Fans of the multi-platinum-selling ’80s hard rock band Winger might want to jump at the chance to see them at the Arcada Theatre in August, because it may be the last time the band comes through town.

The band will perform at the downtown St. Charles venue at 8 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29, with special guest Close Enemies featuring Tom Hamilton of Aerosmith.

After a career in rock music that spans more than 40 years, frontman and bassist Kip Winger said the band will play a few more shows before hanging it up.

However, Winger doesn’t plan on abandoning music. He plans to concentrate on other endeavors, namely composing orchestral music.

“[Winger] is doing a few select shows, but we’re not going to do much,” he said. “Mostly I’m focused on composing. I want to write a lot more music in my life, and it’s getting very difficult to do so with all the travel and have time to get done what I want to do.”

Winger has carved out a very successful composing career since the height of his rock stardom in the late ‘80s. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2017 for “Conversations with Nijinsky.” To be clear, Winger does not play his orchestral music, rather he works with symphonies and orchestras that perform it.

“I’m one of those bookworms who studies scores. When you set out in your life on a trajectory – you meet your goals along the way, and this is where I want to be right now,“ he said. ”This is the phase of my life where I want to explore other worlds of music that don’t have anything to do with a rock band. I want to express a different thing.”

Winger’s roots in music go all the way back to when he was a kid. His parents were both musicians and he often accompanied his family to their gigs. He began performing at a young age with his older brother, eventually becoming the bass player for Alice Cooper in the mid-’80s before leaving in 1987 to start his own band.

Winger quickly shot to stardom after releasing their debut album “Winger” in 1988, which featured hits “Seventeen” and “Headed for a Heartbreak.” The album went platinum in the U.S., staying on the Billboard Top 200 album chart for 60 weeks. Winger toured with rock powerhouse bands like Cinderella, Skid Row, Poison and Bon Jovi to support the record.

Their second album, “In the Heart of the Young,” was released in 1990 and featured songs “Miles Away,” “Easy Come Easy Go” and “Can’t Get Enuff.” The band continued to tour with bands like KISS, Scorpions and ZZ Top before the music scene abruptly changed in the early ’90s with the emergence of grunge rock bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden.

All of the ’80s hard rock bands of the scene suddenly saw their careers evaporate when the Seattle bands took over the radio airwaves and MTV, but Winger undeservedly got the brunt of the backlash.

“When the grunge thing came, [Winger] took a hit and I personally got hit, and there was nowhere to go. I lost all my deals and my record contract. It was a very low point,” he said. “And I thought ‘What am I going to do?’ I’ve never been about anything but music - so I decided to start learning about modern orchestral music.”

Winger was able to persevere through those dark years, primarily by focusing on becoming a better musician and working on songwriting. He said it took him about 30 years to “recalibrate” his image.

“I look at it like the whole thing was an ‘it is what it is’ situation,” he said. “It was unfortunate that we got hit so hard but you can’t do anything about that. It was difficult at the time.”

Winger went on hiatus in 1994 and regrouped in 2001, reinvigorating their career thanks to the band’s exceptional musicianship and songwriting, as well as consistent touring. Their last album “Seven” was released in May of 2023.

The band still consists of original members guitarist Reb Beach, keyboardist Paul Taylor and drummer Rod Morgenstein, something Winger takes great pride in.

“We’ve always been good friends, and the sound of the band is my voice and Reb’s guitar,” he said. “It’s exciting for people to see all the original members on stage. We’re playing the hits and the songs that are our favorites. It’s a 30-plus-years band giving it everything they’ve got. We’re committed when we walk out there. Nobody phones it in.”

The Arcada Theatre is one of the band’s favorite places to play, Winger said, giving credit to promoter Ron Onesti who “takes care” of the bands that play there.

“It’s a great place,” Winger said. “It has great sound, great food, great lighting. The fans are amazing and it’s a great rock scene. You can’t say anything bad about the Arcada Theatre.”

Despite his love for playing live, it’s time to say goodbye. Winger gave one last message to rock fans: “If fans want to see Winger, do it now.”

Ticket prices start at $39. For more information about upcoming events at the Arcada Theatre, or to purchase tickets, visit arcadalive.com.