View full sizeStyx will take the stage at the TD Bank Arts Centre in Washington Township.
Lawrence Gowan was busy with his solo career — he had six studio albums under his belt — when he went to a Styx concert in the late ’90s.
“It’s funny, when I heard Styx perform back in ’97 I said, ‘I think I could have a great time playing with this band,’” said Gowan, singer and keyboardist for Styx. “When you put something like that out there, the spirits pick up on it and wind up delivering it to your doorstep.”
Gowan's never regretted giving up his solo career — he had a very successful career going in his native Canada — to join the rock band Styx.
And why would he regret it?
“The moment we got together, I knew it was a good decision,” Gowan said.
Styx — at the TD Bank Arts Centre in Washington Township, Thursday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m. — had a string of huge hits in the 1970s, and today, the progressive rock band is playing out all over the country and in Europe.
“I’v always loved progressive rock from the ’70s,” he said. “They were one of the only successful progressive rock bands outside of the U.K. at the time. And their vocal harmonies were a huge departure from what you heard from progressive rock bands.”
Hits such as “Come Sail Away,” “Lady,” “Babe” and “Too Much Time on My Hands” are sure to be a part of their concert in Washington Township, Gowan said.
IF YOU GO:
Styx
Where: TD Bank Arts Centre,
519 Hurffville-Cross Keys Road, Washington Township
.
When: Thursday, Oct. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Range from
$29 to $59 and can be purchased at
.
And the crowds love it when the band plays “Renegade.”
“They’re ecstatic by the time we get to that song,” he said.
Styx got its start in a Chicago basem*nt in the early ’70s. Following in the same vein as bands such as Emerson, Lake and Palmer and The Moody Blues, Styx had its first huge hit with the song “Lady” in 1974 which got a lot of radio airplay in the Windy City. It didn’t take long for the song to reach national status, catapulting the band to huge success.
Today’s Styx is Tommy Shaw, James Young, Todd Sucherman, Ricky Phillips — an occasional visit from original bassist Chuck Panozzo — along with Gowan, who joined the band in 1999.
Go to a Styx concert and you’ll see a wide range of ages in the audience, Gowan said.
“I began to notice they were getting younger and younger,” Gowan said. “Maybe it’s just us getting older with each successive year, but I’ve noticed the over 30 and under 30 ratio is about 50-50 these days.”
Gowan believes a lot of those younger fans discovered Styx on YouTube.
“I realized the music industry is sliding all over the playing board and more and more people have utilized the Internet ... they investigate ... they obviously don’t have that ageism mentality like we had,” he said.
Styx released its double-disc CD “Regeneration, Volume I & II,” last October. The album featured 13 classic Styx songs as well as a new song, “Difference In The World.” Also, a live recording of the band’s Nov. 9, 2010 show at the historic Orpheum Theater in Memphis, Tenn. called “Styx: The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight Live” came out last January.
Both of these releases have given the band more songs “to toss into the show,” Gowan said.
But, Gowan’s favorite song — the one audiences cry out for — is “Come Sail Away.”
“I love doing ‘Come Sail Away’ ... it’s this big open space of music that has a great arc to it.”
And he loves it when the fans sing along to the classic tunes.
“It always surprises me how audience members know all the words to the songs,” Gowan said. “I love seeing the audience participate and sing back the chorus ... I guess it’s the benchmark of the success of a classic rock act. We invite that and celebrate it. And that’s a big part of the show for us.”
Contact Kristie Rearick at 856-845-3300 or krearick@southjerseymedia.com
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