Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class William Phillips | The bands Styx and Eddie Money played a concert May 13 at the Morale, Welfare and...... read more read more
The bands Styx and Eddie Money performed at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Sports Complex May 13.
“It’s an honor to perform at a military base,” said Styx pianist and singer Lawrence Gowen. “Over the course of the years we do get asked to do things for services and we always enjoy playing for them. There is always a great audience… Through these kinds of shows, we’ve done some great behind the scenes tours and gotten a peek of what goes into the life that service members live. That’s really educational for us and we really enjoy it.”
According to Eddie, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center is a very important place for service members.
“Walter Reed Hospital is an amazing place,” said Money. “This is where they put people back together again. It’s a real honor to do something for my country and the people serving it. It is good to give something back, the reason we sleep [well] at night is because of [service members].”
Some people are not able to keep their music fresh, but Gowen said Styx manages to keep their music fresh by finding new meaning for songs each time they play them.
“It’s funny; keeping songs that you play over and over is really how you approach it,” said Gowen. “If you feel like you really know this song and you’re not connected to it on a daily basis and you’re just playing it, it is going to come out as a very flat performance. The great thing about playing in Styx, that’s never been our attitude, Every time we get to play those songs, it’s another chance to discover some nuance of that piece. It fits where our lives are today. In that moment that song is reborn.”
Eddie Money said that playing the same songs is a gift.
“It was a gift from god that you wrote these songs and when people hear it lights them up and it brings back memories from a certain time of their life,” said Money. “…I talk to all these people that grew up with my music in the 70s and 80s, and they say it brings them back to a certain time in their lives.”
According to Gowen, every show is important to Styx.
“There has never been a show that is not important to us,” said Gowen. “Part of the reason the band has weathered nearly five decades now is that every show is important. There is a degree of seriousness, which may be hard to believe when you see how much fun the show is.”
Eddie said shows like this are a chance for him to give back to the service members on base.
Members of both bands spoke of their military ties.
“I was originally from Britain, and my dad was in the Royal Navy during the Second World War; he has lots of stories from that,” said Gowen.
“My dad was in the Navy and when the opportunity to do something for our military comes, it is really important to me to give back,” said Eddie. “I’ve got friends and family members in the service so this concert was a no brainer for me.”
Even though this wasn’t the first show either band had done on a military base, both Gowen and Money said shows on military bases are always great.
This concert was the first to showcase major bands at NSA Bethesda.
“It’s a real honor to be the first major band to play on base,” said Money. “I wouldn’t say it’s something I feel like I deserve, but it’s something very special to me. To see how hard [service members] work serving our country is amazing. I know you’re not doing it for the money, so it’s the least I could do to give back.”
“It’s great that you’re starting at the top; I’ll say that with absolutely false modesty,” said Gowen. “It’s great to be the first band to do that. We have a lot of requirements for us to play a show, and so far the preparation at any military base has been great.”
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 05.19.2017 09:05 |
| Story ID: | 234441 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 90 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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