Don Felder, Foreigner and Styx – Soundtrack of Summer Review & Photo Gallery

One of the best classic rock tours of 2014 came to the Horseshoe Casino in Cincinnati Thursday night. The Soundtrack of Summer features Don Felder (ex-Eagles), Foreigner and Styx. The show in Cincinnati also featured local opener Brent James & The Vintage Youth. This was the first time I heard Brent James, and I gotta say, I hope to catch this band again soon. They were great!

Don Felder was next on stage and I wasn’t sure what to expect from his live show. Felder and band did a full set of Eagles tunes including some of the heavier numbers, “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride)” (from the Heavy Metal Soundrack), “Heartache Tonight”, “Life in the Fast Lane” and “Hotel California”. On “Hotel California” Tommy Shaw from Styx joined Felder on stage and traded vocals with Felder. Shaw is also on the newly recorded version of “Hotel California” that is on the Soundtrack of Summer available exclusively through Walmart. Don Felder was awesome, and I was glad that I got to see him perform.

I was surprised when Foreigner took the stage, as Mick Jones was not present. After the first few songs, the band brought Mick out and he finished the show. Foreigner sounded awesome. Kelly Hansen is such a superb vocalist, you would hardly recognize that he is not Foreigner’s original singer. At one point during the show, Kelly scaled the stage supports, and got the crowd fired up from death defying heights. Foreigner’s set included the classics “Double Vision”, “Head Games”, “Cold As Ice”, “Waiting For A Girl Like You”, “Feels Like The First Time”, “Urgent”, “Starrider”, “Juke Box Hero”, “I Want To Know What Love Is” and “Hot Blooded”. The Young Professionals’ Choir Collective of Cincinnati joined Foreigner on stage for the song “I Want To Know What Love Is”. I thought that was a pretty cool touch to their show.

Styx was closing act for the Cincinnati show, although Styx and Foreigner are rotating the headlining spot at select shows. I have Styx several times and they never disappoint. At this show, Styx pulled out a couple of old tunes that I have never heard them perform including, “Superstars” and “Light Up”. The rest of the set included the songs “Grand Illusion”, “Too Much Time”, “Fooling Yourself”, “Lady”, “Crystal Ball”, “Blue Collar Man”, “Come Sail Away” and an encore with “Rockin’ The Paradise” and “Renegade”.. Tommy Shaw and company sounded great, and I thought it was cool that pulled out a couple of old tunes for their live set. I wish they would do “Mr. Roboto”, but I digress.

The Soundtrack of Summer is a great summer tour, and one that should not be missed. You can catch this tour on one of the following dates summer.

DATE CITY VENUE CLOSER

Thu 6/19 Boston, MA Blue Hills Bank Pavilion FOREIGNER

Fri 6/20 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live FOREIGNER

Sat 6/21 Big Flats, NY Summer Stage FOREIGNER

Mon 6/23 Verona, NY Turning Stone Casino STYX

Thu 6/26 Newark, NJ Prudential Center STYX

Sat 6/28 Wantagh, NY Nikon Jones Beach Theater FOREIGNER

Sun 6/29 Mashantucket, CT Foxwoods Resort Casino STYX

Thu 7/3 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center FOREIGNER

Fri 7/4 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion FOREIGNER

Sat 7/5 Bangor, ME Darlings Waterfront STYX