I asked Lawrence what goes into writing the set list for a show. Then he said when he first joined Styx, they asked him “Where is that spinning contraption?” Then it was suggested he use it in live shows. He spoke about creating it so he could move around in the video too. Lawrence told me when he was making his solo album “Lost Brotherhood” in 1990, which featured Alex Lifeson of Rush on guitar, they came up with the stand for the video of the title track.

It spins freely around over a center pedestal. When speaking of Styx on stage, something that is very noticeable is the keyboard stand that Lawrence uses at shows. He said there is “Something about being in the moment that keeps it fresh.” Lawrence spoke about feeding off the audience at the shows. Being they do at least 100 shows a year, how do they keep it fresh every time they step on stage? Part of it is a group effort to elevate whatever they did the last time they played. Next up, with a show coming to Tulsa, we spoke about live performances from the band. Since his juke box only plays 78s, that found him speaking about older music that he can find that the juke box will play. That made me ask Lawrence what that thing may be for him. For Tommy it was Banjo and for JY it was drag racing. When speaking with his band mates Tommy Shaw and James “JY” Young, they each mentioned something they were passionate about.

We caught up with singer, keyboardist Lawrence Gowan via Zoom to talk the show and a lot more. Styx are coming to The Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort Friday November 10th, 2023.

Little river casino concert