Magic
Then "School's Out" started to play, and if I thought I had the shivers already, hearing that song multiplied them by a factor of ten thousand. I sat up on the edge of my seat and told Andy, "This is it - this is the last song before they come on."
I know I sound like this was the first time I had ever seen Styx (except for the fact that I know the road crew's names, can describe all the special effects in advance and could probably recite the set list pretty accurately from memory) but that's how it feels before every show. It's true that the anticipation of this show was a little more intense than most for me, because my nerves were so raw and tangled from dealing with my real life lately, and it's also true that the crowd was exceptionally charged up, which makes for a great show, but those things are only part of the equation.
People ask me, "Isn't it the same show every time?" It isn't, and I can never quite explain why. The songs and effects may not change, but while special effects are a plus and a solid set list is essential, those are the wooden pieces of the toy Pinocchio without the power that gives him life; they are the snowflakes that made up Frosty the Snowman without the magic hat; they are the pieces of iron awaiting the alchemy to turn them into gold. When these five men (sometimes six) take that stage as one and open the doors to Styxworld, there is a transformation... there is magic... that is STYX.
Ready for me to just get on with it now? I am! "School's Out" ended, the lights went down and I immediately abandoned my seat! There was no actual stage rushing, since the first five rows went all the way across the floor area with no aisles, and security was watching the ends of the rows pretty closely. I was on the inner aisle of the 8th row, so I went up as close as I was going to get - jammed up against the back of the seats of the 5th row. The aisle quickly filled up behind me, just like it had during REO's set. Well, I noticed later that it had filled up; at the moment, I saw nothing but the stage.
The letters rose up... S T Y X (see, I remembered)... the lights went back down... five figures took their places in the darkness, and then with a flash of light... magic.