Styx hearkens to the late-’70s at Pearl Concert Theater

In the late 1970s, Styx enjoyed the dual honors of a Las Vegas Strip headlining concert and a tribute from Connie Francis.

“We played at the old Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts, and I’ll tell you how long ago it was, it was during when ‘Fooling Yourself’ was our single,” said Styx front man Tommy Shaw, performing Sunday night with Styx at Pearl Concert Theater.“Someone on the stay crew told us, ‘Connie Francis was just here and she played ‘Fooling Yourself’ in this theater.”

“I went, ‘What!’ I guess she also sang it on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Johnny Carson. That was the story, anyway, but that was how we arrived in Vegas.”

Francis was the famous Vegas headliner who had several hits in the 1950s and ’60s. No recorded data of her covering Styx, but we’ll go with it. The band performed its latest album, “The Mission,” in its entirety at the Palms last night.

Most recently, Styx performed with ex-Eagles guitarist and vocalist Don Felder last year at Venetian Theater in “Renegades In the Fast Lane.” Shaw says he had a great time in that format and the and hasn’t ruled out a return to that production, saying, “We had such a great time doing it — I actually had a chance to play banjo, which is rare for me.”

But this show is all Styx.

A band known for producing great album rock in the days when vinyl ruled actually recorded “The Mission” as if it were a vinyl release.

“It’s 43 minutes long, album length, and we’re calling it the lost album of 1979,” says Shaw, still in fine voice and a virtuoso on guitar. “In fact, we used a pressing plant in Nashville called Welcome to 1979.”

“The Mission” is the first act, the first studio album from Styx since 2005’s “Big Band Theory.” The band’s greatest hits are revived in the second act, with “Grand Illusion,” “Renegade,” “Lady,” “Come Sail Away” and, naturally, “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” in recent set lists.

Shaw says longtime Styx fans have warmed to the album.

“Those who go to a Styx show and haven’t familiarized themselves should listen to it,” he said. “For us, it’s fantastic.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter,@JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.