Styx
Where: Humphreys Concerts By The Bay in San Diego, CA on Nov. 7; Tucson Convention Center in Tucson, AZ on Nov. 8; Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley, AZ on Saturday, Nov. 9; the band will also perform a string of shows at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Jan. 24 - Feb. 1, 2025
Learn more: styxworld.com.
Styx is currently on tour, with upcoming dates set for California,
Arizona and Nevada. Photo credit: Jason Powell
Styx is one of the great classic rock bands that continues to inspire audiences with powerful live performances and via compelling new studio albums — notably 2017's The Mission and 2021's Crash of the Crown.
Styx singer-keyboardist Lawrence Gowan recently chatted with me about the band's continuing success and connection with their dedicated audience.
"It's very evident and authentic when you see how much we love what we do," said Gowan, noting rock music is the "greatest form of entertainment I've come across."
"It's a thing that bonds us as people. As you get older you get to appreciate what a fantastic experience it is. Now it comes down to enjoying the moment. Look, it's a band of extroverts; we have no qualms about expressing how good we feel."
Styx has several upcoming concert dates in Arizona and Southern California over the next week, and the band has also announced a string of special performances featuring the 1977 masterwork The Grand Illusion in its entirety at the Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Jan. 24 - Feb. 1, 2025. All of these live events will showcase the top-tier talents of Glasgow, Scotland native Gowan as well as James "JY Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Will Evankovich (mandolin, guitars), and Terry Gowan (bass, guitar vocals).
There is a tremendous amount of work that goes into each concert. Indeed, Gowan explained that there are two hours of warm-ups by the band before they take the stage, including the hour leading up to taking the stage when the members do vocal warm-ups to "get voices chiming together." Indeed, sumptuous harmonies are a major part of the Styx sound.
"We step on stage — there is our actual age and our stage age. The minute we step out there, we're living our 15-year-old dreams. We enjoy it that much. I feel 20 years old when I am on stage. It's such an inspiring place to be on stage.
Gowan noted that part of what makes Styx so special is how the band's music is a rich hybrid of rock, classical and pop — "a broad palette" that has a singular sound of its own.
During our interview I noted how impressed I was with the band's two most recent albums; indeed The Mission was one of the best album releases of 2017 and Crash of the Crown landed as one of my favorite new discs of 2021.
"We are so proud of those records," Gowan explained. "We made these records to intentionally connect with the classic rock era."
Indeed, the studio albums were recorded on tape with 24-track machines, and with the members of Styx performing in the studio together.
"People of all ages have embraced the sound of classic rock; the only way to achieve that is with the old clunky analog machines."
Gowan noted that at every concert about a half of the attendees are under the ago of 40, and of those, 75 percent are under the age of 30.
"The music has crossed generations and they have embraced it."
Fans of Styx have hopes that the band's run that began at the dawn of the 1970s continues far into the future.
"Honestly, anything beyond the age of 35, you have to really thank the universe for dropping this in our lap," Gowan said. "Last week I saw Jeff Lynne; he was so good, why wouldn't (you not continue to perform) at that level?"
Robert Kinsler
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