Every time the members of Styx get ready to hit the road after a short home stint, frontman Tommy Shaw greets them with this:
โItโs good to be back; my charm was wearing thin at home,โ recalls bass player Ricky Phillips.
You would think that after four decades of touring, playing big arenas in the early days and mid-sized amphitheaters like Tucsonโs AVA at Casino del Sol these days, being on the road would lose its appeal.
Not even, says Phillips, whoโs been with the 1970s rock band going on 16 years.
โWe like it,โ he says during a phone call from home in Austin, Texas, in mid-September to talk about the bandโs AVA show on Sunday, Oct. 7. โWe enjoy it. Itโs a great kind of chemistry we have between us and itโs easy. Itโs one part of life that seems to flow effortlessly, and we appreciate that.โ
Styx is on the road 200 dates a year, which is pretty remarkable for a band thatโs been around since 1972. The lineup includes founding members Shaw and James โJ.Y.โ Young, and several members have been with the band since the 1990s.
Phillips, who has been in a number of bands since the 1970s including The Babys, Bad English and Coverdale-Page with Led Zeppelinโs Jimmy Page, joined Styx in 2003.
โIt took me nearly a year to say, โOK, I nailed that oneโ,โ says the 65-year-old musician. โIโve never really had that challenge before.โ
These days, playing the Styx catalogue is burnished in his muscle memory, which makes it easier to change it up a bit and be more creative. On the bandโs 2017 record โThe Mission,โ Phillips was able to step out and exert himself musically, although he says he walked that fine line of adding to the music โwithout getting in the way of it.โ
Expect to hear a cut or two off โMission,โ the bandโs 16th career studio album, but Styx will spend most of its time on stage Sunday playing the hits. Among the songs that Phillips says define a Styx concert: โRenegade,โ โCome Sail Away,โ โFooling Yourself,โ โToo Much Time On My Hands,โ โBlue Collar Manโ and โMiss America.โ
โYou canโt leave those songs out. Beyond that, thereโs a lot to choose from so that makes for a good night,โ Phillips says.
Phillipsโ favorite song to perform live? โFooling Yourself.โ
โItโs such a cool song that I wish I had written. Itโs one of Tommy Shawโs genius moments, I think,โ he says, pointing out the changing time signatures, solid storyline lyrics and great melody. โIt just goes through these movements that pop songs donโt go through. Itโs fun to sing, itโs fun to perform.โ
And Phillips believes what we will experience on Sunday will be Styx at the top of its game.
โA band like ours, everybody has gotten better than back in the heyday of the band,โ he says. โA band like ours has improved so much that when we play the songs, the only reason they sound different is because we are better players. We try to stay really true to the original script of what made Styx who we are. ... The band was great back then, but the musicianship, you just naturally get better.โ
