Classic-rock package tours have provided the foundation for the last few summer-concert seasons. The same bands are out there annually, but the packages changes from one year to the next.

        It makes for weird bills, such as the Lynyrd Skynyrd-Deep Purple-Ted Nugent show at Riverbend last month. What do these acts have in common, other than “survivor” status?

        But that isn't as weird as the pairing of bombastic American art-rockers Styx and no-frills English hard-rockers Bad Company, together at Riverbend Tuesday.

        The stranger the better, it seems. An hour of Bad Company and Paul Rodgers' macho vocal stylings somehow whets the appetite for Styx and Dennis DeYoung's ringing whine. Never mind Mr. DeYoung isn't in the band anymore. No one with his eyes closed during “Come Sail Away” would have known replacement Lawrence Gowan was doing the sing-whining. It's as inspired a personnel selection as those Journey guys finding the Steve Perry sound-alike.

        Only 2 1/2 original members remain in Styx. The others are guitarists Tommy Shaw and James Young, both of whom shared vocal duties with Mr. Gowan. The half is bassist Chuck Panozzo, who appears occasionally at shows, including this one. He came out to play only a couple numbers, including “Fooling Yourself” and the encore “Renegade.”

        The band's 90-minute set was full of hits and songs known to any classic-rock follower, rounded off by a couple of more obscure songs from '70s albums and some '90s tunes that didn't measure up.

        Styx's recreation of the past was a group effort. Mr. Rodgers did it for Bad Company nearly single-handedly. It didn't matter who in the band was an original member (the drummer), as long as Mr. Rodgers was out front.

        In addition to such '70s Bad Co. hits as “Can't Get Enough,” “Feel Like Makin' Love,” “Shooting Star” and others, the band did “All Right Now,” an even older long-ago hit for Mr. Rodgers when he was with Free.

        Billy Squier, another survivor, opened. Some of his songs sounded good, such as “In the Dark,” “Rock Me Tonight,” and “Everybody Wants You.” But then there was a dull, quasi-reggae butchering of “The Stroke.” To hear Mr. Squier go soft, if only for one song, was just about more than the gathered classic-rock faithful could bear.

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