After years of hearing his co-hosts rave about Styx, Joe Boclair finally made it to see them live at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater in Austin—the one built right into the Circuit of the Americas Formula One racetrack. He even bought a Mr. Roboto shirt as a playful nod to Paul Zotter, Ken Gregory, and Tom Corkran. (His wife Sarah came along too, naturally.)

The triple bill featured Don Felder running through Eagles classics like "Hotel California" and "Life in the Fast Lane," followed by the Kevin Cronin Band—yes, that's REO Speedwagon minus the REO Speedwagon name, possibly due to some contractual drama. Despite being in his seventies, Cronin's vocals were impressively strong. The crowd was unusually diverse for a prog rock show, featuring some unforgettable characters including one older gentleman sporting punk-rock style with blue-pink spiky hair and Batman tattoos.

Then Styx took the stage. **Larry Gowan's theatrical keyboard theatrics** in his sparkly purple coat were mesmerizing, while Tommy Shaw remained refreshingly laid-back, content to let others shine while delivering impressive vocals. J.Y. held down center stage with his sharp metallic green Stratocaster. Tommy's performance on "Man in the Wilderness" exceeded all expectations—until lightning struck nearby and forced an evacuation during "Castle Walls."

X: @progpala

BlueSky: @progpala.bsky.social

Instagram: www.instagram.com/progressivepalaver/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ProgPala

YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCw_Xxit3…cJ_7Z__w/featured

Theme music provided by: Dave DeWhitt