We took in our first concert at Fort Wayne's lovely Foellinger Theatre this past Thursday night. Lady Jane won free tickets in a radio contest to see the band Styx. While they are a band we were very familiar with growing up, it isn't something we would have otherwise forked over $49 apiece for. We were very glad we went though.
We had always wanted to attend a show at Foellinger, but it just never seemed to work out. It's a great mid-size open-air venue though. I believe seating is just over 2700 in a covered bandshell sort of arena. The sides are open but all the seats are covered - which is good because there was a brief downpour during the concert. It's also super easy to get around - from parking to concessions and restrooms. There really isn't a bad seat in the house. Main seating are plastic fold-down seats. While they're not padded, they are wide enough for today's bodies. There are bleachers in the far back, but even those don't seem all that distant from the stage. Seating Chart
As for Styx, like I said, since we were teenagers in the 70's and 80's we were very familiar with their music. I wasn't big into "prog-rock" though so I had really only heard them on the radio. I just read where former member Dennis DeYoung was more the driving force behind that sound, so not having him in the band any longer they seem a much more guitar-driven straight on rock band. Tommy Shaw and James Young ROCKED on guitar. The sound was superb on this cool September evening as well. It didn't hurt the ears, but I could feel the sound moving my pant-legs. That's just the way I like it.
The band included one original member - Chuck Panozzo - who played bass on a few songs. Apparently he's struggled with health issues. The rest of the band have been together for quite some time and include:
James “JY” Young Lead vocals, guitarsTommy Shaw Lead vocals, guitarsTodd Sucherman Drums, percussionLawrence Gowan Lead vocals, keyboardsRicky Phillips Bass, guitar, vocals
We actually ended up sitting in the $69 seating area with some friends. We were supposed to be in the bleachers, but good friends of ours bought tickets the day of the show and they were almost center stage about halfway back (not even 100 ft from the stage). We were just going to chat with them until the people the seats belonged to arrived. It turned out no one ever did show up! So we had exceptional seats, and it was a fantastic show!
We will definitely be going back to Foellinger for more concerts, and I would be tempted to see Styx again as well. I was pleasantly surprised by their hard-driving guitar heavy sound. It was a grand night, if I do say so myself!