Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes know Ohio well.

“That was one of the first states outside of the New York / New Jersey / Pennsylvania area that really, really welcomed us all those many years ago and, believe me, we don’t take it for granted,” lead singer Southside Johnny Lyon said. “Bruce (Springsteen), Steven (Van Zandt), all of us really appreciate that Ohio has these pockets of real enthusiastic rock ‘n’ roll fans, and we’re always happy to go there.”

Lyon has been making that trip since the mid ’70s, since Clevelander Steve Popovich signed the band to Epic Records and released “I Don’t Want to Go Home” in 1976.

From the Youngstown Agora / Tomorrow Club to rib festivals, from Powers Auditorium to the Warren Community Amphitheatre, the Jukes have played most of the venues in the Mahoning Valley, and a few fields and parking lots as well.

The band — Glenn Alexander, guitar; Chris Anderson, trumpet; John Conte, bass; John Isley, saxophone; Jeff Kazee, piano; Neal Pawley, trombone; Tom Seguso, drums; and Lyon — will add the Robins Theatre to that list with a show Friday in downtown Warren.

Just don’t ask him what he’s playing on Friday. As he explained in a telephone interview on Monday, he doesn’t know yet. And even though there will be a set list, that doesn’t mean the band will stick to it on stage.

The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

TICKET: Looking at the set lists for the recent shows, in addition to the Southside Johnny favorites the audience expects, you’ve been doing some interesting covers, like War’s “Low Rider” and David Ruffin’s “My Whole World Ended (the Moment You Left Me).”

LYON: The War thing just happened on stage. I think John Conte, the bass player, started playing it. The horns knew the riff, so we did it. That song was very spontaneous, not pre-thought out. It just sort of happened.

The David Ruffin song is a song I’ve always wanted to cover. I heard it somewhere a year or so ago and said, “Let’s learn it and put it in the repertoire. It’s a tough song to sing. He’s one of those singers who sings much higher than you think. He sounds rough, but the key is really high. It’s a great song and I love doing it.

TICKET: What do you look for in a cover song?

LYON: Just a good melody to sing, something you can really get your heart into. It has to have an emotional response you relate to and decent lyrics. There’s a lot of tunes you do just for fun but “My Whole World Ended (the Moment You Left Me”) is really one of my favorite songs.

But there are so many of them. We have 200-some songs, and we know more than that. But you just pick and choose the ones you think are appropriate for tonight.

TICKET: How early do you pick the set list?

LYON: I usually make the set list up right before the show, maybe an hour before, but we don’t follow it always, and it has to be that way, otherwise we get complacent. There’s nothing worse than watching a band going through the motions. I don’t want that kind of job anyway. I want something that challenges me, excites me and satisfies me, and that means it has to be different every night.

TICKET: The band’s most recent album is a live show from 1977 recorded at the Cleveland Agora (released in 2022 on Cleveland International Records). From some of the interviews I’ve read, it doesn’t sound like you were too involved in that release.

LYON: Hank LoConti, who had the Agora clubs, recorded everything. It just so happened Steve Popovich’s son, Steve Jr., found a recording of that night. Steve (Van Zandt) was there, Ronnie (Spector) was there, and it was a great night. They came to me and said, “Can we put this out?” and I said sure. I didn’t even listen to it. I trusted their judgment. I did the first couple of interviews (promoting it) without ever hearing it.

(After hearing it), I was very pleased. It sounded a lot better than I thought it would. That’s a very old recording of us. You think it’s going to sound really thin and tinny and a lot of peaks that will distort, but it didn’t. I think they did a great job. I’m sure they put a lot of work into it to make it sound good, and they did.

If people want it, I don’t have any problem with it. If I don’t like it, I’ll say, “I don’t think we should put this out,” but in this instance I trusted other people and for once it worked out.

TICKET: Are you one of those people who likes to hear your old recordings?

LYON: I never want to hear it. All I hear are my flaws. Everybody else hears all the great things that are going on and the enthusiasm, and all I hear is everything that I don’t do right, so I don’t listen to that stuff. Onward and upward.

TICKET: So, then, what is on the horizon?

LYON: As far as making a new record, we have some ideas in mind, but it’s probably not going to be a full album right away. I think those days are, not done, but it’s not necessary. We’re kind of going back to the old times where you used to put out one record and a B side or an EP, because you’re going to download it. You’re not going to have the physical object. Most people don’t do that anymore. That means you can make it whatever length you want.

You charge a buck a song and the hell with it. Well, now that the Dollar Store is a dollar and a quarter, you have to charge a dollar and a quarter a song because, you know, inflation.

TICKET: Are you a physical media guy? Do you still play old records?

LYON: I’m an old-school guy. I still play records, CDs, things like that. I have a record collection with Garry Tallent (from the E Street Band). We’ve got over 5,000 45s, 2,000 albums and who knows what all. I like looking for old blues records and rockabilly and soul and doo wop. It’s a fun hobby, and it gets you out of the house and you’re rummaging through these old records. It’s always a treasure hunt. … It’s a fun thing.

I like the ethereal idea of digital music — downloading, you hear something and you can get it right away — but I’m an old-fashioned guy. I like to hold the thing in my hand, I like to read the credits. As far as albums, I like to look at the pictures. There’s a whole package that goes along with a record. I like that experience. Plus I like the idea of going into thrift stores and flea markets and yard sales and trying to find something that makes the day. You’ve found some discovery that puts a smile on your face.

TICKET: How has your relationship with performing changed, if at all, over the course of your career?

LYON: I’m at a point where I feel I have proven myself to myself, but it’s always a challenge. Every night, are you going to be good or not? When I started out, I was very much the aggressive headhunter. I was going to show everybody what I could do, show off the band and the material, And I still feel that way in some ways. But I’m much more accepting of the fact that we’re really good. I don’t have to worry about that aspect of it. I don’t have to worry about people looking at us and thinking, “What the hell are they doing?” People pretty much know who we are, and that’s a good place to be.