Newly Named Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS featured Styx & Collective Soul on June 25, 2021
The long-awaited comeback of a major live ’80s music concert tour to the Kansas City area finally arrived when legendary rock band Styx strolled into Azura Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, KS with Collective Soul on June 25, 2021. Promoted by Mammoth, it was the fifth showing of their 8-date trek together through the Midwest in promotion of the brand new “Crash of the Crown” album. Literally dubbed “The Return” tour, it electrified and surmounted any and all expectations that fans imagined. Towing alongside the bands was an incredible rain and lightening storm topped with yellow skies and a double rainbow to mark the moment as extra monumental.
After a 30-minute weather delay, ’90s alternative rock group Collective Soul took to the stage led by founding members Ed Roland (lead vocals), Dean Roland (rhythm guitar) and Will Turpin (bass) along with newer mates Jesse Triplett (lead guitar) and Johnny Rabb (drums). It was almost as if the storm was perfectly synchronized with the set—the rain picked up with the opening of “Who Loves” and then stopped with the ending of “Right as Rain.” The skies started turning yellow and that symbol of transformation and good fortune suddenly appeared in the sky as lightening streaked sideways and the band blasted “The World I Know” to wrap up its performance.
A brief intermission to reset the stage saw the storm clouds brewing, temperature dropping and lightening continuing to light up across the horizon. Styx going on was in question, but streaks must have resided far enough away that the show continued without hitch.
Rain started to fall once again as co-founder James “J.Y.” Young (guitar/vocals), classic members Tommy Shaw (guitar/vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums), Lawrence Gowan (keyboard/vocals) and Ricky Phillips (bass guitar) plus newcomer Will Evankovich (guitar) took to the stage. A bit of synchronicity here once again as the rain and lightening seemed to finish mid-set in accordance with the playing of “Red Storm.” Fans even enjoyed a little extra special treat on “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” when co-founder Chuck Panozzo (bass guitar) joined.
The remainder of the night was calm and cool, just an amazing evening for an outdoor concert. If you are a rock fan born in the ’80s and raised in the ’90s, then this was the quintessential pairing just for you. Two totally different brands of rock melded together to form the perfect union.
Collective Soul, a staple on the Mainstream Rock chart with numerous No. 1 hits, played a handful of it’s biggest tunes plus a couple smaller hits and even a newer one released pre-pandemic. The ever-energetic Ed Roland dashed across the stage for most of the set, but slowed it down a couple of times to play the piano on “December” and the acoustic guitar on “Run” while his brother Dean took on the keys. Tommy Shaw even came out to join the crew on “December” as a prelude to later in the night.
The Styx set was every bit of what fans have come to expect from its live performances throughout nearly five decades. Not a single soul in the amphitheater sat during the group’s 19-song set, which saw the playing of its classics and a handful of songs from that new record. Upon its release, “Crash of the Crown” reached No. 1 in rock on Amazon. Even the progressive sounds of the Styx songs from the ’70s though sounded as if they could have come from the modern era.
The band’s music simply transcends time and impacts all generations. With so many impeccable lead singers too—James Young, Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan—the variety never stops. The energy certainly never slowed either, especially with Gowan’s charismatic personality, dancing and dazzling on his rotating keyboard. After an ever-sweet mixture of all-electric and acoustic songs, as well as piano solos, the night was capped off with the emblematic “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade,” which left floating out of the venue on an eternal high.
Collective Soul Setlist at Azura Amp on June 25, 2021:
“Who Loves,” “Heavy,” “Gel,” “Why, Pt. 2,” “Shine,” “December” (with Tommy Shaw), “Better Now,” “Where the River Flows,” “Run,” “Right as Rain” and “The World I Know”
Styx Setlist at Azura Amp on June 25, 2021:
“The Fight of Our Lives,” “Blue Collar Man (Long Nights),” “The Grand Illusion,” “Lady,” “Reveries,” “Light Up,” “Crash of the Crown,” “Miss America,” “Sound the Alarm,” “Crystal Ball,” “Red Storm,” “Rockin’ the Paradise,” “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Too Much Time on My Hands,” “Khedive,” “Lost at Sea” and “Come Sail Away”; Encore – “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade”
