After a successful show in Syracuse the night before, Styx brought their “The Brotherhood of Rock” tour to the Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on July 15. Styx played their famous The Grand Illusion in its entirety and sprinkled in some of their other hits. Joining Styx were Kevin Cronin, the lead singer from REO Speedwagon and Don Felder, formerly of the Eagles. The stacked rock and roll bill made for an unforgettable evening as fans piled into the amphitheater.
The first to jump on stage was Felder. After releasing his newest record, The Vault 1975-2025 Fifty Years Of Music, Felder brought a whole new show to fans that might have caught his last show when he was with Styx a few summers ago. Felder jumped on stage right as the clock struck 7 p.m. and blasted in “Already Gone.” The familiar Eagles tune brought the fans to their feet, if they weren’t there immediately. Throughout Felder’s 10-song set, he brought eight Eagles songs out for the Bridgeport audience.
Whether it was the previously mentioned “Already Gone,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” or the smash hit “Hotel California,” the fans loved him. During his set, he even brought out a few new songs in the fashion of “Hollywood Victum” and “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride.) It was great that Felder acknowledged his newer material; some fans in the audience had already bought a copy of his new record on CD from the merch booth.
Felder had a magnificent backing band to accompany him. What was great about his band is that each member didn’t try to upstage him or be too flashy. They let Felder bask in the spotlight and soak in the glory. While Felder wasn’t moving around the stage too much, he didn’t need to. While sporting cool white pants and a black jacket, he let his marvelous guitar playing do most of the talking.
The hit-filled setlist came to a close with a bang in the shape of “Hotel California” and the venue applauded Felder as if he were the headliner. The crowd truly appreciated seeing a true rock legend perform in front of them.
With Felder off the stage, the roadies made way for Cronin and his band. In the wake of REO Speedwagon’s retirement, Cronin decided to take what was left of the REO Speedwagon band and morph them into his solo band. For this summer, Cronin and co. are celebrating the 45th anniversary of REO Speedwagon’s Hi Infidelity record by playing it from front to back.
The band seemed to be shot out of a rocket as they jumped into “Don’t Let Him Go.” The band’s whole stage persona helped their overall sound. The microphone stands were slightly curved, giving them a sleeker finish. Drummer Bryan Hitt had a more open drum kit, allowing fans to feel closer than normal. Cronin and the rest of his band were all smiles for the entire 13-song setlist.
By song two, “Keep On Loving You,” fans had risen to their feet again, taken out their cellphones and recorded this REO Speedwagon hit. Cronin is a true instrumental virtuoso. Whether it was singing, playing guitar, or piano while singing, he could do it all. Throughout the night, Cronin was running around the stage singing and playing multiple instruments while essentially not breaking a sweat – Cronin is as professional as it comes.
Joining Cronin and Hitt are Derek Hilland on keyboards, Matt Bissonette on bass and Dave Amato on guitars. Throughout the night, you can see that even the backing band still loved to get on stage and play music, no matter if it was under Cronin’s name or REO Speedwagon. The entire band also had an unmatched chemistry that very few can manage; they all played off each other beautifully.
When the Brotherhood of Rock Tour roadies were all set assembling Styx’s gear, they quickly jumped on stage. Like Cronin, Styx is also celebrating the 48th anniversary of The Grand Illusion. Styx played the record front to back and left enough room in their set to add fan favorites to make sure that every single fan went home happy.
It would not be a Styx show without lead singer Lawrence Gowen and his spinning piano. Throughout the night, Gowen spun and spun that piano in between playing and running and galloping around the stage. Despite being founded in 172 in Chicago, Illinois, the band still has the energy of a new and upcoming band. Guitarist Tommy Shaw joined Gowen in running across the stage while bassist Terry Gowen and Will Evankovich anchored their areas of the stage and provided smiles to the audience throughout.
Throughout the night, the screen behind the band flashed photos of them in their youth along with concert posters from back in the day. While the music was playing, it provided a nice walk down memory lane for the fans who go way back with the band. While the band played through The Grand Illusion, they started to get into the deeper cuts like “Castle Walls” and “Man in the Wilderness,” and those songs are while playing records in full live, are great. It gives the band a chance to dive into some B-side songs and for fans of those deep cuts to live out their dream of finally hearing those songs live. You could tell that Styx rehearsed well because by the time they got to those deep cuts, they seemed to play them flawlessly.
By the time the record was over, Styx then dove into favorites like “Lady,” “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade.” During their rendition of “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” Shaw dedicated the tune to “all the people that have to go to work in the morning.” It was a professional nod and ‘thank you’ to all the people who came out to see the show on a Tuesday night. Regardless of whether it was a Tuesday night or a Saturday night, the fans drove out in numbers to see three legendary performers on the same bill.
“The Brotherhood of Rock” tour is truly one you do not want to miss. There are so many great songs from Felder, Styx and Cronin. If you close your eyes during the show, you would feel transported back to the very first time that you heard every song. It’s a nostalgic show for all the right reasons. Sometimes, show bills don’t gel well and it leaves the show feeling awkward, but not on “The Brotherhood of Rock” tour, each band builds on each other to deliver the best performance possible for the fans.
Don Felder Setlist: Already Gone, One of These Nights, The Long Run, Seven Bridges Road, Hollywood Victum, Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride), Take It Easy, Heartache Tonight, Life in the Fast Lane, Hotel California
Kevin Cronin Setlist: Don’t Let Him Go, Keep On Loving You, Follow My Heart, In Your Letter, Take It on the Run, Tough Guys, Out of Season, Shakin’ It Loose, Someone Tonight, I Wish You Were There, Keep Pushin’, Ridin’ the Storm Out
Styx Setlist: The Grand Illusion, Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man), Superstars, Come Sail Away, Miss America, Man in the Wilderness, Castle Walls, The Grand Finale, Rockin’ the Paradise, Too Much Time on My Hands, Lady, Build and Destory, The Best of Times, Blue Collar Man (Long Nights), Mr. Roboto, Renegade
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