Richard Marx returns to the Arcada Theatre

In the two decades since Richard Marx became a 1980s pop star with hits including "Right Here Waiting" and "Hold on to the Nights," the Chicago resident has continued to impact the music industry, writing more than 13 No. 1 songs and selling more than 30 million albums.

Tonight, Marx returns to the historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, with special guest Matt Scannell of Vertical Horizon, as an acoustic duo.

"We're so proud of the show, and what actually makes the show is what happens between the songs," Marx said. "People get to see a couple of close friends hanging out on stage - we tell stories, we have a great time. It all goes back to why I perform, it's all about me. I enjoy the experience of it."

A Grammy Award winner, Marx has written for N*SYNC, Barbra Streisand, Josh Groban, Vince Gill, 98 Degrees, Luther Vandross, Kenny Rogers and Lara Fabian.

Marx began collaborating with Scannell after the two became friends, performed a couple of acoustic numbers at a charity endeavor and realized their chemistry.

"I went to one of his shows in Florida and we just kind of kept in touch for a couple years, and then we did this acoustic thing (at a charity event) and the crowd went nuts, and we were like, 'What if we started doing this, as a show?'"

Since then, they've done about 40 shows and have released a CD, "Duo," on iTunes. Marx's most recent album, "Emotional Remains" - released Sept. 22 - features some of Scannell's contributions. He and Scannell will release a live CD in early 2010, followed by an electric rock collaboration.

Marx values opportunities to work creatively with artists to whom he feels connected.

"Kenny Loggins is a great example of someone who had a tremendous influence on me in my 20s," Marx said, "And he's someone who I'll drop everything for if he's coming to Chicago and we can get a couple of hours of writing time in."

Marx said he has a need to "purge emotions" through writing songs, some of which he'll never release because they're too private. When his "Right Here Waiting" was released, the impact was "almost invasive," because of the origins of the song.

"When I write songs, it's about communicating with a certain person," Marx said. "It's never that I set out to write a hit. Without criticizing anyone, I'm sure there are people who set out to write a hit, but to me, that's never been what my music is about."

He wrote "Right Here Waiting' as a musical version of his feelings for his wife, Cynthia. When his network of supporters urged him to include the song on his album, "I felt like, if I wrote her a love letter, would I publish it in the L.A. Times?" Marx said. "That song is evidence of my approach that I don't set out to write a hit."

Richard Marx, with Matt Scannell

When: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16

Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles

Tickets: $49-$89, oshows.com or (630) 587-8400