When Styx took the stage at PNC this past July 20 during the stop of their tour with Don Felder and Kevin Cronin, fans were treated to more than a three-hour marathon of rock nostalgia. They were given a glimpse into the band’s continued evolution, anchored by the release of their latest album, Circling from Above.
Reflecting on the night while chatting with Robert Cavuoto, Lawrence Gowan admitted, “We’ve probably played there at least 12, maybe as many as 16 times, I would say. And every time it’s a memorable night. So many great things have happened for us at that venue. And a couple of weeks ago was just maybe the best of all.”
The heat that evening didn’t spare the band. Gowan described the challenge of playing in jackets during sweltering conditions: “It just looked like I walked through the shower… we kind of have a little competition after a show like that to see who can wring out the most sweat from their shirt!”
Of course, the focus of the conversation was on Circling from Above, an album that Gowan said has resonated in new and surprising ways: “We’re very proud of this record… I don’t know if we’ve ever had this much in the way of the highest percentage of, you know, really enthusiastic response from people as to how much they’re digging the album.”
Balancing the spirit of vintage Styx with modern relevance is no small feat, Gowan acknowledged: “We try to make the record sound as authentically as possible from the era of classic rock, which is roughly the 70s. At the same time, the danger in that is that you can fall into clichés. So instead, we draw from that era, bring it into this era, sing about things that are relevant today, and put some musical twists in there.”
One standout track is King of Love, which Gowan described as a microcosm of the band’s collaborative spirit: “Tommy Shaw had the chorus already, Will [Ivankovich] had that bridge… and I thought, okay, this needs to have the other side of the teeter totter… verses that are low and murky feeling. I’m really proud of how we put that song together.”
Gowan went on to explain that Circling from Above emerged organically rather than from a fixed concept, developing a thematic thread of external conflict between nature and technology alongside an internal struggle for balance. The album’s cinematic ebb and flow, and its light-and-dark contrasts, reflect the collaborative spirit of the band, with each member adding their signature sound.
What drives the band to keep creating new music rather than relying solely on their catalog? For Gowan, the answer is simple: “The lifeblood of the band… is to connect with the live audience as much as possible… but something new coming in and attempting something is like breathing. You just need to take in that oxygen.”
The sentiment carries over to the live experience. As Gowan put it, “At a concert, what you see suddenly is humanity in complete harmony and agreement that we love this music. We love these songs. We love the experience that they’ve given us in our lives. And there’s nothing but joy.”
More than two decades after joining Styx, Gowan remains confident in his place at the helm. Recalling his first performance with the band in Branson, Missouri, he admitted he wasn’t sure how fans would react: “I thought… this is the first time at least the Styx faithful are going to hear a different voice sing this song. I guess we’ll know in about four minutes whether this is going to work. And by the end of the song, it was just like the audience you saw the other night. It was big smiles on their faces.”
That’s the essence of Circling from Above, a record that bridges generations, navigating the complexities of the human experience through the intersecting lenses of technology and nature. It’s classic Styx; bold, melodic, and unapologetically thought-provoking; embracing the band’s past and proving that their story is far from over.
