CHI Health Center located in the heart of Omaha, Nebraska is the venue of choice when iconic artists come to town. The twelve permanent concession stands, and 20 free-standing kiosks would all be in play to help feed and quench the thirst for the throngs of fans who showed up for this extravaganza which would feature three iconic classic rock acts.
Born in Lancashire England, John Waite took the stage first. We all are familiar with his work as a solo artist and his 1984 #1 hit “Missing You”, but let us not forget his superb work as the frontman for The Baby’s namely “Every Time I Think of You” and “Back On My Feet Again” as well as The 1989 #1 song “When I See You Smile” which was released by Bad English, yet another band John fronted.The setup for the evening’s festivities catered to an older crowd as chairs were placed on the arena floor. The lighting was abundant and well executed and the sound was marvelous. Tonight, John and his band would kick things off with “Midnight Rendezvous” another song pulled from The Babys catalog. He would end with Led Zeppelin‘s “Whole Lotta Love” which despite at age 72, he completely nailed. Over 50 years in the business and he sounded exceptional. It may have been only an 8-song set, but by the end, and thanks to John and his band, those chairs I mentioned earlier were not being utilized.
John Waite Band Members:
John Waite – Vocals
Brent Woods – Guitar
Alan Childs – Drummer
Tim Hogan – Bass
John Waite Set List:
1. Midnight Rendezvous (The Babys)
2. Change ( Spider Cover)
3. When I See You Smile (Bad English)
4. Every Time I Think Of You (The Babys)
5. Missing You
6. Head First (The Babys)
7. Back On My Feet Again (The Babys)
8. Whole Lotta Love/Let Me Love You Baby
For five decades Styx has been “Rocking the Paradise” as well as every other venue they’ve played in. Indoors or outdoors, Styx creates an atmosphere full of sound and visuals that leave you awestruck. Tonight’s co-headliner drew from what seems to be an endless supply of chart hits. Their sets are packed with dancing and thunderous singalongs, or should I say, shoutalongs.
On the stage, Lawrence Gowan on keys is as great at crowd interaction as anyone on the planet. He is an animated performer who never takes a break. Tommy Shaw on vocals appears to still have that deal with the devil he made as his voice sounds as young and powerful as it ever has. Drummer, Todd Sucherman has a unique style and an unceasing energy that the band feeds off of. All the other members are constantly moving around and taking up different positions on the stage. The overall theatrics of the band’s performance is hypnotic as you cannot take your eyes off them. From “The Grand Illusion” to “Renegade”, the show is a masterclass on how to map out a set that steadily builds to a finale that oddly, leaves you completely satisfied, but at the same time hungering for more. Fifty years on and they are still a remarkable outfit and actually it’s not a stretch to assert that currently, they may be at their prime.
Styx Band Members:
Terry Gowan – Bass
Lawrence Gowan – Vocals / Keyboards
Will Evankovich – Guitars
Todd Sucherman – Drums
Tommy Shaw – Vocals / Guitar
James “JY” Young – Vocals / Guitar
Styx Set List:
1. The Grand Illusion
2. Too Much Time On My Hands
3. Lady
4. Lorelei
5. Crash of the Crown
6. Miss America
7. Rockin’ the Paradise
8. Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)
9. The Best of Times
10. Fooling Yourself
11. Come Sail Away
Encore:
12. Mr. Roboto
13. Renegade
Foreigner is touring for the final time, and we were privileged that Omaha was one of the selected cities to see the band. There must be something in the water that keeps them coming back. They were here September of 2022, May of 2023, and now August of 2024. Nah, it’s not the water, it’s the fans. This town loves Foreigner. Why shouldn’t they? They put on a rock show that spews out hit after hit after hit.
Frontman Kelly Hansen is a joy to photograph. He plays not only to the crowd but to the photographers as well. Some of us got a face full of microphone, I personally got a face full of the microphone stand. During “Urgent” and thanks to Michael Bluestein, there was a rare sighting of a Keytar. The song was followed by a stunning drum solo by Chris Frazier. After the solo we could see Kelly above the soundboard on a raised mini platform, it’s at that point we hear the iconic words to the beginning of “Juke Box Hero” and “Standing in the rain, with his head hung low.”
When the platform lowered Kelly made his way through the crowd back to the stage where the band took over and gave us an incredible musical extended version of the song. It was an all-out jam session with everybody getting a turn. Absolutely and without question, it was the song of the night.
The band left the stage after “Juke Box Hero” but returned shortly for a 2-song encore. First, it was “I Wanna Know What Love Is” which featured the Skutt Catholic High School Choir. This was the 2nd time they shared the stage with the band, the first time was back in May of 2023 at Liberty First Credit Union Arena. After the song and as the choir filed off stage Kelly reminded us all how important funding is for music education and how they all got their start in such programs. The show closed with the song “Hot Blooded”, which included lasers, fireworks, and flames. This may have been the last time Omaha gets to see this band, but they can take solace knowing that on this night they saw a true classic rock show. But…. did they see Foreigner??
The informal definition of foreigner is “a person not belonging to a particular place or group; strange or unfamiliar”. I guess this “informally” means every member of the band Foreigner are foreigners. However, from “Double Vision” to “Hot Blooded” and everything in between nothing was strange or unfamiliar, and as far as I’m concerned, (Kelly, Bruce, Jeff, Chris, Michael and Luis) the guys who were on the stage and who closed the show on August 26th 2024 at the CHI Health Center was FOREIGNER!!
Foreigner Band Members:
Kelly Hansen – Lead Vocals
Bruce Watson – Guitar
Jeff Pilson – Bass
Chris Frazier – Drums
Michael Bluestein – Keys
Luis Maldonado – Guitar
Foreigner Set List:
1. Double Vision
2. Head Games
3. Cold As Ice
4. Waiting For A Girl Like You
5. Dirty White Boy
6. Feels Like The First Time
7. Urgent
8. Drum Solo
9. Juke Box Hero (extended)
Encore:
10. I Want To Know What Love Is
11. Hot Blooded
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Dean Birkheimer Photographer/Writer
Wasn’t good enough to be on stage as a performer, so the next best thing was to photograph the people who are. Shooting my R6’s is nearly as great as holding my Strat. Getting up close to an artist and feeding off the crowd is exhilarating. Concert photography allows me the opportunity to capture a once in a lifetime live moment and then share it socially.
