REO Speedwagon   

Performing at: Star of the Desert Arena

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Love them or hate them, REO Speedwagon is almost single handedly responsible for the power ballad, that syrupy yet irresistible love song that slowly builds to a crashing, dramatic finale and replays itself in your mind like a broken record. The Illinois-based band started in the early '70s but hit their pop peak in the '80s with such schmaltzy hits as 'Can't Fight This Feeling' and 'Keep On Loving You.' Like so many 1980s powerhouses, the band has suffered its share of personnel changes since, but has found new life since the late 1990s by touring endlessly, often teaming up with fellow faded hit machines like Styx and Journey. For a generation of late baby boomers, Speedwagon's hits bring back fond memories, and the three remaining longtime band members are happy to rekindle those memories with heartfelt stage shows. If you don't want to admit going to the show yourself, you can always say you "heard it from a friend, who heard it from a friend..." -- Christopher Cappiello