蜜柚直播

鈥淚t鈥檚 good to be back; my charm was wearing thin at home,鈥� 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 蜜柚直播鈥檚 AVA at Casino del Sol these days, being on the road would lose its appeal.

Not even, says Phillips, who鈥檚 been with the 1970s rock band going on 16 years.

鈥淲e like it,鈥� he says during a phone call from home in Austin, Texas, in mid-September to talk about the band鈥檚 AVA show on Sunday, Oct. 7. 鈥淲e enjoy it. It鈥檚 a great kind of chemistry we have between us and it鈥檚 easy. It鈥檚 one part of life that seems to flow effortlessly, and we appreciate that.鈥�

Styx is on the road 200 dates a year, which is pretty remarkable for a band that鈥檚 been around since 1972. The lineup includes founding members Shaw and James 鈥淛.Y.鈥� 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 Zeppelin鈥檚 Jimmy Page, joined Styx in 2003.

鈥淚t took me nearly a year to say, 鈥極K, I nailed that one鈥�,鈥� says the 65-year-old musician. 鈥淚鈥檝e never really had that challenge before.鈥�

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 band鈥檚 2017 record 鈥淭he Mission,鈥� Phillips was able to step out and exert himself musically, although he says he walked that fine line of adding to the music 鈥渨ithout getting in the way of it.鈥�

Expect to hear a cut or two off 鈥淢ission,鈥� the band鈥檚 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: 鈥淩enegade,鈥� 鈥淐ome Sail Away,鈥� 鈥淔ooling Yourself,鈥� 鈥淭oo Much Time On My Hands,鈥� 鈥淏lue Collar Man鈥� and 鈥淢iss America.鈥�

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 leave those songs out. Beyond that, there鈥檚 a lot to choose from so that makes for a good night,鈥� Phillips says.

Phillips鈥� favorite song to perform live? 鈥淔ooling Yourself.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 such a cool song that I wish I had written. It鈥檚 one of Tommy Shaw鈥檚 genius moments, I think,鈥� he says, pointing out the changing time signatures, solid storyline lyrics and great melody. 鈥淚t just goes through these movements that pop songs don鈥檛 go through. It鈥檚 fun to sing, it鈥檚 fun to perform.鈥�

And Phillips believes what we will experience on Sunday will be Styx at the top of its game.

鈥淎 band like ours, everybody has gotten better than back in the heyday of the band,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 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.鈥�