But Arizona is not just a destination stop for visitors from the Great White North. The Valley of the Sun has been known to be the relocation point for those trying to escape the Midwestern winters, specifically those from Chicago. After the Cubs and White Sox have now left town after spring training, what better way to keep the Chicagoland vibe alive than having Chicago born Styx play in town? They will join The Guess Who on the afternoon of April 14, 2012 for a day of classic rock and roll.
How great will this day be? You’ll hear songs such as “Laughing,” “Undun,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “Hand Me Down World,” “Share The Land,” “American Woman,” “These Eyes,” and “No Time.” And that’s just from the opening act. Add to that “Lady,” “Too Much Time on My Hands,” “Come Sail Away,” “Fooling Yourself,” and “Renegade,” and the day promises to be one classic rock jukebox of hits.
The Guess Who evolved out the 1960’s Winnipeg music scene and reached their zenith in 1969 with the release of the album American Woman, with a line-up made up primarily of Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings, Jim Kale, and Garry Peterson. Although Bachman left the group in 1970 and formed Bachman-Turner Overdrive and Cummings left the band in 1975, bassist Kale and drummer Peterson, have kept The Guess Who brand alive all these years. Joining Kale and Peterson will be keyboardist/flutist Leonard Shaw, and guitarists Laurie MacKenzie and Derek Sharp. Expect to hear a set list of songs that dominated the airwaves in the early 1970’s.
Styx, Tommy Shaw, James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips, have performed more live since 1999 than all of the previous years of its career combined including performing at two Super Bowls. The group had some moderate success in the early 1970’s with the singles “Lady,” “Lorelei,” and “Suite Madam Blue.” But it was the group’s seventh album, The Grand Illusion, released on 7/7/77 that catapulted them to fame with songs such as “Come Sail Away,” and “Fooling Yourself.” For the next six years, Styx hits battled and beat disco with songs such as “Renegade,” “Babe,” “Too Much Time on My Hands,” Rockin’ the Paradise,” and “Mr. Roboto,” becoming one of the great arena rock bands of all time. What many are unaware of is that Styx has released three studio albums of new material since 1990, the last being 2003’s Cyclorama. But it is vintage Styx that the fans come to hear and you can expect that on Saturday the 14th.
Gates for the April 14 concert will open at 12:00 p.m., with the tentative schedule of a local opening act at 1:00 p.m., The Guess Who at 2:00 p.m. and Styx at 4:00 p.m. Beer and wine tasting events will take place throughout the day as well. Tickets for the show can be purchased through The Good Life Festival website and range from $30 for lawn seat general admission seating, $40 for reserved seating or $120 for VIP seating and benefits. Extra fees may be charged. Tickets are also available at the site of the show.
