Photo courtesy of Todd Gallopo and Styx
(left to right: James “JY” Young, Chuck Panozzo, Lawrence Gowan, Tommy Shaw, Todd Sucherman, Ricky Phillips)
Styx perform a sold-out show at the Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio on Friday, July 23. Night Ranger will open the show.
In early 2022, Styx will be celebrating their 50th anniversary, quite an accomplishment for a band with humble beginnings in Chicago. Singer/keyboardist Lawrence Gowan joined the band in 2000 after a successful solo career in his home country of Canada. Though Gowan tells me from a tour stop in Wisconsin that the Styx I grew up with in the ‘70s and ‘80s is not the band he was in when those songs were written and recorded, we both agree that it’s as much about the songs and their longevity as it is who performed them on the recordings. Gowan’s vocals are a great compliment to founding members Tommy Shaw and James “JY” Young and for the casual fan, those who grew up hearing Dennis DeYoung sing the classics would be hard pressed to notice the difference.
Gowan cites an interview he heard in the ‘80s with Yes’s Rick Wakeman who said that the London Symphony performed Beethoven’s music 200 years ago and the London Symphony is still performing Beethoven’s music. Nobody complained that it wasn’t Beethoven performing the music as the songs speak for themselves. Gowan says that, at the time, he thought that was a bit of a ridiculous statement for Wakeman to make but as he’s navigated his own career, both as a solo artist and as a member of Styx, he’s come to realize that Styx’s music will outlast all of the current lineup and he hopes that it’s still being performed live 50 years from now.
If you were paying attention, you may have noticed that Styx was one of the first bands to hit the road following the easing up of lockdown restrictions and have been playing sold-out shows as they make their way across the United States. On Friday, July 23, Styx will add another sold-out show to their itinerary with a stop at Fraze Pavilion in Kettering, Ohio. When asked if that’s a good feeling, especially when nobody knew whether or not music fans would feel confident returning to see bands perform live, Gowan says that he thinks people have been hungry to get back to normal and to see live music so he’s not surprised that shows have been selling out but is just as proud of the fact that Styx’s new album, Crash of the Crown, (produced by Will Evankovich, who is currently touring with the band, playing guitars and mandolin) topped the Billboard Rock Albums chart. It’s certainly a boost of confidence for a band with a lengthy history to come out of the gate with sold-out shows and an album that people are responding to.
While some bands change their sound as either they age or swap band members in and out, Crash of the Crown has all the earmarks of the classic Styx sound which borders on prog-rock with some interstellar melodies. Gowan tells me that everything he writes and contributes to Styx starts with a Steiner piano and a Hammond B3. For many Styx songs, those are the foundations from which additional music is layered and it’s why a new Styx song sounds so familiar and can fit easily into a concert set list without causing fans to make a run for the beer line.
With that being said, I ask Gowan if it is difficult to create a set list because Styx has so many memorable hits that are classic rock staples. He tells me that Styx fans – hardcore and casual alike – shouldn’t fret, you’re always going to hear the same half a dozen hits that have been engrained in your memory thanks to heavy radio rotation throughout the last 50 years. Whether it’s a full headlining set at a venue like Fraze Pavilion or an abbreviated festival appearance, fans will hear “Lady,” “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Come Sail Away,” “Mr. Roboto,” and “Renegade.” Filling out the rest of the list becomes the challenge, according to Gowan, as there is such a legacy of songs to choose from and it’s hard to whittle it down to 18 or 19 songs. But, Gowan is confident that fans won’t leave disappointed, they’ll hear the songs they know, the songs that they forgot that they knew, and even some new songs that Styx is extremely proud of.
With Night Ranger appearing on this date – they aren’t appearing on all dates but Gowan says the two bands have played together numerous times during his tenure in Styx – I ask if there was a chance that Tommy Shaw and Night Ranger’s Jack Blades might appear together on stage and do some Damn Yankees music (Shaw, Blades, Ted Nugent and Michael Cartellone made up the ‘90s supergroup responsible for tracks like “High Enough” and “Coming of Age”). Gowan won’t commit to the Damn Yankees semi-reunion but says the two have been known in the past, if the timing works out, to appear on stage together during Night Ranger’s set so while he wouldn’t count it out, he also wouldn’t put any money down on it happening.
Before wrapping up, I mention to Gowan that I enjoy following him on Instagram and wonder if he did that for fun or if it’s was part of the job. In all seriousness, Gowan says that his personal account is for fun – he’s a born performer, always has enjoyed making people happy – and nothing about what he does, whether it’s posting dancing videos on Instagram or performing nightly to 10,000 people, ever feels like a job. He’s thankful that he’s had so many great opportunities throughout his career (he shared a story about recording a solo album in Ringo Starr‘s home and having the opportunity to meet one of his heroes) even though his solo career was mainly confined to his home country of Canada. Due to label politics in the ’80s, there was more of an emphasis on breaking artists from the U.S. in Canada than there was the reverse so while Gowan toured U.S. arenas with the likes of Tears for Fears (he specifically remembers a gig at the Richfield Coliseum outside of Cleveland), his own headlining career probably could have been bigger with a bit more push. I tell him that I’ve known his name since the ’90s as I have a clipped ad from the Akron Agora from 1991 where I saw Extreme headline a show with a newer band called Alice in Chains opening. As the call comes to end, Gowan laughs and asks if I can send him a photo of the ad so he can show others that his name is in a bigger font than some of more well-known acts. And, of course, I oblige.
