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Photo by Tommy Mann Jr.

The rock band Styx, featuring James “J.Y.” Young, at left, and Tommy Shaw, returned to Southwest Louisiana this past Friday (Jan. 19, 2018) and electrified a sold-out crowd inside the Grand Event Center of the Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles with a 13-song, 75-minute set of new material and classic hits.

By Tommy Mann Jr.

The Record

Iconic rock act Styx left little doubt the band is still on top of its game after 40 years of making music.

Rockers Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young, along with their fellow Styx bandmates Lawrence Gowan, Ricky Phillips and Todd Sucherman, delivered an energetic and entertaining 75-minute set of music featuring classic hits and new tunes from the band’s 2017 release, “The Mission,” in front of a sold-out crowd this past Friday, (Jan. 19, 2017) at the Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles, La.

The group opened the show with the new song “Gone, Gone, Gone” from the band’s new album. The song is short but to the point and rocks hard as Gowan and company commanded the attention of the audience from the opening note and never let go.

The band’s fans appreciated the new music, especially “Radio Silence,” a very catchy tune plugged into the near-mid-point of the set, but it was the group’s seemingly endless list of hit songs that everyone wanted to hear.

Songs such as “Blue Collar Man” and “Miss America” had people standing throughout the arena with fists pumping and hands clapping, while set staples “Crystal Ball” and “Come Sail Away” put a smile on each and every face. The group included a true gem in its set with the song “Light Up” from its 1975 “Equinox” release.

Fans were treated to a special surprise as original bassist Chuck Panozzo made the trip to Lake Charles with the band and performed several song in the latter half of the set.

Coincidentally, this was also the 37^th anniversary of the release of one of Styx’s classic albums, “Paradise Theatre,” and the band made sure fans did not forget by include hit songs “Too Much Time on My Hands” and “Rockin’ the Paradise” in its set this night before closing the evening with its trademark tune, “Renegade.”

Styx has been going strong since the early 1970s and shows no signs of slowing down. Like a fine wine, Styx gets better with age.