Styx will play five nights at the Venetian Theatre in the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas as part of their ongoing preparations for their 2025 tour. For the first time ever, they will be performing The Grand Illusion in its entirety, which came out in 1977.
This Friday, September 20, at 10 AM PT, tickets for these recently announced shows will go on sale. The starting price is $45 plus fees. These can be purchased in person at the box offices of the Venetian Resort, over the phone at (702) 414-9000 or (866) 641-7469, or online at Ticketmaster.com and VenetianLasVegas.com. View the full schedule of events below.
On Wednesday, September 18, the Styx fan club members’ pre-sale starts at 10 AM PT. On Thursday, September 19, the pre-sale for Live Nation, Ticketmaster, and Venetian Rewards members will start at 10 AM PT. Later that evening on Thursday, September 19, at 10 PM PT, these different pre-sales come to an end.
For many years, Styx has been a mainstay in Las Vegas; ten years ago, they even shared dates with the legendary Don Felder of the Eagles. Through November, Styx will continue to perform at the Venetian Resort. In December, they have two solo shows scheduled, both in Oklahoma. Then, in January of 2025, the tour informally kicks off with three shows in Florida before moving on to Nevada.
How ‘Grand Illusion’ Created a New Stylistic Parameter
After peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard album chart, the triple-platinum Grand Illusion album continues to be the best-selling record in Styx’s history. The Top 40 was also achieved by the singles “Come Sail Away” (No. 8) and “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” (No. 29). Styx proceeded to release three consecutive multi-platinum albums.
Tommy Shaw has dubbed this period, which also saw the release of Pieces of Eight, Styx’s follow-up album, in 1978, “the prime season of innocence.” Shaw had joined the group the previous year and contributed significantly to the transitional Crystal Ball in 1976, but it wasn’t until The Grand Illusion that he fully became part of the group’s overall dynamic.
James “J.Y.” Young told UCR, “The beauty of the creative team back then is that we were different.” Instead of everyone performing the same role, everything that was creatively produced was held to extremely high standards because we were all unique individuals. We created a piece that had several layers in terms of arrangement and melody, and what’s even more amazing is how well it seems to have held up over time.”
During the Grand Illusion / Pieces of Eight Tour in 2012, Styx touched on this groundbreaking release, however the set lists combined material from both albums.
The 2025 tour dates for Styx have been revealed. All shows start at 8:30 p.m.
01/24 – Venetian Theatre in the Venetian Resort ,Las Vegas
01/25 – Venetian Theatre in the Venetian Resort , Las Vegas
01/29 – Venetian Theatre in the Venetian Resort , Las Vegas
01/31 – Venetian Theatre in the Venetian Resort , Las Vegas
02/01 – Venetian Theatre in the Venetian Resort , Las Vegas
