When a band tours practically nonstop for 15 years, it’s difficult for its members to remember when they played certain shows. But, in some cases, they’ll clearly remember the venue.
Rock legends Styx count the Florida Strawberry Festival as one such venue.
“We did play it once, and it was fantastic,” singer and keyboardist Lawrence Gowan says. “It’s a fabulous combo: You put Styx with the strawberries, and you’ve got a match made in heaven.”
Gowan and his bandmates are about to return to the festival’s Wish Farms Soundstage for one of their first Florida dates of the year; they’ll hit the road after their Plant City performance for a few months and plan to return to the Sunshine State in late May — starting with a show May 20, at Ruth Eckerd Hall, in Clearwater.
The Plant City performance should appeal to longtime Styx fans — the band plans to play many of its biggest hits, including “Come Sail Away,” “Fooling Yourself” and “Renegade.”
“‘Renegade’ is my favorite song to do every night, and I don’t even sing lead on it,” Gowan says. “The audience gets really into it.”
And, the rockers will have plenty of opportunities to play it. Styx has no plans to stop touring anytime soon, even though Gowan does wish the band had time to return to the recording studio. The last time the band released an album with all-new material was in 2003, when it recorded “Cyclorama.”
“We’ve been planning to get in the studio for seven years now but haven’t found the time,” Gowan says. “It takes about six months to record an album. … There’s always this impending ‘next adventure’ coming up that cuts into our recording time.”
Styx won’t be in town for long, with a concert in Melbourne planned for Friday, but the band plans to enjoy the Florida weather after spending three days in freezing-cold Milwaukee.
Locals may even find the Chicago rockers sampling Plant City’s famous tastes. They, like the rest of the festival-goers, can’t wait to indulge in the strawberry shortcakes and Parkesdale milkshakes.
“I didn’t take part in any competitions last time we played the festival,” Gowan says. “But, I could have qualified with how much food I ate.”
STYX
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27
TICKETS: $25 and $30
WEBSITE: styxworld.com