This is soundcheck
Then after a couple more minutes, they came back.
I was standing there watching, and I couldn't quite believe it, but yes, that's Lawrence, hard to see all in black, walking over to the keyboard and checking something. And that was Todd in bluejeans and a jacket who just went behind the drums. And there's Glen, with the purple and teal hair I saw three weeks ago re-colored (or uncolored) down to what looked like a pale brown, in jeans and a white shirt, and wearing his bass. This was when my small non-functioning brain finally lurched into gear and said, hey - this is sound check! Next Tommy walked on stage wearing a very bright yellow shirt and carrying a white guitar, and then JY returned, in black with his brown leather jacket, and his red Stratocaster.
The next thing you know, they were playing "We Are The Champions." Good thing I had just seen a note on Styxworld that very day saying they'd be singing that song at the Super Bowl, or I would have been a little confused at the choice of songs! By the time the first few lines had been sung, I was no longer the only one standing back by the ropes. The people who had been hanging out waiting to win tickets had come back to watch what was, for most of them, all they'd get to see of the show. And it was absolutely a mini-show. The band started right from the beginning medley. At first it was like a rehearsal, but with an audience of any size, these guys can't seem to help performing, and before very long they were doing exactly that; spinning keyboards, raised arms, stomping feet and all. Everyone watching cheered and applauded, and the venue staff just watched us and seemed to be okay with us pretending we were at the actual show. I even got my camera out and tried a few pictures. They came out as badly as I thought they would, but as souvenirs they're pretty cool. As they started testing the lights, I got a few pictures where you can actually even recognize the band! Well, most of them. Do you see Todd? No? Me either. And this is about as much as I'd see of him during the show, too. Bad Todd-watching spot.
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They played "Grand Illusion," "Lorelei," "Suite Madame Blue"... and they kept playing, but at 5:00 there was an announcement under the music that Billy Bob's would be closing until 6:00 so they could do... I don't know. Something. Was I listening? But they very nicely made us leave as the band kept playing. Well, I tried to leave, anyway, but I kept getting lost. I guess it was that trying to find the door while staring at the stage thing that was giving me trouble. The nice staff people were kind enough to point me toward the exit three times before I finally found it.
Once I was outside, I did the logical thing and found a place where I could sit and listen to the rest of sound check. They didn't play any of the new Cyclorama songs, which was a little surprising to me, since they had played "Fields Of The Brave" at the last couple of shows. But it was fun listening to "Fooling Yourself," "Crystal Ball," and the others they played. At one point, someone from the venue came out of one of the doors and walked past me to go get something to eat. As he walked back with his dinner a few minutes later, he asked if I was okay. I guess he wasn't sure why I was just sitting there! I told him I was fine, just listening. He said, "Yeah, it's loud enough, isn't it?" I told the truth - I said, "No!" He just laughed and went back in.