A band from Roseland, Chicago was christened Styx in 1972 when they signed to Wooden Nickel Records. With the exception of a few short breaks, the band has been active for almost 50 years. They’ve survived personnel changes, the death of a founding bandmate, musical trends, the arrival of the internet and social media and more than enough material for VH1’s Behind The Music (which did happen). In 2021, they shocked critics and even some fans when their new studio album Crash of the Crown hit #1. They are currently out on the Renegades and Juke Box Heroes Tour with newly announced Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Foreigner and special guest John Waite. We had a chance to sit down with vocalist/keyboardist Lawrence Gowan before their show in Bend, OR on 6/30 about the tour and so much more.
Hey Lawrence, how’s it going man?
Lawrence Gowan/Styx: Pretty sweet!
I know there’s a lot of work involved, but a tour like this is kind of like a rock and roll summer camp for you guys.
Yeah, that’s a good way of putting it. It’s a rock and roll summer camp for kids of all ages. The atmosphere backstage is very conducive to what you’re saying. We get to know the other bands and the other crews. We get to interact in a far more friendly way than if it was a one off show or you are paired together with another band for one or two nights. When that happens, you don’t get enough time to build a repport or get any inside jokes rolling (laughs). It’s great that you put it that way because I think that’s what the audience picks up on when they watch the show. I think that they can pick up on that this is just one big gigantic colossal of a tour with about 14 buses and nine trucks or something like that. It’s a big unapologetic honking rock tour is what it is!
It’s a mainly outdoor tour of these big amphitheaters, so you have the constant question of how Mother Nature will be each night. Just the other night in Concord, CA you had to postpone the show before it even started because of a power outage and I don’t think that was even a Mother Nature issue.
In all of my 26 years of doing this, that has never happened. Funny enough in the same area of California, we had a couple of nights where the power went out but that was at an indoor venue. We went on anyway and played acoustically but it was at a 2500 seat venue. Funny enough, it was the same venue where it happened twice and it wasn’t the venue’s fault. The entire block’s power went out. Last night was much worse than that one. I’m not even sure what the circumference was of the entire area affected. They told me that a sub-transformer went out and I asked them what the hell is a sub-transformer (laughs)?
Has Mother Nature posed any problems so far?
I have a table in front of me that I am knocking on right now, but fortunately we haven’t. We’ve only had one show where we thought there might be but fortunately it cleared off right in time for it to start. The shows have been selling out and the hills in the back have been jammed full but they’re smart enough now that they bring plastic bags just in case the rain starts. You know something? It’s been my observation over the years that when there has been bad weather, we dig in and play as much as we can for all that have stayed. Those are the shows that they harken back to. They’ve gone through this ordeal with the band and they see it as kind of a benchmark.
I can relate to it because I have stood in the pouring rain to hear a band perform and it was so much fun. It makes for some amazing memories. I wanted to talk to you a bit about the departure of bassist Ricky Phillips who was in the band about 21 years. When he left and your brother Terry (Gowan) joined, how did it change the dynamics of the band?
Ricky had toured with us for 20 years and about four months. That’s a long time for a guy to be with a band and to acclimate to each other’s personalities both backstage and onstage. After about 11 years with the band, I started playing solo shows in Canada and my brother Terry is in my band along with Todd (Sucherman) from 2010 to early 2020 obviously. He and Terry have played over 100 shows together so the thinking was almost instantaneous. The other guys in the band were like ‘Todd, you’ve already been the rhythm section with Terry and you say he’d be the perfect guy.’ Then Tommy said he knew my brother. Will (Evankovich) chimed in and said that he was friends with other guys who had worked with Terry in the past and had told him what he was capable of. JY had met him many times and he thought he’d be the perfect fit. The embrace came as much from the audience as it did us on his very first show. Since then, he has seamlessly fit in. I always add, in my completely unbiased opinion. The moment his name came up I told myself that I was going to become the quietest voice in the room. If I didn’t, it was just going to seem like I am trying to push my brother into this band. Funny enough, one of the loudest guys all for it was Chuck Panozzo. Chuck liked the idea after being in the band with his brother Johnny for a number of years. He thought it would be great to have brothers in the band again. They immediately bonded and they went over bass parts.
So, Chuck’s still playing a few songs each night on this tour?
Oh yeah, Chuck’s on most of the shows. He had to take a couple off this week because he doing an event for Pride.
That’s so great to hear that he’s still in the shows. The tour has been running for a couple of weeks now. Do any shows stand out for whatever reason?
I know this is going to sound cliché, but honest each night has been beyond our expectations. They’ve all been capacity crowds. They’ve been sold out shows or right at capacity. I have to say for Terry and myself, because we’re Canadians, we love the chance to get to play the hockey arenas. So getting the chance to play any NHL arena like we doing Denver at Ball Arena or in Anaheim at the Honda Center, those two are big ones. I will say ones that we’d played in the past exceeded how great they were in the past like Pine Knob in Detroit and Budweiser Stage in Toronto that I’ve played 13 times as a solo artist and now five times with Styx. You know what? Since 2020, audiences just seem to be much more not just live engaged but a much more emotional engaged to their involvement in the concerts. It’s quite palpable and difficult to articulate but it’s there and this year maybe more than ever. Maybe it’s because of the numbers that are coming out, which is kind of staggering but also just how wide ranged the audience’s ages have been. It goes from teenagers all the way up to people who have been with the band from the very beginning.
That has to be mind-blowing to look out and see multiple generations singing your songs back to you.
It really is! We also have John Waite with us, who we’ve toured with in the past but not quite this extensively. So getting to hear him sing every night is a great inspiration of course. Generally, things couldn’t be better. I also have to say, having a tour with Styx and Foreigner you have big rock shows with big rock effects. We bring, well I don’t want to give it all away, but you have a cleanse of the pallet when one band finishes and the other comes on.
Fans have come to expect a big show from both of you. They have high expectations of both of you.
No kidding man; that’s for sure!
You mentioned Canada and I wanted to say congrats on the first week debut of the Renegades and Juke Box Heroes release that you have for this tour.
No kidding man!
#4 on the Canadian Album Charts!
And that’s with only one Canadian date (laughs). The guys that are in charge of merch come backstage and fill us in and it’s been a record year already. They say that the vinyl album disappears the minute that they put it out.
You’re touring with Foreigner who is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. If you don’t want to comment on this, then I will respect that, but you guys have stats that are above and beyond. 10 Top 40 songs, eight Top 10 songs and one #1 song. The only band to have four triple albums in a row plus over 20 million albums sold. Maybe this will open the door for you to finally get in next year.
Johnny, this is an annual question that comes up and I always let people know that this conversation amongst the band lasts about 30 to 34 seconds. It’s difficult after coming off stage from playing to thousands and thousands of fans with smiles on their faces to care about any committee’s approval about what’s going on. Another thing, we love when other people get into the Hall of Fame; we love that. It’s always great when one of them is opening a show for Styx. Every single one of them always go ‘I can’t believe that you guys aren’t in.’ If you’re a band that’s been around for 50 years and you’re still drawing the kinds of numbers that we are and putting out albums that make it into Billboard’s charts and your most recent entered at #1 on the Rock Albums Chart, you would think that any committee would go ‘Regardless of my own personal feelings this is a band that has cleared the bar many times.’ If they say that it only goes to the guys who recorded the albums in the 70s, I understand that completely. That makes perfect sense, I suppose. I’d like to see it happen for Kelly Hansen this year as well because where they are is the culmination of all of those guys.
I shake my head every year at the nominations. I have mixed thoughts on the HOF. I know it means a lot to some fans and it doesn’t mean anything at all to a lot of fans.
Yeah, that’s right.
Peter Frampton is another one who is finally going in this year. I mean, they even had him playing at last year’s induction ceremony.
Yeah, how crazy is that? Frampton Comes Alivealone is a historic record. In 1976, you couldn’t get away from that record no matter how hard you tried (laughs). I saw him playing with David Bowie one time around 1990 and he kind of stole the show. That’s a great example but it’s great that he’s finally getting in.
I’m going to end it with this question and since you mentioned the last studio album, are you guys ever going to slow down long from touring long enough to record its follow-up?
Whether or not we can get off the road long enough, we will be recording a follow-up because we do have all of the music ready. Actually we will start carving away at the music that we have available very soon. Universal asked for another record and we will gladly give it to them.
Lawrence, I know you have to go sir, but I wanted to tell you that appreciate your time. It’s always so much fun and so great talk with you again.
You too Johnny!
I’m going to have to wait until August 21st for the date here in Raleigh, North Carolina, but it will be well worth the wait.
Oh yeah, it’s going to be so much fun. It’s always so great to play there in Raleigh and we can’t wait to get back there.
I’m Music Magazine Owner/Editor Johnny Price
DATE CITY VENUE CLOSER
Tue 6/11 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena Styx
Wed 6/12 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Foreigner
Fri 6/14 Toronto, ONT. Budweiser Stage Styx
Sat 6/15 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre Foreigner
Tue 6/18 Maryland Heights, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – STL Styx
Wed 6/19 Rogers, AR Walmart AMP Foreigner
Fri 6/21 Dallas, TX Dos Equis Pavilion Foreigner
Sat 6/22 Woodlands, TX The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Styx
Tue 6/25 Denver, CO Ball Arena Foreigner
Wed 6/26 West Valley City, UT USANA Amphitheatre Styx
Fri 6/28 Anaheim, CA Honda Center Foreigner
Sat 6/29 Concord, CA Toyota Pavilion at Concord Styx
Sun 6/30 Bend, OR Hayden Homes Amphitheater Foreigner
Fri 7/12 Nashville, TN Ascend Amphitheater Styx
Sat 7/13 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion Foreigner
Mon 7/15 Charleston, SC Credit One Stadium Foreigner
Wed 7/17 Alpharetta, GA Ameris Bank Amphitheatre Styx
Fri 7/19 West Palm Beach, FL iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre Foreigner
Sat 7/20 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre Styx
Tue 7/23 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center Foreigner
Wed 7/24 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live Styx
Fri 7/26 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center Styx
Sun 7/28 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion Foreigner
Tue 7/30 Saratoga Springs, NY Broadview Stage at SPAC Foreigner
Wed 7/31 Burgettstown, PA The Pavilion at Star Lake Styx
Fri 8/2 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center Styx
Sat 8/3 Bangor, ME Maine Savings Amphitheater Foreigner
Sun 8/4 Gilford, NH BankNH Pavilion Styx
Fri 8/16 Orange Beach, AL The Wharf Amphitheater Foreigner
Sat 8/17 Huntsville, AL Orion Amphitheater Styx
Tue 8/20 Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amp at VB Foreigner
Wed 8/21 Raleigh, NC Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek Styx
Fri 8/23 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center Foreigner
Sat 8/24 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Styx
Mon 8/26 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center Omaha Foreigner
Wed 8/28 Sioux Falls, SD Denny Sanford PREMIER Center Styx
