Renegade keeps the stadium rock bangin’ in Salinas.

One of the defining moments of Kent Peterson’s musical life came when he was still in high school: a Styx concert at the Winterland Arena in San Francisco.

Thirty years after that definitive night, after responding to an ad on Craigslist, Peterson was given the opportunity to regularly perform with Renegade: A Tribute to Styx. And this Saturday night at Giovane’s, the Sacramento-based band will replicate classics like “Come Sail Away” and “Crystal Ball” by the stadium rock heroes.

Peterson, the lead singer and guitarist, says the standard Renegade show is two sets and lasts more than two hours.

“We run through all the hits and also a couple of obscurities,” he says.

While Renegade’s sound closely mimics the ’70s band, so does its onstage movements.

“We’ve really studied a lot of Styx DVDs with their live performances to see how they interact with each other when they play,” Peterson says. “The guitarists stand next to each other and move their guitars up and down to the beat.”

But Renegade’s real goal is not to look like Styx, just sound like them.

“We’re told all the time by people how shocked they are at how well we recreate the Styx sound,” Peterson says. “Even people who aren’t Styx fans have a good time.”

RENEGADE plays 8pm Saturday, Nov. 21, at Giovane’s, 348 San Juan Grade Road, Salinas. $8. 444-6717.