REO SPEEDWAGON LIVE!! | WALNUT CREEK

Close your eyes. Now, think of the music of the 70's & 80's. I would imagine that Loverboy, Styx, and REO Speedwagon would come across some of your minds! Now, open your eyes...if you even closed them to begin with! It's August 10th, 2022, you're at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Walnut Creek, NC. The weather is a little sketchy, but you're at the gate waiting for the doors to open so you can see who...yes, Loverboy, Styx, and REO Speedwagon!!

There were a lot of people braving the rain storm that did delay the opening of the gates at Walnut Creek, but there wasn't too long of a wait. People were still having a good time. Singing some songs, talking about the last time they saw either band live (some before I was born!), or their favorite song or album by each artist. After hearing some songs played from vehicles or phones, I was actually shocked that I knew a few. LoL.

Loverboy was first to take the stage. Unfortunately, their set was cut short due to the storms passing through and the lighting around the venue. They still sounded good. We did get to hear about 5 songs from them. Then, we had to wait for the storms to pass.

After Loverboy, Styx took the stage! And boy, were they worth the wait! They kicked off their set with "The Fight For Our Lives", then played 13 more songs, including "The Grand Illusion", "Crash of the Crown", "Come Sail Away", and an awesome encore of " Mr. Roboto" and "Renegade". Styx hasn't missed a beat. They sounded great and moved around all over the stage. The crowd was amazing too. Singing along to every single song! The venue was packed out and you could definitely tell everyone was a fan and knew every word to the songs. Styx was going to be a hard act to follow, in my opinion!

And then, the lights go out, the final act of the night...REO Speedwagon takes the stage! Now, I thought the cheers were really loud for Styx, but, I was a little off by my term really loud. Because, when REO took the stage, it was deafening. And they came to Walnut Creek to have a good time! From the opening song "Don't Let Him Go", they played hit after hit! Of course we got to hear songs like "Keep Pushin", "Can't Fight This Feeling", and "Back on the Road Again''. They came out for an encore as well and played "Keep on Loving You" and " Roll With the Changes".

It was an awesome night to turn the clocks back, even to a time where I wasn't born and hear the 3 bands rock the stage! Even though we had to wait for some rain to end. You can't ruin a concert that way! These guys brought it and they did not disappoint! Catch them when they come close to a town near you! You will not be disappointed! Hope to see you at the next show!!!

Contributing Editor and Photographer James Benson