Neal Doughty at the Sommet Center in Nashville, TN on 11-15-2009. Photo by Pennman.

Who doesn’t like a bargain in these tough economic times? Well, if you’re a live music fan you can find some great shows at reasonable prices. Take tonight’s triple bill, for example; Night Ranger, REO Speedwagon, and Styx, all included in the price of admission. Tours of great 70s and 80s bands are popping up everywhere and showcase great musicians, unforgettable songs, and pretty good showmanship as well. Seek and ye shall find great entertainment values.

Night Ranger started off the show with, what else, a nice collection of their hits, mixed with a bit of their more recent material. Newest member Joel Hoekstra and veteran Brad Gillis were in fine form on the axes. Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals) was as relevant as ever, and teamed up with Jack Blades (lead vocals) on bass, provided a formidable rhythm section. Filling out the sound was keyboardist Christian Cullen, who joined the band in 2007. It was great to hear some of their classic tunes, most notably the opening “This Boy Needs to Rock” (with a bit of “Highway Star” thrown in), “Sister Christian” and “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me”. They also did an encore of “You Can Still Rock in America”. As would hold true with all the bands, we were treated to melodic classic rock that let the good times roll. As Night Ranger were the openers, the set was expectedly a tad on the short side, but still respectable at about 45 minutes long. No one was complaining.

Next up was REO. These guys are really impressive. They wasted no time, ripping right into “Don’t Let Him Go” and “Take It On the Run”. Other favorites were “Keep Pushin’ On”, “Can’t Fight This Feeling”, “Keep On Loving You”, and “Riding the Storm Out”. A big surprise, which happens often when groups come to Nashville (and why I love covering shows here), was an appearance by guests Martina McBride and Brad Paisley on “Roll With the Changes”. Does Nashville ever get spoiled by all these once-in-a-lifetime performances? I think so, just a bit. But Nashville has been the place where rock meets country forever, so why not?

Kevin Cronin hasn’t lost anything on vocals. Listening to him belt out these songs is just pure enjoyment. The band was rocking, and the stage was striking in its’ pure white color, simple, clean lines, and tasteful lighting. There was an impressive big screen behind the band that flashed some cool photos and graphics throughout the set. And don’t think 3 bands for the price of one means another short set; REO played 12 songs and were on stage easily over an hour, so time was not an issue. You really need to revisit these bands every few years to remember just how classic the tunes really are.

Closing out the night with a good long set was Styx. This band has a huge catalogue of material, so there was much to include but even more to leave out. I thought they did a pretty good job on the set list though. Some of the notables included “Miss America”, “Too Much Time On My Hands”, “The Grand Illusion”, a cover of “I Am the Walrus” (with psychedelics burning up the screen), “Blue Collar Man”, and “Renegade”. As did REO, they played around 12 songs, but since their material tends to run longer this was truly a full set. Once again, we were treated to excellent songs and great musicianship. Tommy Shaw killed on vocals and guitar, Lawrence Gowan provided the classical-tinged keyboard work so critical to the Styx sound, and original bassist Chuck Panozzo joined current bassist Ricky Phillips about midway through, and the boost in boom factor was immediately noticeable. James Young (guitar/vocals) and Todd Sucherman (drums) rounded out the lineup and were flawless.

This tour is called the “Can’t Stop Rocking” tour, so at the end all three bands took the stage to perform the song of the same name, co-written by REO’s Cronin and Styx’ Shaw. It was a fitting, celebratory end to a great night of music. If I were you I’d keep my eyes open for more recession busters like this one. They’re good for the soul, especially in these tough times.      

Pennman bought his first 45 at age nine and has been hooked on rock ever since. He has spent much of his disposable income on music, especially live performances. He writes reviews of the shows he sees and keeps a keen lookout for upcoming shows in or near Bowling Green. He has a BA in Communications, specializing in journalism, and has dabbled in music himself, both as a player and instructor. Find more of Pennman’s work at www.associatedcontent.com/user/165511/pennman.html or visit him at www.myspace.com/pennman_bg or www.facebook.com/pennman