STYX - My First Concert Experience
In 1977 I signed up for the Columbia House Record Club. For those of you that don’t know what this is I’ll explain. You used to be able to sign up and get something like 11, 12, 13 records or tapes for a penny. The fine print was that you also agreed to purchase an additional amount records (maybe 4 or 6) over the next year at highly inflated prices and shipping. Something like $12.99 for an album where you could buy it in the local record store for $6.00.
Anyway, I signed up and got my records. In the stack of vinyl that came to my house was the fifth album by STYX - Equinox. I was familiar with the band as their big hit “Lady” had been all over the radio and “Lorelei” was getting heavy rotation on the AOR stations in Salt Lake City - shout out to KRSP-FM and KCPX-FM (aka Stereo-X).
I listened to that record at least fifty times over the next few weeks to where I knew every lyric, every riff, and every drum fill by heart. Needless to say at the time STYX became my favorite band, and in many ways still is. The inside sleeve also had a picture of the band at the time and I made sure I could identify each of them by name and face. Why? Because….
Later that spring the band came to town and the tickets were only $5.00. Yes, five bucks!! I scrounged up enough money to buy a ticket - all the tickets were general admission as there were no chairs setup in the venue where they played - the old Terrace Ballroom on Main Street.
I went to the show with a few friends and when the band came onstage to the strains of “Put Me On” from their latest record (which I didn’t own yet) I was mesmerized. Of course It could also have been the contact high from all the marijuana smoke in the ballroom.
While the band played I kept looking for John Curulewski on stage and couldn’t find him. Instead there was this short blond guy in a white jumpsuit running and flying all over the stage. Tommy Shaw had been in the band for a while at that point and although a little bit disappointed not finding JC on that stage I was more than pleased with the replacement, and like I said earlier have been a lifelong fan ever since.
We’ve got quite a few gently used STYX vinyl - albums and 45’s in the store. Look around and see what you think.
https://artoflisteningrecords.com/search?q=styx