Orange County concertgoers, a show rolled into town that put a positive spin on the word as a retro show came in and lived up to the “Hype.”
On Saturday, June 29, 2o24 classic rock Gods Styx and Foreigner were accompanied by John Waite to deliver on a musical odyssey that would feature renegades and jukebox heroes through their decades of decadence.
The night was perfect, the weather was pleasant and the venue was The Honda Center. Despite the construction in the surrounding area which will give rise to OC Vibe, the mood was upbeat. The crowd was a little different than what I expected. They were diverse, there were people from all walks of life; but, that’s not what surprised me. It was the age demographic. they were diverse. It appeared to be equal – early teens and young adults engaged with 30 and 40 something year-olds; while fans that caught these bands on their initial run of glory also filled the sold-out Honda Center.
As I walked into the venue, I could feel electricity throughout and it did not take long for the seats to fill. Opening was John Waite, former lead singer for The Babys and Bad English; although he’s had a slew of hits on his own. Waite did not wait to take control of the crowd.
With his dynamic and booming vocals, Waite showcased songs from his epic catalog. he opened with “Midnight Rendezvous,” then slipping into “Change.” It was the first of countless thunderous applauses that came from the crowd. Waite led us back in time with his Bad English Classic, “When I see You Smile.”
The manner in which Waite delivered on this timeless song took us all back in time. He then ripped off another set of great songs, “Missing You,” “Head First,” and “Every Time I Think of You.” That was another surreal moment a you could see men and women singing along all glassy-eyed as Waites delivery was encapsulating. For me, it was the closing song that knocked my socks off.
Waite dove off a cliff with Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta of Love,” and segued into “Let Me Love You Baby.” What a voice this man has, and fans roared letting him know just how much they loved his performance. With a wink to the crowd and wave goodnight, just like that, the opener exited stage left.
The road crew did a marvelous job in preparing the stage in a short space. Being it was a co-headlining tour, up next was one of the biggest bands to come out of the Windy City, Chicago’s Styx was locked and loaded. With their moniker logo hanging as a backdrop and with an elevated stage set, out came the sonic monsters of the Midway.
Just like that, the lights dimmed, the roar of the crowd engulfed the Honda Center and we heard the first few notes to “The Grand Illusion.” Before we could catch our collective breaths, those keyboards were front and center as the crowd lost its mind to “Too Much Time on My Hands.”
Immediately, keyboardist extraordinaire, Lawrence Gowan welcomed everyone to the show and thanked the crowd for such a fantastic response to the music that is a big part of all our lives.
Then the lights came up and boom, the band members stepped forward and in unison Tommy Shaw (guitar), James “J.Y.” Young (guitar), and Chuck Panozzo (bass), were ready to blow the roof off with the next few songs. But first, Gowan said, “You may know this one” and hit his magic keys to “Lady.”
The crowd was awestruck on just how good and fresh the song sounded. Like Waite, the band mixed some newer songs with some of their classics. “Lorelei,” “Crash of the Crown,” “Miss America,” and “Rockin’ the Paradise” got a good reception.
Then the epic moment hit when Gowan led us into “The Best of Times,” while Shaw and Panozzo took over with their signature sound. Another epic moment was the closer and crowd favorite “Come Sail Away.” It just couldn’t get better, but it did.
As Styx exited the stage, we all knew there were a couple more songs left in them.
Styx did not disappoint as they came back out to serenade the crowd to “Mr. Roboto, and then they bid an official farewell with “Renegade.”
Again, much props to the road crew as in short order the lights dimmed and the roar of the crowd was back as Foreigner took the stage, opening with “Double Vision,” and “Head Games.”
Lead singer, Kelly Hansen never sounded better. With Jeff Pilson and Bruce Watson thrashing their guitars, the song was simply electric.
The crowd went bananas to “Cold as Ice” and “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” Michael Bluestein on keys brought the song to life, while Luis Maldonado exploded on guitar bringing a sonic boom to “Dirty White Boy.”
It was Hansen’s vocals that captured they crowd, “Feels Like the First Time” and “Urgent” sounded just as good that night as it did when we first heard those larger-than-life songs. With an insanely thunderous beat by drummer, Chris Frazier, “Juke Box Hero” had everyone singing along to every word of that song.
Like true showmen, Foreigner said goodnight to Orange County with “I Want to Know What Love Is,” and “Hot Blooded” was like being in an MTV video from back in the day.
The show was grandioso, the performances were beyond surreal; and the takeaway was that these bands lived up to the “Hype.”
What a great night to be at Honda Center. The tour continues, I highly recommend to catch these bands while you still can. They are living, walking, talking, and singing history!
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