Show Review: Styx with Yes at the Shoreline Amphitheatre, 8/3/2011

It's hard to believe such a calamity
It's hard to believe such a calamity

The definition of “arena rock” has changed shape a great deal in this modern era of music. While it’s mostly connected to which genres of music or artists can sell enough seats to fill an amphitheater with up to 22,000 people, it is also evocative of a time when a band’s show and stage set were so extravagant, flamboyant, and over-the-top that only a massive stadium could even hope to provide ample real estate for the performance. Thus, it is always quite amazing to see both of these factors fall into place, especially when the bands in question are of a somewhat-bygone era. This isn’t the 1970s, or the 1980s, but you would never have been aware that time had passed since that era, judging from the explosive response that greeted the two biggest acts of the Shoreline Amphitheatre’s KIHNCERT 2011: Chicago rockers Styx and English progressive godfathers Yes.

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Spinning Platters Weekly Guide to Bay Area Concerts, 7/28/11-8/2/11

From the "whatever happened to?" file: One of these people is playing a show this week.

So, I’ve spend the last few days drooling over the Treasure Island Festival line up… So much that I almost forgot to do this. But, that would be sad for everyone out there, because this week is awesome. Besides, there are great shows every night until that shindig happens.

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