John Waite, Foreigner and Styx rock Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater

Ascend Amphitheater Friday night was lit up with lasers, smoke, fire balls electric guitars and even one keytar as John Waite, Foreigner and Styx took over the warm summer night in Nashville with nearly four hours of hits.

Waite kicked off the night with a solid crowd as the first of three bands to play at 7 p.m. At 72, the singer rolled through hits from his bands Bad English and The Babys as well as solo hits and even a choice cover-tune mashup.

Waite sang "Change," "When I See You Smile," "Every Time I Think of You," "Missing You" and "Back On My Feet Again," before wrapping up with a mashup of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and Stevie Ray Vaughn's "Let Me Love You Baby."

At the end of his set, Waite said, "Let's hear it for the band!" After the cheers died down, he yelled out, "Let's hear it for me!"

Foreigner still brings it 47 years after first album

Taking the stage next was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Foreigner. Although the current touring lineup doesn't contain any original members of the band, several members, including frontman Kelly Hansen and bassist Jeff Pilson have been with the band for close to 20 years. Collectively, the group, formed by Mick Jones in 1976, has sold more than 80 million albums.

Friday night, the lineup reminded us why.

The band took the stage and kicked off their blistering set with hits like "Double Vision," "Head Games," "Cold As Ice," and "Waiting for a Girl Like You." It was evident the crowd knew — and was happy to sing — every word.

Hansen reminded the crowd that the band's self-titled album came out 47 years ago in 1977.

After rolling through "Dirty White Boy," "Feels Like The First Time," and "Urgent," a drum solo entertained the crowd while Hansen snuck back to a towering riser in the middle of the venue elevating him high above the crowd as he sang, "Juke Box Hero."

The band left the stage briefly before an encore that included a local chorus who joined the band on stage for "I Wanna Know What Love Is."

Hanson told the crowd: "The reason we have these youth choirs on stage with us on tour is to remind everyone about the lack of funding for school music programs."

The band closed their set with "Hot Blooded" and put to rest any reservations fans might have had about this group of musicians being able to do the band and its legacy justice.

Styx comes out hot, finishes strong

Unlike Foreigner, Styx still tours with several original members along with guitarist Tommy Shaw, who wasn't in the band's original lineup but joined the group in 1975 shortly after it was formed.

The group took the stage at 9:35 p.m. and immediately lit up the stage with Shaw's guitar work and trademark high backing vocals on the song "Grand Illusion." Lasers connected the band to the crowd as it played hits spanning four decades.

After "Too Much Time on My Hands," the band let current singer and keyboard player, Lawrence Gowan do what he does best — sing in the exact same key as original vocalist Dennis DeYoung, whose vocals became a trademark for the band's sound. Gowan took the spotlight for "Lady," toning down his theatrical spinning keyboard and sparkly jacket for a slow song moment.

Styx also played "Crash of the Crown," the title track from the band's most recent album released in 2021.

But it was the back half of the show fans were waiting on and they got their chance to sing along with "Best of Times," "Fooling Yourself," and rock's most climactic song, "Come Sail Away."

While the band took a brief encore, fans didn't doubt for one minute what was about to happen next and the band's return to the stage didn't disappoint. It was "Mr. Roboto," and finally, "Renegade."

All in all, all four acts have members in their '70s, but Friday's show was a clear message that age is just a number.

The Setlist — Foreigner

• "Double Vision"

• "Head Games"

• "Cold As Ice"

• "Waiting for a Girl Like You"

• "Dirty White Boy"

• "Feels Like the First Time"

• "Urgent"

• "Jukebox Hero"

• "I Wanna Know What Love Is"

• "Hot Blooded"

The Setlist - Styx

• "Grand Illusion"

• "Too Much Time"

• "Lady"

• "Lorelei"

• "Crash Of The Crown"

• "Miss America"

• "Rockin’ The Paradise"

• "Blue Collar Man"

• "Best Of Times"

• "Fooling Yourself"

• "Come Sail Away"

• "Mr. Roboto"

• "Renegade"

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at [email protected], on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: John Waite, Foreigner and Styx bring nearly 50 years of music to Nashville's Ascend Amphitheater