Foreigner and Styx deliver powerful performances at Star Lake, Thomas Jefferson High School choir gets on stage for encore

This week has been an embarrassment of riches for the region’s classic rock fans. Wednesday night brought a pair juggernauts to the stage at The Pavilion at Star Lake in Foreigner and Styx, two bands with long lists of hits that can still bring their A-game.

John Waite opened the time portal to the late 1970s and early 1980s as the tour’s opening act.

The singer, who’s had chart success as a solo artist and as a member of several bands, showcased his hits, including “When I See You Smile” (which he recorded with Bad English) and his biggest solo hit, “Missing You.” To top it off, his sincere, sweet voice gave way to a surprising growl when he and his band performed a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.”

Styx and Foreigner have been trading off time slots on this tour, and Star Lake was a stop that saw Foreigner come out first.

The recent Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees have gone through a lot of personnel changes over the years since their formation in 1976, but — to quote them — this lineup really feels like the first time. Lead singer Kelly Hansen has been with the band since 2005, and he sings all of Foreigner’s songs like they’re his own.

The setlist for Foreigner’s portion of the show reads like the back of a greatest hits album. All 11 songs are staples on classic rock radio, including their opener, “Double Vision.” It was clear from the first drumbeat that these guys were here to rock.

They next struck up “Head Games,” a song with a great yell-along chorus. It takes a special and talented voice to sing Foreigner’s songs — original lead singer Lou Gramm’s voice was always emotive and powerful on the recordings — and Hansen sold every note.

“Welcome and thank you for joining us on this muggy, muggy night,” Hansen said to the crowd. “Our only goal for tonight is to have a great rock and roll time with you all.”

And so they did.

“Cold As Ice” has one of the most recognizable keyboard openings in rock, and the audience immediately started clapping along as Hansen launched into the first verse. The keys went absolutely nuts later in the song, and the stage lights strobed during the bridge’s iconic guitar solo.

They brought the tempo down with “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” and Hansen’s lowered voice was like silk, but his belting out the chorus was particularly impressive. Then they amped up again with “Dirty White Boy,” which sounded like a classic hair metal anthem, and kept the pace going with “Feels Like The First Time,” the band’s first hit. Hansen threw the singing to the crowd and they sang it back exuberantly.

After “Urgent,” with stage lights flashing red and yellow, Chris Frazier put on an electrifying drum performance under stage lights that strobed rainbow hues along with the beat. It lasted for several minutes — including stick twirling and even some cowbell — before he gave the gong sitting beside him a good whack, kicking off “Juke Box Hero.”

The song begins a little bit quietly, but as Hansen began to sing, audience members glanced around until the placed him — on a round platform ringed in blue light that rose high into the air over the back of the pavilion crowd. As the song revved toward the first chorus, he struck a series of rockstar poses and sang his heart out.

Returning to the stage, Hansen played the tambourine as the guitarists volleyed solos back and forth, and got the crowd singing along as the song — the last tune of their regular set — rose to its peak and then closed out with more killer drumming.

For the encore, Foreigner began with their massive hit ballad “I Want To Know What Love Is,” bringing out the Thomas Jefferson High School A Cappella Choir to assist. Between Hansen, the choir and the audience, the singing was deafening. At the end of the song, Hansen explained why the band was featuring high school choirs on this tour: to raise awareness for dwindling funding in arts education.

“The arts are the first thing to go,” Hansen said. “Music can take you around the world. … Music can take you around the universe, show you things, make you a more rounded person.” He encouraged attendees to contact their school boards and representatives and even to make donations. Turning his attention to the high schoolers, he said, “Thank you for your light, your smiles, your beautiful voices and your presence.”

He also said that while this isn’t a farewell tour, the band will be slowing down concert appearances in the future. “We’re not going to disappear off the face of the Earth,” he said.

They closed the encore with “Hot Blooded,” featuring both smoke machines and jets of fire, and left the crowd screaming and cheering.

Next up was Styx. And, true to their own style, they began with a symphony of synths and keys, starting out with the grand-sounding “The Grand Illusion.” Styx is another band that’s done some member-shuffling over the years, but a trio of their originals are still rocking at shows. Singer and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan isn’t one of the founders, but he has been with the band since Dennis DeYoung’s exit in 1999, so they are a well-honed machine together.

After a spectacular start, they went into “Too Much Time On My Hands,” which — like many of the performed tunes — was more an opportunity to showcase the music than the lyrics. Styx has progressive rock roots and it was palpable in the blending of synth and wailing guitar. The audience, of course, added claps to the familiar chorus.

The tinkling opening keys on “Lady” changed the atmosphere a bit, and the spotlights went from frenetic and colorful to pinpointing the band members at the front of the stage and slowly spreading back out as more and more musicians came in. They followed up the bright “Lorelei” with “Crash of the Crown,” from their 2021 album of the same name. The song felt like a hybrid of Queen and Led Zeppelin and would fit in well on the soundtrack of a fantasy film.

The energy stayed up through “Miss America” and “Rockin’ the Paradise,” Then, a foreboding synth opening heralded the beginning of “Blue Collar Man,” where drummer Todd Sucherman really got to stretch out his arms. Gowan implored the crowd to put their hands together, and they obliged.

“The Best Of Times” and “Fooling Yourself” proved that Styx certainly could still rock hard. Gowan is so at ease with his unbelievable skills that he even played facing away from the keyboard several points, and the guitar solos were constantly one-upping each other. Then the dainty keys to start “Come Sail Away” sounded.

The ceiling of the pavilion lit up with a pattern of blue lights that could have been either waves or stars. Gowan’s voice was inaudible over the crowd as they sang the drawn-out “carry on.” Gowan’s voice hit a fever pitch in the third verse that felt like it could be heard through the Milky Way.

After a brief encore, Styx returned to play the epic “Mr. Roboto.” Gowan sang passionately in character throughout, his voice soaring high over the audience. Then, when they began the closing number — a song familiar to any true Steelers fan — the crowd erupted in cheers and sang along loudly to “Renegade.”

It was a night to remember, full of classic songs, big personalities and live flourishes that proved why these bands have stood the test of time.