Not Just Nostalgia: Styx, Kevin Cronin and Don Felder Still Bring the Fire

In the week leading up to “The Brotherhood of Rock” tour stop at Riverbend on Aug. 19, I gave many folks pause at my rudimentary knowledge of The Eagles, REO Speedwagon and Styx. I’m not an expert, but nor am I your everyday 20-something who wears t-shirts without having listened to a single note of the 1970s bands on them. I grew up listening to 103.5 WGRR, and frankly, my taste never really changed.

So, given the opportunity to experience these groups – in partial or full lineups  – I wondered: how would the experience at Riverbend on a stormy Cincinnati evening compare to all those drives through the cornfield-spotted terrain of Harrison in the family car, radio on full blast?

Before I even entered Riverbend, the security guard enthusiastically told me about the wonderful soundcheck she caught wind of. Even before the show, the enthusiasm in the venue was palpable. By my empirical observations, I was one of the youngest folks there, although I did see a handful of kids and teenagers. 

The evening opened up with Don Felder, former lead guitarist of The Eagles. Felder counted off hit after Eagles hit, including “Already Gone,” “Take It Easy,” “Heartache Tonight” and “Life In the Fast Lane.” While Felder mainly focused on the most recognizable of The Eagles’ repertoire, he also played his new single, “Hollywood Victim.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, for his finale, Felder donned a double-neck guitar for “Hotel California,” with stock footage of scantily-clad women and imagery from the band’s most famous years playing in the background. Even more unsurprisingly, nearly all in attendance began to sing along.

The Kevin Cronin Band, with the namesake REO Speedwagon frontman at the helm, followed. Alongside Cronin were Dave Amato on lead guitar and vocals, Bryan Hitt on drums, Derek Hilland on keyboard and Matt Bissonette on bass. The group performed the entirety of REO Speedwagon’s 1980 studio album, Hi Fidelity. I naturally recognized “Keep On Loving You,” “Take It On the Run” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling.” While I wasn’t truthfully all that familiar with the rest of the album, I did enjoy observing the enthusiasm of folks around me jumping out of their seats and waving their arms, clearly recognizing some of their favorite hits. I was particularly impressed by Hilland’s virtuosity and energy on keyboard throughout the set, a zeal mirrored by the rest of the group.

Finally, Styx took the stage to perform the entirety of the 1977 Grand Illusion album. Although they doubtlessly brought a parallel enthusiasm on stage with them, Felder and the Kevin Cronin Band took on a much more straightforward, rock and roll palette and mood in terms of presentation. In stark contrast, from the get-go, Styx rendered the stage a technicolor candy store, with sequined jackets, cotton candy-colored fog machines and a video of neon paint splatters and chandeliers – a literal dessert to the evening’s lineup. I was personally here for it. 

The combined musicianship of James “JY” Young, Tommy Shaw, Chuck Panozzo, Todd Sucherman, Lawrence Gowan, Will Evankovich and Terry Gowan made for a grand finale with palpable zeal. Naturally, the crowd (and myself) went wild for “Come Sail Away.” Once again, however, I found myself unfamiliar with much of the lineup, although their performance of “Miss America” (which I never heard on 103.5) and simultaneous pop art-esque video behind them ended up being one of my favorites of the set. 

What followed was a medley of album-spanning hits, including “Too Much Time on My Hands” and “Lady.” It was during their performance of the former that I learned their set was being taped for a New Year’s special (all the pizzazz suddenly began making sense). To wrap things up, Styx unsurprisingly finished with the cult classics “Mr. Roboto” and “Renegade” – perhaps a little predictable, but certainly not unwelcome. 

The nearly four-hour experience had all the trappings of a Riverbend nostalgia trip – tall boys in nearly every hand, performers encouraging the audience to finish lyrics, quips about beanbag chairs and memories of the 1970s through hazy clouds of smoke.

“Here’s a song from 1975. That was a long time ago,” Felder said as the lead-in to “One of These Nights.”

Numerous songs featured photos, press clippings and archival footage from each respective group’s heyday, and Styx utilized contemporary video footage of a teen placing the needle on their copy of The Grand Illusion.

And yes, ultimately, “The Brotherhood of Rock” tour managed to evoke all levels of nostalgia, whether the music was something you recognized from your high school days or from evening drives in your not-so-distant formative years.  

But I really hate to lean into the whole nostalgia angle, because A) I find it an annoying generalization for shows of this nature, and B) I think there’s more than memory here. A show of this nature is so hard to review. No one in the audience comes to critique or analyze, nor do they attend exclusively for the walks down memory lane. We all know that groups like The Eagles, REO Speedwagon and Styx – although their current lineups may have evolved – are great. Their legend and ubiquity (and continued appearances on t-shirts by major retailers) remain proof. All of us there knew we were getting into something good.

So what do you do at a show where the musicians have nothing to prove? You just enjoy. And whether it was memory-driven, or just fueled by a love for iconic music, the enjoyment proved nearly universal that evening — myself most definitely included.

[PHOTOS] A Brotherhood of Rock: Styx and Kevin Cronin Light Up Riverbend

This article appears in Aug 20 – Sep 2, 2025.