Photos by Chuck Holloway Review by Janet Miller
On July 13, 2024, John Waite, Foreigner, and Styx performed at Ameris Bank Ampitheater in Alpharetta, Georgia. John Waite got the party started for the sold out crowd opening the show with “Midnight Rendezvous”. John Waite was with The Babys from 1970 to 1981 and Waite performed the band’s two biggest hits, “Isn’t it Time” and “When I See You Smile”. After The Babys broke up, Waite performed with Bad English from 1987 to 1991 and performed their biggest hit, “Back on My Feet Again” concluding his set with “Whole Lotta Love”.
Foreigner then took the stage opening with “Double Vision,” rocking the house throughout their portion of the show. Foreigner released its first album in March 1977 and has been rocking for nearly 50 years and is also part of the October 2024 class to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Kelly Hansen, a true front man, has been with the band since 2005 sounding exactly like Foreigner is supposed to sound. Playing their greatest hits, Hansen brought the crowd to its feet when rising up out of the middle of the crowd performing “Juke Box Hero”. Foreigner left the crowd rocking with encores “I Wanna Know What Love Is” and “Hot Blooded”. The band announced that although this is labeled their final tour, they will continue to tour, just not to the extent they had in previous years.
Enter headliner, Styx. Formed in Chicago in 1972, Styx is led by dual front men, Tommy Shaw and Lawrence Gowan. Gowan’s younger brother, Terry, replaced former bass player Ricky Phillps, and became an official member of the band in 2024. Other band members include legendary guitarist James “J.Y.” Young, drummer Todd Sucherman, and guitarist/keyboards Will Evankovich. Styx opened the show with the title track from their best selling album The Grand Illusion released in 1977. Shaw, a true musician, spoke of heartfelt memories of Georgia audiences and performed “Blue Collar Man” and “Fooling Yourself”. Lawrence Gowan added to the performance with such hits as “Come Sail Away” and “Rockin’ the Paradise”. The ultimate crescendo to the evening ended with Styx encores, “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade”.
All in all, this was an amazing show and one you won’t want to miss!!!
