Why So Blu?

Filmed during the 2014 “Soundtrack of the Summer” tour, Styx hits the Las Vegas stage to bring us their signature sound!  Live at the Orleans Arena Las Vegas also includes behind the scenes interview with the band and their road crew about the in’s and out’s of life on the road.  We get everything from the joys of exploring a new city everyday, to the struggles that come with trying to remain connected to those back home.  So strap on your multi-necked guitar and find out if Styx still has what it takes to bring the house down!

Concert
The show opens with behind the scenes interviews with Styx and their stage crew. Each of these interviews cover a variety of subjects that explore what life is like as a road musician.  But this one focuses primarily on how the band and crew go about their day to prepare for the show.  This served as a great introduction/set up for the concert.  In a way, I could almost see them playing this clip at their lives shows just before the music starts.  It really makes you feel like your a part of the fun rather than just an outsider looking in.  It’s great to see a band with such longevity expose themselves so fully.  Usually artists with this level of pedigree wouldn’t be so quick to show the “not so glamorous” part of the “Rock Star” lifestyle.

Once the show finally starts there’s simmering anticipation of energy as the lights are still dim and low. But once the lights come up the audience isn’t exactly exploding with life and vibrance. I definitely wouldn’t attribute this to the age demographic of their fan base.  I’ve seen plenty of older fans go nuts with tons of energy at rock shows. There just seems to be sort of a calmness about the crowd, which is unusual for a classic rock show.  Most of the crowd is still seated when the band hits the stage.  And it’s definitely not for lack of trying on the bands part as they are clearly giving it their all.  Luckily, by the second song the crowd has fully awoken from their coma!

Full disclosure, I’m not exactly the biggest fan of Styx.  I’m familiar with a few of their hits but on the whole, I’m more of a casual listener.  But I really appreciate it when older musicians keep their chops up to the level that they were in their heyday. Their signature tenor vocals are strong, powerful, and crystal clear. And the instrumentation is tight as a drum. You can tell that these guys really value a quality musical presentation which is delightful to hear AND see.  Having said that, these guys aren’t exactly “Broadway” performers.  It’s clear that they put the musicianship before the spectacle.  But at the same time you gotta give credit to keyboardist Lawrence Gowan.  He literally bounces and spins all over the stage.  Combine that with his fully rotating keyboard stand, and you’ve got quite a bit of excitement coming from that side of the stage.

Initially the camerawork is kind of all over the place – randomly bouncing from musician to musician rather than gradually moving about the stage. I mean granted, the stage set up is pretty sparse and minimal but you could still give a sense of a grandiose performance for these guys. I just feel like they were a bit misrepresented on the visual production end.  The best kinds of live concert home videos give you the feeling that you’re on stage with the band. But this one just makes you feel like you’re watching a random fan wander about the stage occasionally filming interesting moments.