First of all, I’ve got to take a minute to say the The Botanical Gardens in Memphis is a hidden little gem!! It was a pain getting in, due to not knowing what to expect and cutting it close on the time, but besides that, beautiful venue, lakes, geese (lots of geese!), and apparently it is a bring your own party type place. People had bottles of wine and food trays. There were a lot of picnic spreads and a wagon is essential to carry all the shit you’re allowed to carry in…er’body had one! So laid back and enjoyable, whew it was a hot Memphis night for sure, as well. Man, what a show!! The staff was also top notch!

John Waite, always loved his voice and it sounded as good last night as it ever has. His set included a few solo songs, along with the Baby’s hits you love!! John closed his set with a blistering version of “Rock n Roll” by the great Zep!!

Styx followed John Waite, and man they brought it! Tommy Shaw was on fire, maybe because he was so close to home. He even mentioned that a few times, but Tommy put on a show for everyone in attendance. James Young, the only other original member last night, well… He was JY as usual…Ha…..He was great, and blasted a rockin’ “Ms. America”!! The newest member, brother of Lawrence Gowan, Terry Gowan, joins the band and handled the bass lines perfectly. Terry fits in great with his high energy… family trait? Lawrence is a character in himself! He is just as high energy and they play really well off of each other. Todd Sucherman… what else can you say about this man. Such an incredible talent on the skins. Being a 10 time award winner is pretty impressive. The whole band sounded and looked great. They delivered a blistering set full of classic Styx songs, finally closing with “Mr. Roboto,” followed by a really hauntingly cool version of “Renegade!”

Foreigner closed out the night with an incredible, super high energy set that opened with “Double Vision,” “Cold As Ice,” “Dirty White Boy,” “Long Long Way Home” and finally ended with “Hot Blooded.” A lot of people call them a cover band now. Well yeah, but if I had a cover band, I would be thrilled to have that line up of players. Jeff Pilson, man, what an entertainer. Even when he was a member of Dokken, he has always brought and gave everything in his performances. Kelly Hansen is a great frontman. He delivered an electric performance last night, providing great vocals and working the audience. Luis Maldonado… THIS GUY! You better keep a eye on him after this tour is over. Can’t wait to see where he lands. Outstanding guitarist, Brain Watson, joined him on guitar, and lead… another amazing musician. Chris Frazier keep the beat solid all night, pounding those skins beside keyboardist Michael Bluestein to round out the dynamic sound Foreigner had last night.

Overall, great show, yes, even for a cover band. It was a great evening and amazingly beautiful venue. I want to go back just to walk around and see the garden and all the other things in the park. Nice little gem of a venue you got there Memphis… now fix the roads and lower the crime, and we good! … LOL.

John Waite – http://www.johnwaiteworldwide.com/

STYX – https://styxworld.com/

Foreigner – https://www.foreigneronline.com/