Hardly strangers in the midwest, particularly after a string of hit albums like Grand Illusion, Equinox and Crystal Ball, Styx made a summer appearance in Indianapolis at the State Fairgrounds Grandstand. If I remember correctly, this show was well after the release of Grand Illusion, but very shortly before Pieces of Eight. It may have been some kind of warm-up date for the Po8 tour. They performed a few new songs from the new album, including Renegade and Blue Collar Man.

Otherwise the set was heavy on material from Grand Illusion and several other scattered hits. The Grandstand at the Fairgrounds is not the best venue to enjoy a concert, after all it was designed for horse racing. The stage was positioned in the infield directly across from the Grandstand, so those in the bleachers are a fair distance from the stage with a big chasm in between the Grandstand and the stage. In addition, the Grandstand is substantially wider than the stage area, so the more it fills up at the extreme ends, the more the view is askew for those fans. Our seats weren't all that bad, but could have been better if we had a little arrived earlier for the general admission show.

STYX SETLIST:
The Grand Illusion
Lorelei
Blue Collar Man
I'm OK
Fooling Yourself
Crystal Ball
Lady
Man In The Wilderness
Come Sail Away
Midnight Ride
Miss America

Bob Welch was the opening act, having served as guitarist for a time in Fleetwood Mac. During that era, Welch is probably most recognized for his contribution to the song, Hypnotized. Welch's solo album, His debut LP, French Kiss was also selling well, with a couple of strong singles charting nicely, Ebony Eyes and Sentimental Lady, which also featured talents of other Fleetwood Mac members.

BOB WELCH SETLIST:
Mystery Train
Hot Love Cold World
Hypnotized (Fleetwood Mac)
Big Towne 2061 (Paris)
Sentimental Lady (Fleetwood Mac)
Outskirts
Dance of The Shebm
Ebony Eyes

Having seen only two concerts consisting of a total of four bands up until this date (KISS, AC/DC, STYX and BOB WELCH) a certain bar had been set in terms of quality of performance. It was the 70s, so colored lights, decent sound, energy level of the performer, etc were all expected. I had nothing but high expectations for Aerosmith. I loved their studio albums and the show was the night before my 15th birthday. Little did I know then that they had some high expectations of their own and performed what I would still call to this day one of the worst shows I've ever attended. The band was sloppy and inaudible at best. I couldn't have been more disappointed and couldn't begin to recite a setlist, since it wasn't really ever clear what songs were being played. To add some color, I would also categorize this concert as having had one of the all-time roughest audiences. In Indianapolis, concert security was provided by Bears Force and they were as tough as any crowd. Just before the Indianapolis show, Steven Tyler encouraged fans to smoke pot or whatever and committed to pay their bail. That created mayhem for Ft Wayne and probably raised the expectation in Indianapolis that he would do the same. It is by now no secret this was a pretty rough period for the band too. Drugs and egos were taking toll on the band. Their next album and tour would see the band reach a critical tipping point and inevitable break-up, right back here in Indianapolis actually.

Exile was not all that memorable. They were riding the success of their only FM single at that time, Kiss You All Over. They started off as a sort of soft rock act, hence the support slot for Aerosmith, but soon after turned to the country genre, where they were more successful. Not great here, however their set here in Indianapolis was still superior to the headliner.