The Windy Cities Tour blustered right into Phoenix this week as Chicago and Styx brought their coheadlining jaunt to Mortgage Matchup Center. The multiplatinum acts drew an impressive crowd for a weeknight, opting out of a traditional barricade to allow fans on the floor to be as close as possible throughout the show. With decades of music to choose from, both bands pulled out all the hits for a night to remember.
Styx was the “opener” of the night, performing their full setlist that also included a reappearance for a proper encore. The audience quickly realized that the arena’s stage was in reach and they pressed forward to smile at the band and sing along to “Build and Destroy” and “Too Much Time On My Hands”. Styx had some room to play on such a large stage, setting up a massive LED screen behind them and giving vocalist and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan room to play on his spinning piano platform. While the band has undergone many changes in their 50-plus years in the business, the energy they deliver to their live shows has never wavered. The entire set was a party, from “The Grand Illusion” to “Rockin’ the Paradise” as fans were transported back in time by the band’s extensive catalog. The arena lit up for “Come Sail Away” before the group was summoned back onstage to encore with “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade”.
One defining thing about Chicago- they are going on tour and they are staying on tour. The band has been on the road in some fashion every year for almost six decades and their fanbase has only grown in that time. Eager attendees of all ages were on their feet from the first notes of “Introduction” as the band reintroduced themselves and gave everyone a turn in the spotlight. From the trombone, saxophone and trumpets in the middle, flanked by guitars and a plethora of percussion and piano, the conglomerate that is Chicago the band churned out tunes with efficiency and vibrant joy.
More than anything, Chicago wanted the people to get up and dance and they encouraged everyone to move during a cover of “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”, a throwback to their start as a band playing the bar scene. With so many albums to choose from across their storied career, selecting a setlist could have been an insurmountable task but the fans were thrilled at every chosen song from “If You Leave Me Now” to iconic single ” Saturday in the Park”.
It was the kind of evening no one wanted to see end but eventually the hits came to a close on “Feelin’ Stronger Every Day” and a highly-demanded encore before Phoenix relinquished the Windy City rockers. Tuesday’s show marked a stellar start to September as the hits rolled along to the next stop on Chicago’s unbroken touring streak.
