Hit songs coming to Stark County Fair: Styx singer says 'Lady' and 'Babe' are 'timeless'

The electricity and thrill of playing for thousands of Styx fans never gets old, singer Lawrence Gowan says.

After playing a few notes of a classic hit like "Lady," the crowd erupts in jubilation before joining in for a giant singalong.

"That is the moment of elation that really keeps you addicted, of wanting to do this day after day," said Gowan, who joined legendary rock band Styx as vocalist and keyboard player in 1999, replacing original singer Dennis DeYoung. "There's an incredible exchange that happens with the audience in just a few seconds.

"It almost makes you feel as if you're lifting off the ground," he said. "Gravity no longer has a hold on you."

Gowan expects this scene to play out when Styx headlines the Stark County Fair at 8 p.m. Thursday. Tickets were still available as of Tuesday morning at https://starkcountyfair.com for $35, $45 and $55.

Joining Gowan in the band are Tommy Shaw, guitar and vocals; James Young, guitar and vocals; Chuck Panozzo, bass; Todd Sucherman, drums and percussion; and Ricky Phillips, bass.

Gowan and Styx will choose from a plethora of hits spanning the decades of the '70s, '80s and '90s, including "The Grand Illusion," "Renegade," "Lady," "Come Sail Away," "Fooling Yourself," "Babe," "Blue Collar Man," "Mr. Roboto" and "Show Me the Way."

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Adrenaline and endorphins rush through his body when the band performs those classic rock standards, Gowan said.

"And it can never get old," he said. "It's a timeless moment."

During a recent telephone interview, the 66-year-old Gowan spoke with an eagerness and enthusiasm belying his decades in the music business, dating to his successful solo career in Canada.

Lawrence Gowan: 'Over the top, pompous rock show'

Gowan said Styx attracts casual fans, those who have never seen the band, and the "super faithful" who will travel great distances for concerts.

"Sometimes they'll come from Sweden, Germany, Japan or wherever just to see another Styx show," he said with a sense of both admiration and astonishment in his voice.

Concerts are in the tradition of '70s arena rock, Gowan said.

"It's an unapologetic, over the top pompous rock show," he said with laughter. "It is what it is."

"As far as the performance goes," Gowan continued, "I guess ... given the vintage of the band, it's a surprising energetic show that's very, very engaging as far as audience participation ... and all that interplay that takes place."

Joining Styx 'wasn't an instant yes.'

Gowan wasn't desperate for a job in the music business when he was offered the Styx gig in 1999.

In 1997, he accepted an invitation to open for Styx at the new Montreal Forum.

"I hadn't opened for someone in Canada since Supertramp in 1984," Gowan recalled.

Sharing the bill ultimately led to the vocalist being offered the job following DeYoung's departure.

"I would say I was flattered right off the bat," Gowan said. "I would say I was honored they would think of me. They had opened the new Montreal Forum ... (and) I had headlined the old Montreal Forum.

"When they called, I was honored, but it wasn't an instant yes," he continued. "I had to go back and listen to 'Grand Illusion' and make sure I could hit the notes. Two days later, with Tommy Shaw and the whole band and drummer Todd Sucherman, we had to hear how our band sounded together. And after the first chorus of 'Cyrstal Ball,' we all looked around and knew this was going to work."

Sleeping on a tour bus helps keep his singing voice healthy

"A lot of the lifestyle, if you want to call it, of a rock musician ... is hard on parts of the body, and the voice being one of the central parts for singers," Gowan said.

"I prioritize getting sleep on the road," he said. "I sleep really well on a tour bus. Some people can't; that can be the very beginning of your voice diminishing."

Eating healthy and not smoking also are important, Gowan said. Singing so often also keeps his voice in shape, he added.

"It's no one answer," Gowan said. "It's a combination of all those things, and luck, quite honestly. Your voice can just disappear over night or change just from aging."

Snubbed from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

"Everyone has their own kind of view on it," Gowan said of Styx being overlooked for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. "I'd like to see it happen for the band because I think every member that has been in Styx deserves it."

Both hit songs and touring for so many years to big crowds qualifies Styx for induction, he said.

"It's become such a hot button for some fans," Gowan said.

"I can tell you that about every year the band does not get in, about a two-minute discussion goes down on the bus," he said. "That's it. (Band members) look at who's getting in ... and who were not (inducted) again, and we look at how many thousands of people are online complaining about us not getting in, and we're playing another sold out show to 8,000 to 12,000 people who will sing their hearts out.

"Every year it ends with an, 'Oh well ... one of these years it will become Styx's turn.'"

Replacing Dennis DeYoung

"(Styx) never hinted at even doing any kind of impression or any kind of sound alike thing in any way," Gowan said of replacing Dennis DeYoung. "All they said was, you sing these songs the way you would sing them. So I sing them as honestly (as I can), and as I connect to the lyrics of the song, I sing them. Notes are a different thing. I try to hit those notes because the melodies are ingrained in peoples' heads, and they're great notes."

Modern mainstream rock in 2023

"Because we're so fractured now because of the internet ... you may miss that there are ... great rock records (by bands like Royal Blood) who have a huge audience," Gowan said. "They're totally rock based; they sound like they could be Led Zeppelin songs, some of the best Led Zeppelin songs. I'd say the biggest one of that ilk would be Muse ... (who) have all the trappings of the classic rock era, but those bands exist.

"They're just not on the radio all the time," he said. "They're just not in your face all the time because they're not either rap or pop."

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com

On X (formerly Twitter) @ebalintREP

If you go

What: Stark County Fair

When: Aug. 29 through Sept. 4. Gates open at 8 a.m. daily. The fair closes at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday.

Where: Stark County Fairgrounds, 305 Wertz Ave., Canton

Tickets: General admission is $8. Children 5 and under are admitted free. There are also special discount days.

More details: Go online to https://starkcountyfair.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Styx's Lawrence Gowan on rock hall snub: 'One of these years'